Camping
Available Camping Facilities
Pitch your tent or park your recreation vehicle at one of more than 1,000 family campsites.
Crosswinds Campground
Crosswinds offers 182 campsites for recreational vehicles, tent and trailer camping; 134 sites have electric and water hookups. Each site includes a picnic table, grill, and lantern holder. Showers, restrooms, trash containers, and a dump station are conveniently located.
Parkers Creek
Parkers Creek offers 250 sites for RV, tent and trailer camping; 120 sites have electric and water hookups. Each site includes a picnic table, grill, and lantern holder. Showers, restrooms, trash containers, and a dump station are conveniently located.
Poplar Point
Poplar Point offers 579 sites for RV, tent and trailer camping; 363 sites have electric and water hookups. Each site includes a picnic table, grill, and lantern holder. Showers, restrooms, trash containers, and a dump station are conveniently located.
Walk-Up Campsites
Loops 3 and 4 at Parkers Creek and Loop E at Poplar Point are all walk-up campsites that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. These sites are not available for advance reservation and can be booked only when you arrive at the campground.
For those who prefer a more primitive campsite, New Hope Overlook offers 24 campsites nestled in the woods. These sites range from 100 yard to a half mile from the parking lot. Each site has a picnic table, grill, and lantern holder. Toilets and drinking water are provided nearby.
These sites cannot be reserved in advance and are walk-up only, which means you can be booked only when you arrive at the campground, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Two areas offer sections for camping clubs and other groups. Parkers Creek has six campsites available for group tent camping. Vista Point also offers five group tent campsites. Drinking water and showers are located nearby.
All of these campsites accommodate up to 35 people.
Cancellation Policy for Group Campsites
Please note that group camping reservations must be cancelled at least 14 days prior to the scheduled arrival date. No refunds are issued after the 14-day mark, but campers may reschedule to another date and will be charged only the cancellation fees.
Vista Point offers 50 campsites for group RV camping. All sites contain electric and water hookups. Although these sites are open year-round, water to the sites is turned off in the winter. Showers, restrooms, trash containers, and a dump station are conveniently located.
Cancellation Policy for Group Campsites
Please note that group camping reservations must be cancelled at least 14 days prior to the scheduled arrival date. No refunds are issued after the 14-day mark, but campers may reschedule to another date and will be charged only the cancellation fees.
Important Information
Check-In and Check-Out Times
Check-in at all state parks is 3 p.m. and check-out is 12 p.m. Guests must arrive and be checked in before the campground gates close for the night.
If you will not arrive in time for your reserved site but plan on arriving the following day, please arrive early or call the visitor center to let them know you want to occupy your reserved site, so that your site will not be marked as a "no-show." No refunds are given for the nights when you did not occupy the reserved sites.
Amenities
Not all campsites have identical amenities. Read the campsite information on ReserveAmerica to see photos of campsites; check availability and fees; find out whether a specific site is wheelchair accessible, has access to water, bathhouses, or pit toilets, or has RV hookups; and learn other important information.
Gate Access
Crosswinds and Poplar Point campground gates have 24-hour access.
Parkers Creek, Vista Point, and New Hope Overlook campground gates lock at posted closing times. There will be no exiting or entering the gates after the closing time. All visitors who are not spending the night need to be out by closing time. If you leave the park and do not return before closing time, you will not be able to re-enter. Please notify camp hosts or call 911 for emergencies only.
Firewood
Firewood can be purchased at the park from the entrance stations or campground hosts for $7 a bundle. Fires are permitted only in designated areas and must be tended at all times. Gathering firewood is prohibited.
Please don't transport firewood into our state parks because you could unknowingly spread dangerous insects and diseases and harm the forest. Purchase firewood locally or buy heat-treated firewood. For more information on how to have a risk-free campfire experience, please visit the Don't Move Firewood website.
Making Reservations
All North Carolina state park campgrounds are designated for recreation only. A single campsite can be reserved for a maximum of 14 consecutive nights within any 30-day period. Upon reaching that limit, a camper must vacate the park for 16 nights before returning.
There is no long-term camping or monthly RV parking or storage at the park.
Reservations can be made up to 6 months in advance.
Changes and Cancellations
You can now cancel reservations online by logging into your account on ReserveAmerica. Please note that there is a $6 fee per night to cancel your reservation. The fees will be deducted from your refund.
Same-day cancellations will incur an additional charge of one night's camping. You cannot cancel a one-night reservation on the same day. Same-day cancellations can be made only by calling the reservations number at 1-877-722-6762.
If you need to make changes to your reservation, please call ReserveAmerica at 1-877-722-6762. You cannot switch dates, campsites, or parks using your account online — you will be charged the cancellation fees, even if you book a new site.
In the event of a closure for a campsite, campground, or the entire park, you will be contacted automatically by ReserveAmerica to cancel or change your reservation. You will receive a full refund for cancellations due to park closures.
No refunds are issued for "no-shows," early departures, or cancellations made after the arrival date.
Camping Rates per Night
All prices listed on the page include the $3 reservation fee.
| Campsite Type | Nightly Rate |
|---|---|
| RV campsite with electric and water hookups | $33 |
| Tent/trailer/RV nonelectric campsite with no hookups | $26 |
| Duplex RV campsite with electric hookup | $65 |
| Duplex nonelectric campsite with no hookups | $51 |
| Primitive backpack campsite | $15 |
| Group tent campsite (up to 35 people) |
$65 |
Senior Citizen and Military/Veteran Discount
Campers 62 years old or older and any veteran or active military members are eligible for a $6 discount per night on most reservations (except group campsites). When making a reservation online, check the box for the discount program to apply it to your reservation. When you check in at the park, please make sure you have a valid ID with your birthdate or proof of military service or veteran status to confirm the discounted rate.
There are no other discounts or passes for camping.
Volunteer as a Campground Host
Campground hosts "live in" the park and assist park staff in maintaining the campgrounds and in serving campers. They typically answer questions, provide directions to local amenities, and inform campers of the rules and hours of the campground. They may also help register campers when the visitor center or park office is closed for the day, or they may sell firewood.
Campground hosts serve as the point of contact between campers and on-call rangers. They would report incidents, suspicious behavior, and other situations that may need to be addressed by staff.
Campground hosts serve as volunteers, so they do not get paid. A volunteer work schedule will be arranged with the park's host coordinating ranger. Those interested in serving as campground hosts should be willing to work flexible hours and be prepared to work on weekends and holidays.
Hosts will stay on the host campsite free of charge. Campground hosts serve for 1 month.
Hosts need to be willing to learn about the operations and general information about the park and the local area, in order to effectively assist campers. They must follow and comply with all North Carolina State Parks rules and regulations.
Hosts with pets are permitted, but they must follow pet rules at all times: dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet, and they must be kept in the host's vehicle during quiet hours.