This is a phenomenal campground highly recommend the core of engineering allows for wood foraging,…read moreand keeps the site's in excellent condition. Highly recommended over places in the area.

While the park was beautiful and a nice place for my partner and I to have our lake date. It was a…read morebit of a hassle and inconvenience when trying to pay for a campsite. We were unsuccessful after calling, going online, and speaking with the park attendant at the gate. Not a big fan of the east coast and the prices nature parks charge here. Living in the mid and west coast you can literally pull up and park at almost any lake with your hammock and it cost you nothing. Here on the east coast not only are you paying for ok scenery and rude attendants that look over you depending on how you look.

If you want a true campground this is it. A short drive off 95 and tucked into the surrounding…read moreforest. It's a small family run camp and while it's no frills or fancy it does have full hookups and drive thru sites. Very clean and well maintained, as a said if your looking if a thousand amenities this isn't for you but if you need a quick stop or truly want to "camp" I highly recommend staying here.

This is a very clean campground, there are permanent spots and overnight spots amongst the trees…read more.. Full hook-ups... Built in the 70's, a true mom and pop management team is there to guide you in and come by on the regular to empty your provided trash can... No WiFi or cable but we had cell service for a hot spot and our WINEGARD (Dish) got excellent reception for TV... Fire pits are provided, just stone piled in a circle but it works... Very quiet and just off of I95 on some back roads... Mostly TT 5th wheels but a Class A pulled in while we were here... The electric and water are behind you while the sewer is ahead of you so depends on what lengths you brought to make sure you can reach them... There is a grassy area in the center to walk your puppies, don't forget your baggies to pick up after them... An overall very nice place to rest or stay a bit...

Another nice campground around Lake Gaston. Many permanent sites as well as renal and cabin…read morerentals. Nice pool and play areas for children and parents. Great Lake access and views!

Very tight spacing and not worth the $$$. Peaceful during week and very noisy on weekends.read more

Short camping trip to this hidden gem with the family (about 4 hours). This is our third time here…read moreand has camped in multiple sites but this site is definitely my favorite. Private beach front. Quite location. This time of the year not buggy. Unfortunately, the leaves haven't turned yet. There's local store about a mile or two from the site where you can purchase firewood, gas and whatever else you may have forgotten to pack. Across the street is a new Mexican place before that it was a pizza place - hopefully they stay open till our next visit. We tend to meal prep when we camp. Overall, an amazing camping experience and it is the closest you can get to water with a full electrical (50 amp) and water hookup. Till next time!!

This is a great place to camp. so much to do. Very clean. Great for families. Staff are very…read morepleasant. If you like water this is the place to be. Boating, fishing, beaches. you name it it's the place for you.

Very close sights and very loud. Great for families. There were a lot of kids on our visit. Seemed…read morelike cars were driving around all night, car doors slamming, and the distant sound of babies crying. We probably wouldn't visit this site again due to the fact we are empty nesters and prefer seclusion.

This recreation area and campsite is a hidden gem in east Durham. There are numerous piers for…read morefishing and swimming access, campsites for individuals and groups, and boat rentals. Drive all the way to the end of the road to reach the playground and beach area with shallow water that is perfect for kids. Bathrooms are clean and include lots of changing stalls. We saw many hiking trails and will be back to explore those. Nature was pristine -- so well maintained, no trash, absolutely gorgeous. We felt like we were in a magical place on a vacation, not right within Durham. We will be back regularly!

I started coming to the Beaver Dam entrance of Falls Lake since there is a public beach, as well as…read moreaccess to the lake where you can open water swim. I have been practicing some open water swimming here. It is populated but has plenty of parking, making it feel family friendly and safe. On warmer weekend days I've seen families come out and have a BBQ. It's the perfect spot to enjoy the summer if you do not have access to a pool or can't make it down to the beach.

It's always nice going out to the Falls Lake area to hike. There are many trails for that and for…read moremountain biking too. Some of the trails are easy while others more challenging. Some off shoot trails go along the shorelines and people come out here to fish or put a kayak in the water. There are plenty of birds and other wildlife to watch in the lake areas. Just a historical note. The Falls Lake area is part of the Neuse River system and is the main supply of water for Raleigh & Durham. It was created in the 70s to supply drinking water for a quickly expanding area of the state. Many valley, farms, and pasture lands were flooded to create it. In times of drought it's not uncommon for the top of an old barn to be seen in the water.

Can't wait to return next year. This place was awesome. Came here for a nice relaxing weekend at…read morethe end of the summer. We had a tent site right on the water. Every day we would eat drink and swim all day and had a blast. There was no place to buy wood at this park. So make sure that you have some wood for fires. We bought some from a 7-11 prior to coming. But we also found a tree that fell over that someone at the park cut up and let us take to burn. The bathrooms were not the best. Only one of the toilets door would close In-N-Out bathroom. But if you walked a little there was another bathroom. The showers didn't allow for much privacy. But we were swimming every day and got a quick shower in when no one else was there. Some of the sites have these cement areas near the water that are not comfortable to lay in. But I saw a few younger purple on them. I didn't even like sitting in them. Also near the water they get slippery. Make sure you are bringing some type of water shoes. There were a lot of people that had campers and boats near us. Lots of kids and many dogs. A great family destination.

