Chalk Banks — Lumber River State Park, near Orrum, North Carolina, is a fantastic spot for those seeking a peaceful escape into nature. This campground offers spacious, primitive sites that are well-kept and provide a sense of privacy, making it feel like you’re truly off the beaten path.

Visitors rave about the campground's cleanliness and the friendly park staff. Each site comes with a fire pit, and there’s a clean toilet nearby, which is a plus for campers. As one happy camper noted, “The area is clean and well maintained,” and many appreciate the ample firewood available for gathering.

If you’re into kayaking or fishing, you’re in luck! The Lumber River is just a short walk away, providing easy access for water activities. The surrounding pine woods create a serene atmosphere, perfect for unwinding after a day of adventure. Hikers will also find beautiful trails nearby, adding to the outdoor experience.

While there are no showers or a general store on-site, the campground’s charm lies in its simplicity and natural beauty. It’s a great choice for anyone looking to disconnect and enjoy some quality time in the great outdoors.

Located in Columbus, Robeson, Scotland, and Hoke counties 60 miles south of Fayetteville, Lumber River State Park has two access areas located about 1 hour from each other: Princess Ann and Chalk Banks. Possibilities for paddling on this 115-mile river are extraordinary. An abundance of wildlife and plant life, including the belted kingfisher and the rare Carolina bogmint, helped Lumber River earn federal designation as a National Wild and Scenic River, the only blackwater river in the state to have that honor. 

Tent sites (including paddle-in sites)
Group tent sites
 
Both accesses have camping facilities. If you have a reservation, please verify the location of your campsite prior to your visit. Princess Ann and Chalk Banks accesses are located 1 hour apart, so please check that you are headed to the correct campground.

Chalk Banks — Lumber River State Park

Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Wagram, NC has a lot to offer. Wagram is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Wagram. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.

Wagram

The Best Camping Near Wagram, North Carolina

Spent Memorial day weekend up there kayaking and fishing. Easy reservation not very crowded and had openings for last min reservations. Easy parking nice boat ramp for the kayaks.

Good little park perfect for a weekend of kayaking and fishing..

Word to the wise, when the website says the park closes at “posted times”, they mean 9pm. We know this because we got there at 9:05 and the gate was locked tight. We thought we’d walk in, and if it wasn’t too far, I’d pack the tent in, and we’d get the rest of our stuff in the morning. After walking a while and not seeing the camping area, we called it a night and slept in the back of our Jeep with our dog. The maintenance man was surprised to see me roll out of there when he arrived in the morning to open the gate. He was very apologetic and gave us the code in case we needed out in the middle of the night. 

This is a no frills campground, and we knew that going in. We’re ok with that. There is one vault toilet and one water source. The people in the group site however, utilized the one water spigot as a bath house, yep, full on bathing, dish washing, you get the picture, even after being told by the staff not to. 

The maintenance staff kept the area clean, and were around frequently, as well as rangers. 

There is no park store or anything, so bring what you need. After many stops, we found the one place in town that sold firewood, it’s the speedway gas station. 

No frills, not much to do, but relax and listen to nature. We’re ok with that, just not worth the 3 hour drive for us again. 

Memorial Day 2020

It was a little tricky finding the entrance to this campsite, but when we managed to Google map our way in into the park, we were very happy with our selection! These campsites are in a beautiful pine woods forest. Many sites have a pretty mossy pathway near the tent platform. The platform is elevated and and dirt framed in wooden railroad ties. The sites have great privacy and the campsite was virtually empty except for us and one other family. The campground ranger said they only fill up on the 4th of July. 
They set-up and trash can with a bag for you upon arrival. There is no general store nearby so bring wood and supplies in with you. 
There was a water pump/spigot near the restroom with great pressure (potable water). We brought our own pop-up shower and road toilet with us, so didn’t need the restroom. 
The ranger that greeted us was super nice and respectful. He gave us the gate code in case we needed to leave after they closed the gate at 9:00pm. 
Very quiet and peaceful. 

Pleasantly Surprised. 

Pretty nice campground right off of hwy 401, just south of Raeford NC. There is a pit toilet and water spigot. There are no showers here. The Lumber River is right here, so fishing and canoeing/kayaking are popular activities. There is a hiking trail here as well.

The right hand side of the campground is set up for RV,s (pull through sites). The left hand side is for tent camping. Tent camping sites, 9-10-11, sit WAY back in the woods, so its like almost like having your own campground. TONS of forage wood here.

With talking to the rangers, they were saying that the place seldom gets too crowded, and you can almost always get a reservation here.

Lumber River Chalk Banks

Stayed this weekend and had a good time. The area is clean and well maintained. There is a lot of wood to gather for your fire but if you want to buy firewood then you’ll have to drive to the speedway about 10 minutes down the road. Once we arrived, the ranger came by and greeted us and gave us the code for the front gate since it is locked from 8 pm to 8 am. The river is about half a mile from the campground and has a put in for kayaks. There’s only one toilet for the entire campground however it was very clean. Good phone service for AT&amp;T and Verizon. I would definitely camp here again!

Good primitive camping

This campsite doesn’t seem to be too popular which is fine. The tent sites are some of the better spread out ones that I’ve seen and having cell coverage is immensely appreciated considering you’re basically in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful hikes around the river right next door.

Spacious Sites

This was a great campground for a great price. There was a path walkable to the river, and each campsite was clean, had plenty of space on level ground to set up camp, a fire pit, and very clean toilet. I would definitely go back!

Clean, beautiful and river-accessible!

Extra large and private campsites. One of the campsites has a hammock stand. The group site is huge. The whole park is very clean and spacious. 

Hidden gem

Awesome place. Decently far off the main road so it's quiet. Probably the biggest spots to camp I've ever seen gives you the feel of basically being way off the beaten path.  Also the lumber river access is ideal to kayak and fish. The park rangers and maintenance people were chill and friendly. Park is clean and well maintained 

Awesome spot

I’m a fan of this place it is beautiful and quiet sites are primitive but well cared for nice security features bring mosquito repellent

Photos of Chalk Banks — Lumber River State Park

Real photos from real campers