The 10 best campgrounds near Charlotte

Camping near Charlotte ranges from a county campground in the Steele Creek area with electric hookups and a laundry room to hike-in tent sites a mile up the trail at Crowders Mountain, waterfront sites on Lake Wateree and camper cabins with heat and air at Lake Norman State Park. This list covers 10 campgrounds in North Carolina and South Carolina, from $20 backpack sites to vacation cabins at $98 to $110 a night, with notes on which loops stay open after November. It is for families planning a first campout, RV owners looking for full hookups and backpackers who want a short hike-in. Each entry has rates, winter status and a booking tip. Entries are listed alphabetically, not ranked.

How we chose

Every campground here takes overnight reservations for the fall and winter of 2026 and 2027 on a live booking calendar, checked on October 27, 2026, or posts year-round operation with dated fall 2026 events. The list covers parks run by NC State Parks, SC State Parks, Mecklenburg and York counties and the U.S. Forest Service, plus one private campground. Picks are based on site counts, hookups, rates, winter loop closures and what each park is known for, drawn from official park and reservation pages and the Post and Courier’s coverage of Ebenezer Park. Campgrounds that could not show 2026 evidence of being open were left out. No campground paid to be included. Rates and hours were last checked on October 27, 2026.

Andrew Jackson State Park

All 25 campsites at this South Carolina state park have their own water and electric hookups, and three add sewer, according to SC State Parks. The park has an 18-acre lake for boating and fishing, two one-mile loop trails and a museum with Revolutionary War artifacts and items from Andrew Jackson’s life, open weekends from 1 to 5 p.m. Anna Hyatt Huntington’s statue The Boy of the Waxhaws stands on the grounds.

Why we chose them

• Five paved sites take RVs up to 36 feet, and 20 gravel sites take RVs up to 30 feet.
• The campground has hot showers and a dump station.
• Winter rates on the state’s booking site run $32 to $39 a night before taxes, with a two-night minimum.
• Arrivals less than a day out must be booked by calling the park.
• From November through March the park is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so plan to arrive in daylight.

Address: Lancaster, S.C. — 196 Andrew Jackson Park Rd.

See the full directory listing

Arrowhead Campground

The U.S. Forest Service runs this campground near 5,000-acre Badin Lake in the Uwharrie National Forest, with one large loop for RVs or tents, a small tent loop and a 0.75-mile paved path for biking and walking. Sites 12 to 45 have electric hookups, and the campground has hot showers, flush toilets, a dump station and a camp host, according to Recreation.gov.

Why we chose them

• A single site is $20 a night, plus $7 for electric, and a double is $40 plus $14.
• The recreation area has about 40 miles of trails for hiking, riding and mountain biking.
• Seventeen miles of off-highway vehicle trails are open April 1 to December 15 with a trail pass.
• Sites can be reserved on Recreation.gov about six months ahead, and check-in is 4 p.m.
• The Don’t Move Firewood rule applies, so buy wood at or near the campground.

Address: Uwharrie National Forest, near Troy — Badin Lake Recreation Area (no street address; GPS 35.4395, -80.0723)

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Charlotte / Fort Mill KOA Journey

Pull-through RV sites with 50-amp service, premium tent sites, rustic and deluxe cabins and lodges fill this Kampgrounds of America campground, which is open all year, according to KOA. Amenities include mini golf, a pavilion, a dog park, propane, firewood, a food truck and an on-site lounge with music bingo on Thursdays and karaoke on Fridays through the winter. Rates are quoted by date on KOA’s booking site.

Why we chose them

• The pool is seasonal, open from late May to early September.
• Wi-Fi is listed as coming soon, and there is no cable TV.
• Cabin and lodge guests bring their own sheets and bedding.
• Changes and cancellations must be made by calling the campground at 803-548-1148.
• Several breeds, including pit bulls, Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers, aren’t allowed.

Address: Fort Mill, S.C. — 940 Gold Hill Rd.

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Crowders Mountain State Park

Every family campsite at this state park is a hike-in, about a mile from the visitor center, so campers carry in everything they need, according to NC State Parks. The sites have a grill, picnic table and tent pads, with drinking water and vault toilets nearby, and two of the 10 are hammock-only sites in the booking system. The park is 32 miles west of Charlotte, according to the state.

Why we chose them

• Backpack sites cost $20 a night, and group sites are $40 for up to 16 people or $50 for up to 26.
• The Ridgeline Trail crosses into South Carolina to connect with Kings Mountain National Military Park and Kings Mountain State Park.
• Register at the visitor center for an overnight parking tag; firewood is sold there too.
• From November through February, the Sparrow Springs gate closes for campers at 6 p.m.
• No one may enter or leave after the gate locks except in an emergency, so leave daylight to hike in.

Address: Kings Mountain — 522 Park Office Ln. (Sparrow Springs access)

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Ebenezer Park

York County reopened this Lake Wylie park in May 2025 after more than 18 months of renovations, the Post and Courier reported, with new paved campsites, upgraded water, sewer and power, five new tent-only sites and a new bathhouse with a laundry room. An earlier $4.6 million renovation, which closed the park for two years starting in 2019, added a 10,000-square-foot pier, a kayak and canoe launch, trails and a larger beach.

