Shinleaf — Falls Lake State Recreation Area

If you find yourself in the hustle and bustle of nearby Raleigh and are looking to get away from the crowds and pavement in exchange for some nice shaded nature, hiking trails and calm, peace& quiet that only nature can offer, then make your way here to Shinleaf@ Falls Lake SRA. You’ll discover all of the basics are provided– from picnic table, fold-up fire ring/ grill, bear-proof garbage hanger and a nice pebble-strewn patch of well-maintained flat pitch, perfect for striking camp for the night in your tent amongst the best of what nature has to offer along with pristine shade from an unrelenting bit of summer North Carolina sunshine.

The only real down-side I could find to Shinleaf is that there’s not a whole lot of brush between the campsites so you will be exposed to neighboring sites, which wasn’t a problem when we visited as the place was fairly vacant, but during high season, I could see how this would be a bit of a turn-off. The on-site facilities(limited to just bathrooms& showers) are typically better than you’d expect from a state-run campground, and so this spot gets high marks versus some others– and there’s even a designated‘pot wash’ spigot that is near the campsites making for EZ clean up after any meal. There’s plenty of hiking trails to explore and the on-site rangers are incredibly helpful and positive folks that want to ensure you have a great time.

Insider's tips? Here's a few: (1) If you like to fish, there's tons of different varieties here to catch, including: walleye, crappie, white bass, large- and small-mouth bass, blue gill, striped bass as well as catfish; (2) There is no need to go anywhere else to look for a boat launch as Shinleaf has its very own kayak/ canoe launch that is fantastic and located on the eastern side of the property; (3) If you are looking for some really cool outdoors adventures while in these parts, check out Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park that offers treetop rope trails and adventure courses - our kiddos loved it!; (4) When you grow tired of attempting to conjure up your next meal from the depths of your roto-molded Cordova cooler and want to try out some local fare, then I highly recommend nearby Carolina Ale House in Wake Forest or Buffalo Brothers Restaurant & Bar - both have fantastic local cuisine and nice iced area craft beers to pair with; and (5) IMHO, the best campsites here at Shinleaf are: #6, #14, #16-17; #30-33; #37-39; #40; #42-43; #45-47.

Happy Camping!

Great views by the lake and a great spot to camp

Had a great 2 nights here ! Can’t wait to come back!

We had a great weekend camping here with our cub scouts in the Shinleaf group camping area. We had about 40 people and had plenty of room to spread out over three camping sites, Osprey Nest, Blue Heron and Bootleg point. The bathrooms were within easy walking distance. Lots of shade to put tents up under. Plenty of picnic tables and fire rings. The Park Rangers came by a few times and we bought some firewood from them. They were very friendly and helpful.

The area is cool to explore, there are several points on the lake you can easily hike to. There are boaters who use the lake mostly during day, even a few at 6:30am!

We even found a cool Northern watersnake eating a fish on the shoreline.

Falls Lake State Recreation area is an interesting area in that it is made up of a number of non-connecting areas. The camping is at Shinleaf and is walk up only. There is a nice bathhouse at the edge of the parking lot and some of the spaces are quite close. Which is nice if you are a car camper like me and have to make a couple trips.

The camping spots are familiar (table, fire ring, and pole to hang something from). They are well kept and well spaced (at least on the 1-7 road I was on).

Definitely a thumbs up for this campground.