The big lakes have never really been my favorite state parks in NC. Not that that makes them…read moreinherently boring. In fact this one has quite a lot going on. With several access points, hiking, camping, swimming, fishing and boat slips there's no end to summer time enjoyment out here. And lemme tell you, this lake is huge. I wasn't quite aware of Kerr Lake until this stop through. As it seems most of the lake is in Virginia, it's not really heard of as much in NC, I feel like. But it's significant to the history of the area and of course for the energy infrastructure of this part of the country. I took a scenic drive along the expanse of the lake and drove into VA where I crossed the dam "just to say I did". The sheer size of the lake makes for incredible views. While it isn't a park that I see myself going back to anytime soon, I know it would be enjoyable in particular for families going on summer trips to camp and enjoy the water.

We entered the trail in Farmville which was a great access point. We brought ebikes and rode 17…read moremiles the first day and 21 miles the second day. The trail is nice and flat, well manicured, and wide enough to ride side by side or have others pass without a problem. We stopped at the High Bridge to take in the scene and also at Three Roads Brewery which is along the trail. The next day we stopped at The Virginia Tasting Cellar which is just off of the trail in Farmville. There are restrooms along the trail and plenty of shade for when you want to take a break. Bring your own water.

High Bridge Trail is such an asset to the local area and I miss walking, running, and hiking in the…read moreareas around it! I'm originally from the area and whenever I visit home, I find myself running or walking with my family on the trail. In high school, we used to do cross country runs here! High Bridge Trail is a rail trail and the main portion is flat, which is perfect for gentle walking or fast running. I also recently learned that there are plenty of offshoots from the trail that have some elevation gains and make for nice hikes! While you're there, try and check out the Smyth Trail and the Camp Paradise trail. I really enjoyed seeing the old bridges and being near the river. Don't forget your bug spray! When I go, I usually park in two places: 1) public free parking in Farmville, and take the trail portion going back towards the river, or 2) park at the River Road parking lot, which is $2 self-pay/honor system, or free if you have the Virginia Adventure Pass. What I love about this trail is that there is something for everyone. I always see families with people of all ages (including babies in strollers), dog walkers, and people cycling! As the main trail is a bit gravelly, you will need a bigger tire for this trail. Side note: I would love to see is a small investment to make some of the trail wheelchair accessible. It's such a lovely park and would be wonderful if truly everybody could enjoy it. I will definitely be back to High Bridge and I really look forward to my next visit there.

This is a beautiful park. Nice bathrooms at camp site…read more Cabins for rent also. People are so friendly. Nice peer to fish off of also.

Quiet park with great accomodations. The lake is clear and beautiful. Boating and fishing are…read moreenjoyed by many.

Recommend this state park. The pictures you see here are C 32. It's right on the water. If you want…read moreto see the sunset get a camping site on the other side from this view you see the sunrise it's close to the restrooms and firewood. just a word to the wise when you're asleep at night and you hear things scrambling around outside it's probably only a squirrel or raccoon. Put your food up, but it's unavoidable. Don't try to convince yourself that it is a bear.

My Husband & I love camping at State Parks and Occoneechee has been the one we've returned to the…read moremost ever since we moved to the Commonwealth in 2001. If I had started doing yelp reviews 25 years ago you would have heard me rave about this park to everyone on line but as the years have passed I'm noticing some changes that no longer have me feeling the same as I did. The past several years I've noticed there have been camp hosts here which I'm not especially fond of as a taxpayer. I understand the rangers may not feel they should be spending their time cleaning restrooms or checking firepits for ashes but I've witnessed them sitting in the rather expensive vehicles our tax payer dollars furnish them with doing essentially nothing now that these hosts are here. Occasionally they patrol the area but I remember in years past when they were more engaging with the public precisely because they tended to these hosting responsibilities. It may be just me but I'd rather see the state employ a local who lives in the area to come in twice daily to check on & clean the restrooms than to hire an out of state couple who is going to park their unit in one of the rental spaces & set up camp here each season. Many of the state parks have already erected cabins & Yurts that I know don't have a 100% occupancy rate. Can they really afford to offer a retired couple an otherwise rentable space for the entire season? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe these out of state hosts are actually paying a reduced rate to enjoy our parks amenities rather than receiving a wage & in return they agree to act as dorm parents where cleaning restrooms is just part of the deal, idk but I'd much rather see the Division of Virginia State Parks director establish a young rangers in training program to do these menial tasks if the adult rangers feel their time is too valuable to be camp hosts. I want to see our beautiful state parks succeed & remain in operation for generations to come but having 24/7 out of state camp monitors takes away from fully enjoying the state park experience in my opinion. Having said all that the park itself has remain pretty much the same as it was 25 years ago with the exception of a new playground so it's as close to nature as you'll find if you enjoy a peaceful camping experience.