New Hope Overlook Primitive Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area

Jordan Lake is easily accessible with a short drive from nearby Raleigh-Durham, making this otherwise massive waterfront escape nothing short of idyllic and simply amazing.  While the horizon battles it out with the shore to see which is bluest, we liked to hang back and take in the marvel of this fantastic place.  Whether you are here for a good hike, some serious oar paddling or just to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, whatever your escape story might be, Lake Jordan has an answer (and refuge for you)!

For nearly a week, my bros and I were in the constant search for the most perfect camping outpost, and while we easily fell in love with Jordan Lake, this particular camping outpost - New Hope Overlook - was quite primitive and required several hundred yards of a hike inland to find quite dilapidated barely clear spots (apparently, of which there are 120+ sites to chose from) with which to pitch a tent.  Before setting up, we checked out the water supply which was worse than horrible - even the lake was cleaner than what the water spigot produced, and the cleared areas required a good hour or so of clean-up as there was so much litter sprawled everywhere.  Given this situation, we decided not to stay here and instead pushed on to another campground here in Lake Jordan that proved to be pretty amazing.

What I would say about this particular spot is that if you do come here, be prepared to clear up and / or find your own personal slice of paradise.  We were quite surprised (and disappointed) to know that such an amazing natural outcrop so close to such a massive, seemingly pristine freshwater lake was indeed quite filthy and very unkept.  I gave this location a 2 star rating as I hold out hope that the great people that manage this site in the NC state park system will see this and clean it up and / or that other fellow sojourners will see this, check in on the place and keep us updated as to whether or not the spot is improved upon in the near future.

Insider's tips?  Here's a few: (1) If you're an angler, Lake Jordan is very well known for its large mouthed bass as well as black croppie and there's also yellow and white perch as well as a few different variety of catfish; (2) Should you grow weary of conjuring up the next meal from the depths of your Cordova cooler, then you're going to have to hike it back into nearby civilization to find a decent restaurant, the closest of which is either Apex or Holly Springs, of which, I highly recommend The Blind Pelican for some pretty amazing edibles like gator bites and frog legs or succulent seafood like Maine lobster and Cajun grilled Mahi; and (3) If you are looking for a great place to sunbathe and want a decent beachhead, then check out nearby Jordan Lake Beach or Seaforth Beach, both of which have a nice sandy beachhead that the kiddos will be able to enjoy making a sand castle at.

Happy Camping!

This state recreation area deserves five stars, but I am reviewing only the New Hope Overlook area. I had stayed at this state recreation area in a popup camper before in a different area, and that was several years ago. This last time, a friend of mine and I stayed in a tent in the primitive area at New Hope Overlook. When we got to the gate, we were told there was no water, but I had a water filter. To camp, you have to backpack in several hundred feet, and select a site. When I went to the lake to filter water, the water was still brown, so we decided to go to the closest convenience store and buy bottled water. It was a great campout because it was my friend's bachelor party, and all he wanted to do for a bachelor party was to go camping with his best man. In this camping area, you have to tie your food bag up into a tree. There is a fire pit in each campsite, and there is a picnic table. The next day when we went fishing at the lake, which was s short hike through the woods, I was shocked by the amount of litter washed up on the shore and into the woods, included but not limited to, tires, oil bottles, drink cans, water bottles, and lots of everything else. The lake itself (at least at the shoreline) was nasty!!!!!!! It is a great area if you want to just be outdoors, but the best way to enjoy the full experience at Jordan Lake is to take a boat or a kayak, enjoy the swimming beach, and stay where there is potable water.

For my previous experience, I camped with my wife in a more developed campground at the lake. It has modern bath facilities, a swimming beach, boat access, etc. There are also a few trails. As I stated earlier, I would normally rate this state recreation area five stars, but the primitive camping at New Hope Overlook only deserves three stars.