Raleigh Area Recreation: Camping!!

If you live in the Raleigh area, but want to know how far you have to travel to sleep under the stars - the answer is, not far at all.  Jordan Lake has three terrific campgrounds suitable for tent or RV camping - and today we'll look at Parker's Creek, one of my personal favorites.

Parker's Creek Campground at Jordan Lake

Parker's Creek Campground at Jordan Lake has a lot to offer.  It's quiet, peaceful, and like so much of North Carolina, very green - a result of those wonderful summer thundershowers. 

How Far Away is Parker's Creek from Raleigh?

Parker's Creek Campground is located on Hwy 64, right about halfway across Jordan Lake, on an outstretched arm of land.  Coming from Raleigh, you'll travel about 40 minutes.  From Apex or Holly Springs, it's closer to 20 minutes away. 

How Much Does It Cost to Camp at Parker's Creek Campground?

Enter down a quiet, tree lined road and check in with the Park Ranger.  Camping is just $15 per day, per site or $20 per day if you'd like an electric hookup. 

How Big is Parker's Creek Campground?

Drive through the campground loops until you see a site you like.  There's a total of four large loops coming off the main drive, with 250 different sites.  All the essentials are here, like restrooms, showers, and a dump station.  There's at least one restroom centrally located on each loop, and several have two different restrooms.

There are dozens of sites along the water.  In fact, some are so close that when Lake Jordan is full, the campsite might get a little smaller! 

Even though there's a lot of sites, Parker's Creek Campground doesn't feel large.  There are plenty of twisting, turning roads, and the most you'll see from your site is a handful of other sites. 

And though Parker's Creek Campground is large, it can get full, quickly.  If you're planning on camping on a holiday weekend, be sure to reserve a site ahead of time.  And if you're planning a family get together, you'll probably want to reserve that too, to make sure you get a group of sites together.  Click here to download reservation form.  You can always check out your favorite sites and jot down the numbers the next time you take a picnic lunch out to Jordan Lake, so that you know what to request! 

Fishing, Swimming, and Hiking

There are several areas to fish, and a boat launch right across Hwy 64.  But when camping at Parker's Creek Campground, you'll be able to identify the truly dedicated fishers - they've snagged the lake front spots, and are sitting under the trees from early morning until late at night!

On the west side of the spit is a large swimming area, with a sandy beach.  Bring towels, sunblock, and all those sand toys!  This beach can get crowded by afternoon, so hit it early if you like some quiet time.  There's also a nice children's playground and a picnic area here.  Don't feel like walking with all that stuff from your campsite?  Then park in the large parking area to make the lugging easier!

Feel like getting some exercise in?  There's a three mile loop to hike at Vista Point, or plenty of shorter walks in the nearby areas of Jordan Lake.  Find out more here.   

Parker's Creek: The entrance to Parker's Creek is on US 64. Traveling west on US 64, go over the bridge on Jordan Lake. The entrance is on the right. Traveling east on US 64, the Parkers Creek entrance is the first left after seeing lake.

Click here for PDF version of Parker's Creek Campground Map

As you can see here, Jordan Lake is nearly as large as the entire nearby city of Cary, NC.  This is just another one of the wonderful features of living in the Raleigh/Triangle area - so grab your tent and some camp chairs, pack a bag of marshmallows and some firewood, and come on down!

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