Walnut Grove — James River State Park

Peaceful, quiet, only a few sites. Separated nicely. Gorgeous views.

Reserved a water/electric site only to be near a bathhouse. Traveling with a toddler equals twice the mess.

Site was a decent size because it accommodates RVs. The site was crushed rock, which wasn't ideal but it was quiet even throughout. 

Bathhouse looked like it was fairly new. Loved that the showers were individual stalls accessed on the outside of the bathhouse. 

The night sky was amazing. You could see stars for miles. Enjoyed a nice sunset by the river.

We were not prepared for the stairs 😂. They say walk in but it’s a more a short hike. So getting our gear (we aren’t minimalist people) in was a workout but worth it.

On a gorgeous cove, you don’t have the waves from the boat traffic on the rest of the lake. It was wonderful for our paddle boards. Given that there are only 20 sites you don’t get a feeling of crowded. Multiple empty sites during the week. Mostly full during the weekend. Our site had a little trail down to the water.

This is probably my favorite place in North Carolina. Lake James is a true gem, clean and beautiful, with amazing views of Linville Gorge, Shortoff Mountain, and Table Rock. The State Park has several camping areas. I have stayed at the Long Arm boat in campsites. Area 3 is my favorite one, this is sites L23 through L30. They are located right on the beach. The campsites are very nice, close to the water, have nice clean tent pads, fire rings, and food storage. Plenty of trees to provide shade and opportunities to hang a hammock. There's a pit toilet with no running water. It's nice and clean though, no nasty smells or anything like that.

You can only get to the sites from the water. We usually launch our kayaks from Mimosa Boat Landing across the lake. The overnight parking is $10. It takes us about 20 min to get to the site. The lake can be pretty busy with motor boats and jet skis during the day. The campground is located away from the main motor traffic, which provides great opportunities to paddle around and watch the wildlife along the shores.

The beat place for star gazing! Just ask for a telescope (free at the store) and stare up at the sky for hours!

We loved this spot!

The store was awesome.

The gift shop was amazing & the park rangers were very helpful.

My 4 yr old spent hours playing with all the little animals the ranger station had.

The pool was PACKED in July and it got SUPER HOT!

Would have been better to bring a trailer or RV at that time of year.

The sites were awesome & the bath house was very clean

Great park, kayaking, hiking. Nice facilities

After visiting the park many times, we finally camped there in July 2019.  Most of the sites were huge and level, and we were able to choose a mostly-shaded site with water and electric near the bathhouse.

Everyone we met (rangers, people in the visitor's center, etc.) was very helpful and friendly.  

We hoped to go tubing, but since the river was running high and fast, they weren't renting tubes, and we asked too late about renting a canoe or kayak.  (They do drop offs and pick ups at certain times and reservations are recommended.)

Cell service is extremely limited, but there's wi-fi available at the visitors center and we used that to check in with our pet sitter.

It was SO HOT when we were there and we really wished there was a designated "beach" area on the river (or in a perfect world, a pool).  Swimming is not advised due to rocks and drop-offs, but people were in the river, anyhow.

We'll definitely go again!

More pictures and information about our experience is on my blog:

http://www.art-rageous.net/artrageousblog/?p=4374

The facilities here are some of the best. The bathhouse was immaculate and the campsite large enough for two tents to share comfortably. Would definitely recommend.

What a beautiful campground this was . it was wonderful to walk around and they have a fully stocked store. The campsites are clean and well kept and the people are friendly. We will go back to James River sometime

went camping at long arm 3 campsite 26 which you have to boat into. We loaded down our kayaks and headed out. The boat in camp sites are about a mile and a half. Not far at all but a good distance for beginners if u haven’t done this sort of thing before. Had a great view with plenty of shade. Another plus is there was an outhouse that was immaculate. Cleanliness of the park was great. I would definitely recommend.

Stayed 2 nights in June 2016 at site 007. This is a lovely little campground set on the shores of James Lake. Sites are big enough for 2 small tents or 1 largish family tent. All sites have a picnic table, fire pit with grate, and bear box. The sites are very level and well maintained. Water spigots and trash bins are easily accessible. The bathrooms are clean. The women's room had 3 showers. Firewood is available for sale on site by the camp host for $5 - but the bundles seemed quite small. We needed 2 bundles for a night's fire. The only possible negative which is only negative if, like me, you take too much stuff, is that it's quite a walk from the parking area to the campsites. And it's downhill from the car to the sites. There are 2 wheelbarrows available for use, but navigating a wheelbarrow full of camping gear down a hill with stairs (or back up at the end of your stay) isn't easy. Make sure you plan accordingly! The site I was in did not have access to the water so we went through another empty site and climbed down a short drop (hanging onto tree roots) to access the lake. There is a dock we didn't go to and a public swimming beach a short drive away.