Why we chose them

• The campground has 79 full-hookup RV sites on concrete pads and five tent sites with water and electric.
• RV sites are $35 a night for York County residents and $65 for everyone else.
• Tent sites are $21 for residents and $40 for nonresidents, plus a $3 reservation fee.
• Book online at least 24 hours ahead, because same-day reservations aren’t taken.
• Winter park hours, November through February, are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Address: Rock Hill, S.C. — 4490 Boatshore Rd., on Lake Wylie

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Kings Mountain State Park

The Civilian Conservation Corps built this state park, which has two fishing and paddling lakes and an 1800s Living History Farm with farm animals, according to SC State Parks. Campers choose from 115 standard RV and tent sites with water and electric, six hammock sites and 15 equestrian sites with two corrals each, near 30 miles of equestrian trails and more than 20 miles of hiking trails.

Why we chose them

• Winter rates for standard sites run $23 to $30 a night Sunday through Thursday, before taxes.
• Friday and Saturday standard sites run $26 to $33 a night on the state’s booking site.
• Hammock sites cost $30 to $45, and H1, H4 and H6 add a shelter and electricity.
• Christmas at the Farm is December 12, and a First Day Hike is January 1.
• Book at least two nights, and call the park for an arrival less than a day out.

Address: Blacksburg, S.C. — 1277 Park Rd.

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Lake Norman State Park

The family campground at this state park sits on a peninsula between Lake Norman and Hicks Creek, with 44 sites, some with water, sewer and electric hookups, and six camper cabins with heat and air, according to NC State Parks. The park, 40 miles north of Charlotte, covers about 17 miles of Lake Norman’s northern shoreline and holds the Itusi Trail, nearly 31 miles of mountain biking single-track.

Why we chose them

• Sites without hookups are $30 a night, and full-hookup sites are $45, reservation fee included.
• Camper cabins are $78 a night with a two-night minimum.
• The cabins sleep six but have no bathroom inside, so bring pillows and bedding and use the bathhouse.
• Campers with a reservation can enter at any hour through the St. Johns Road entrance.
• Day-use gates close at 6 p.m. from November through February, and the park closes on Christmas Day.

Address: Troutman — 759 State Park Rd.

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Lake Wateree State Park

Twenty-three of the 100 paved campsites at this state park sit on the water, and 28 have full hookups with 50-amp service, according to SC State Parks. The 238-acre park gives access to 13,800-acre Lake Wateree, with a two-lane boat ramp with in-water refueling, a tackle shop and the 2.3-mile Desportes Island loop trail. Fifty sites take RVs up to 40 feet, and eight are pull-throughs.

Why we chose them

• Winter rates run $35 to $40 a night Sunday through Thursday, before taxes.
• Friday and Saturday rates run $38 to $45 a night on the state’s booking site.
• The park’s Creepy Campout is October 31.
• Book early for a waterfront site, and plan on at least two nights.
• Arrivals less than a day out must be booked by calling the park at 803-482-6401.

Address: Winnsboro, S.C. — 881 State Park Rd.

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McDowell Campground

Mecklenburg County runs a 56-site campground inside McDowell Nature Preserve near Lake Wylie, with 33 drive-up sites, 10 primitive sites and 13 RV sites, according to the county. Drive-to sites have a tent pad, electric hookups, a fire ring with grill and a picnic table, and the bathhouse has hot water, flush toilets and a laundry room. The preserve’s nature center has live native animals, which suits a family’s first campout.

Why we chose them

• County residents pay $35 a night for an RV site, $30 for a drive-to site and $20 for a primitive site.
• Nonresidents pay $40 for an RV or drive-to site and $25 for a primitive site.
• RV sites are paved pull-throughs with water and electric but no sewer.
• The primitive sites close from November 26 through February 28, so book a drive-to or RV site for winter.
• Reservations open 182 days ahead on the county’s booking site, and check-in is 3 p.m.

Address: Charlotte (Steele Creek area) — 15222 York Rd., inside McDowell Nature Preserve

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Morrow Mountain State Park

Many of the structures at this Uwharrie Mountains park, 50 miles northeast of Charlotte, were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, according to NC State Parks. The park has 54 miles of hiking trails, 33 miles of bridle trails, a boat ramp on Lake Tillery and a museum. Six vacation cabins that sleep six, with heat and air, a fire pit and a grill, drop to $98 a night from December 1 to March 14, with a two-night minimum.

Why we chose them

• Loops A and B close for the season on November 17 and reopen March 16, 2027.
• Loop C, with 22 electric sites, 7 non-electric sites and 8 camper cabins, stays open through the winter.
• Electric sites are $35 a night, and non-electric sites are $30.
• The front gate locks at 8 p.m. in November and 7 p.m. from December through February, and the combination isn’t given out.
• The park is closed on Christmas Day.

Address: Albemarle — 49104 Morrow Mountain Rd.

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Prices, hours and opening status last checked October 27, 2026. Call ahead where an entry says to.