My Favorite Spots
ON THE NEW RIVER
- Twin Rivers (2 ½ hours from Charlotte) A beautiful shady spot right on the New River where the North and South Forks meet, the confluence. Great canoeing, tubing and swimming holes! (Amenities: Porta-jon close by, bath house is a long walk)
- The Island (2 ½ hours from Charlotte) Great river access! You can walk all the way across the river and it never gets above your knees or you can go and hang out on the rocks in the middle. Canoe and tubing rentals are at the site. Great place to hang out sitting on your chair in the river and catch some rays! (Amenities: Bathhouse within walking distance, porta-jon near site, basketball court, playground and camp store on site)
- Grayson Highlands State Park (3 hours from Charlotte) A beautiful setting in the woods near the top of the mountain. Features numerous trails for hiking and an old homestead to tour. Great view of VA, NC and Tennessee from a lookout at the top. The best part is it is usually about 20 degrees cooler than Charlotte so it makes a “cool” destination when you need to get away from the heat and humidity! Only 20 minutes away from the VA Creeper Trail. (Amenities: Bathhouse, water and electricity on some sites, camp store open in season)
- Hurricane Campground (3 hours from Charlotte) A very nicely manicured National Park campground way down in the woods. A nice stream runs through it and will lull you to sleep with its babbling sounds. A lot of hiking trails adjacent to the campground. Only 20 minutes away from the VA Creeper Trail. (Amenities: Bathhouse, water and electricity on some sites)
- Kings Mountain State Park (1 hour from Charlotte) A nice family campground that is fairly wooded. It is adjacent to Kings Mountain Military Park where the Battle of Kings Mountain was fought, the turning point of the Revolutionary War. There is a museum with various artifacts and a 25 minute film about the battle that was filmed for the History Channel. There are many trails for hiking. There is a living history farm and a lake where you can rent canoes or paddleboats in season. If you like, you can drive about 20 minutes and climb Kings Pinnacle, about an hour hike up where you can see a 360 degree view of the countryside. On a clear day you can see the Charlotte skyline. (Amenities: Bathhouse, playground and a camp store open in season)
- Cane Creek Park Campground (45 minutes from Charlotte right below Waxhaw) This is a great family campground that is on a large lake. There is great fishing off the piers where some of the largest wide mouthed bass have been caught. A white sandy beach to relax on and a swimming area open in season. Nice primitive sites or sites in the main camping area. ( Amenities: Bathhouses, water and electricity on some sites and playground)
- Wilson Creek Gorge (2 hours from Charlotte) A beautiful setting down in the gorge with a great stream to play in or just sit in and relax. Very private. Close to Wilson Creek where there are numerous swimming holes and huge boulders to play on or just relax. Fishing is fantastic in Wilson Creek. This is a wonderful place to just kick back and relax by the campfire! (Amenities: None)
- Montreat (2 hours from Charlotte) A wonderful little campground nestled in the small village of Montreat. Each campsite is beside a beautiful creek with lots of small waterfalls. You are 10 minutes away from Black Mountain where there are a lot of unique shops, art galleries and one of the best Mexican restaurants that I’ve ever been to. This is a great destination to mix camping with modern amenities! (Amenities: Bathhouse)
These are my favorites but maybe you have an area that you would like to explore. Just let me know and I can guide you on a trip wherever you want to go!