A big HELLO from North Carolina!

[Crusadernoob]

Originally Posted by ApexBunk

We're in Waxhaw. Would love some opinions on camping here in NC, preferably in the mountains.

Welcome from Mooresville!

Camping in the mountains, we loved Stone Mt. State Park, you have got to book well ahead of time, we got in ONCE and can't get back, it's constantly booked. We have also stayed in Linville, small campground, very tight, a lot to do from Linville as a home base, Blue Ridge Parkway is 1 mile down the road. We are actually going to try New River State Park this weekend, can't be bad, never had a bad experience at a state park.

Also close by is Croft in Spartanburg, great park with a lake with canoe rentals.

Now that I think about it we really like Dan Nicholas in Salisbury, a GREAT close by weekend get a way!

Can't go wrong in NC, SC.

SC Andrew Jackson was very nice, small and peaceful!

I better just stop...... I could go on and on!

[757Dave]

Welcome from Southeast Virginia! Happy Camping!!

[asquared]

Hello and welcome from Mebane, NC. Some very nice state parks not in the Mountains are Jordan Lake, either poplar point or crosswinds campground. Kerr lake at satterwhite point is beautiful. I don't do a lot of state park camping. There is a website, CampgroundGallery.com. It was started by a north carolinian. It contains campground reviews and pictures. It's mostly NC and surrounding area but has been expanding. Also check out RV Park Reviews - Trusted Reviews of Campgrounds & RV Parks.

We camp with our dd. We started when she was 3 1/2. She is now 8. We prefer campgrounds with kids activities for now. Sycamore lodge is great but is a membership campground and starting to get overcrowded. cross winds family campground in Linwood is nice with some wooded sites, a pool, and a playground.


As for the dogs. Take them in the trailer at home and acclimate them there. Feed them in the trailer. Practice leaving them in there for short periods of time. Give them each a treat when you leave and very little reward when you return. When you get to the campground, let your neighbors know you are training them to camp. Have your neighbors notify you if they are barking. I have been known to leave my phone number with neighbors and told them don't hesitate to call me with any issues including barking. I close the blinds and give a new bone or chewy when I will be gone for awhile. Long walks or playtime at a campground dog park are helpful. Common courtesy and common sense go a long way.

[ApexBunk]

Love all the suggestions. Happy to say I've been to many of the ones suggested. We love Cane creek, camped there this past weekend. We're headed to Stone Mountain next weekend (we got the last campsite left-booked within 3 weeks).

We tent camped at Jordan Lake within the past 2 months and I love the setup, nice and private, big and the lake was beautiful, but I didn't like hearing the highway noise. We want to camp at Andrew Jackson, but they've been booked Will try again soon I'm sure.

Thank for the tips on camping with the dogs, very helpful. They did pretty well at our last trip but one has anxiety and she got everyone worked up every time we went for a walk, it was a little embarrassing. Might ask the vet for something for her, she's such a docile dog typically but became hyper and uncontrollable.

Keep the tips coming, loving the love!

[DreiHunde]

Welcome from the coast!!! We love camping with our "kids" and they always go with us. We always try to find campgrounds that are "near" hiking trails and NC and SC are full of them! Its a great way to wear the kids out!

Oh....and getting a site at Stone Mountain State Park is easy.....in December!

[Oaklevel]

Welcome from west southside VA

[asquared]

for the anxiety, try getting some rescue remedy. put a few drops on a dog treat and feed it yo your dog with anxiety about 10-20 min before going out. It really helped my old dog with her anxiety. Some will try DAP (dog appeasing pheromone). it simulates the pheromones the mother released to her pups to calm them. It didn't work for my dog and you may not want to expose the other dogs to it. These are natural ways to help before turning to something stronger. Also, exposure, when do be properly can desensitized the dog to noise and other stimuli.


As for highway noise at Jordan Lake, we never heard any. It must depend on which loop of which park you are on. We did have to put up with some party animals across a cove from us.

[Major]

Been there and done that about "party animals" at Jordan Lake. We won't go there anymore because of the way the park handled it.

We called the rangers, (they were just three campsites down from us) as the noise at 3:00am was out of control. Their dog was also running lose and using our camper and items at our campsite for a "pee post".

They went to them the next morning, then came to us to tell us they had told them to keep it down and the dog could not run lose (that took real brains as then the "perps" could easily see who had complained).

When the rangers did come and tell us, they gave my wife and I a ration of crap because our dogs were on 8 foot long tie outs instead of the requisite 6 foot.

That did it for us with any NC State Parks.