Campgrounds in North Carolina

1. Bear Den

Nestled in the Pisgah National Forest near Spruce Pine, Bear Den is a family-friendly campground with tent and RV pitches, and cozy log cabins and cottages. The campground offers full-service campsites with water, electricity and sewerage hookups, as well as restrooms with flush toilets, showers, and a dump station. Campground amenities include access to the lake for water-based activities, playgrounds for children, and a games room for rainy days. Activities in the area include swimming, fishing, boating, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and wildlife watching. Bear Den's Trading Post sells camping essentials, firewood, ice, and a variety of camping, hiking, and backpacking gear.

600, Bear Den Mountain Rd, Spruce Pine, NC 28777, Phone: 828-765-2888

2. Black Mountain Campground

Located on the South Toe River, Black Mountain Campground is a fantastic, family-friendly campground nestled against a backdrop of breathtaking views of the Southern Appalachian mountains. Open between April and October; the campground features 46 primitive campsites, two campsites with electric hookups, modern bathrooms with hot showers, picnic tables, tent pads, and fire rings, and six group campsites for up to 50 people each. Campsites have river access, and a variety of recreational activities can be enjoyed from hiking and mountain biking to fishing, swimming, kayaking, and enjoying weekend programs at the Black Mountain Campground amphitheater.

50 Black Mountain Campground Road, Burnsville, NC 28714, Phone: 828-675-5616

3. Carolina Beach State Park

Carolina Beach State Park in New Hanover County, North Carolina is a 761-acre state park on Pleasure Island that is part-owned by the state and part leased by the Department of the Army. Located in an area rich in history and natural diversity, the park is a popular coastal attraction and features secluded camping areas with beach access, miles of hiking trails that wind through a variety of distinct habitats, a marina offering access to some of North Carolina's best fishing spots, and a wealth of local fauna and flora, including the famous Venus flytrap. The park is open year-round and offers primitive and RV camping with water, electricity and sewerage hookups, as well as restrooms with flush toilets, showers, and a dump station.

1010 State Park Rd, Carolina Beach, NC 28428, Phone: 910-458-8206

4. Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area

Nestled amidst the scenic mountains of Pisgah National Forest, the Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area that is shaded by a dense hemlock forest of deciduous trees and rhododendrons and rests next to the South Toe River. The area boasts 35 primitive campsites equipped with tent pads, picnic tables, campfire rings with grills and lantern posts, and modern restrooms have hot showers and flush toilets. Campers can purchase camping essentials such as firewood and ice and rent tubes from the camp store, and a variety of recreational activities can be enjoyed in the area, including swimming, fishing, kayaking, climbing, wildlife watching, and hiking on several popular trails.

6000 NC-80, Burnsville, NC 28714, Phone: 828-675-5509

5. Croatan National Forest

Set on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina, the Croatan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest administered by the United States Forest Service and one of four National Forests in North Carolina. The only real coastal forest on the East Coast, the 160,000-acre forest is bordered by tidal rivers on three sides and the Bogue Sound and is home to a diverse range of ecosystems, including saltwater estuaries, pine forests, marshes and raised swamps called pocosins. The water provides a variety of recreation such as kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and boating and attracts an array of wildlife from alligators and osprey to black bears and turkeys. The forest has several day-use areas and campgrounds that offer primitive campsites equipped with tent pads, picnic tables, campfire rings and firepits, and modern restrooms with showers and flush toilets.

Havelock, NC 28532, Phone: 252-638-5628

6. Davidson River Campground

Nestled just inside the Pisgah National Forest and only a few miles away from the beautiful town of Brevard, Davidson River Campground is an excellent spot for a quiet getaway for the whole family. Set along the banks of the Davidson River, the campground features 144 shady campsites for both tents and RVs with water, electricity and sewerage hookups, picnic tables, tent pads, fire rings and lantern poles, and modern restrooms with hot showers and flush toilets. Several campground loops offer river access, and recreational activities include swimming, fishing, hiking, tubing, mountain biking, and wildlife watching, and firewood and ice are available on-site, as well as a dump station.

1 Davidson River Cir, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768, Phone: 828-785-5337

7. Grandfather Mountain State Park

Home to the iconic Grandfather Mountain, Grandfather Mountain State Park is a 2,456-acre park based 75 miles north of Asheville that offers spectacular natural scenery and a wealth of recreational activities such as world-class hiking and backpacking. Renowned for having some of the South’s most challenging terrain, as well as incredible vistas, unrivaled ecological diversity, and the famous mile-high swinging bridge, the park attracts outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers from all over the world.

Top attractions in the park include the family-friendly, Mile High Swinging Bridge, America’s highest suspension footbridge, and Forrest Gump Curve, where Tom Hanks' character runs in the movie Forrest Gump. Activities include camping, picnicking, hiking, backpacking, climbing, and wildlife watching.

9872 N.C. 105 S., Suite #6, Banner Elk, NC 28604, Phone: 828-963-9522

8. Hanging Rock State Park

Hanging Rock State Park is an 8,605-acre state park in the Sauratown Mountain Range in Stokes County that is named for the unusual rock formations in the park formed by years of wind and water erosion, including famous knobs and ridges such as Devil's Chimney, Moore's Wall, Wolf Rock, and Hanging Rock. The park has a 73-site tent and trailer campground and ten rustic overnight cabins, modern restrooms with flushing toilets and hot showers and bathhouse on the lake, which is open seasonally and offers boast rentals and swimming. Rock climbing is allowed at Moore's Wall and Cook's Wall, and a visitor's center and museum are open daily.

1790 Hanging Rock Park Rd, Danbury, NC 27016, Phone: 336-593-8480

9. Jones Lake State Park

Jones Lake State Park is a 2,208-acre state park in Bladen County that includes the Carolina bay lakes of Jones Lake and Salters Lake. The park offers year-round recreation, including boating, fishing, swimming, camping, picnicking, and environmental and historical education programs. The seasonal campground features 20 first-come-first-served campsites that are open for family camping and have picnic tables, charcoal grills, and access to a park bathhouse with flushing toilets and hot showers. Jones Lake is open to recreational fishing and is home to catfish, chain pickerel, and yellow perch, and several hiking trails, including the five-mile Bay Lake Trail, circumnavigates the lake.

4117 NC-242, Elizabethtown, NC 28337, Phone: 910-588-4550

10. Kerr Lake State Recreation Area

Spanning Vance and Warren Counties, Kerr Lake State Recreation Area is a state park near Henderson that is spread over 3,376 acres along the shores of the 50,000-acre human-made Kerr Lake and features pristine woodlands and other spectacular natural landscapes. The area is made up of seven access areas scattered around the shoreline of the reservoir and is home to hundreds of campsites that offer a range of camping options from RV hookups and tent campsites to group camps. Two private marinas provide boat access, and the lake is renowned for excellent fishing and swimming with several safe swimming beaches in the recreation area. The area also has a community building for community gatherings.

269 Glass House Rd, Henderson, NC 27537, Phone: 252-438-7791