PHOTO: ANGIE REAL ESTATE / GOOGLE
Joel Bulkley
If the boss changes your work schedule, making a weekend trip to the Carolina Coast impossible, consider a midweek staycation camping trip to Poplar Point at Jordan Lake for sun and water. Avoid weekends, holidays and holiday weeks due to big crowds.
First step is getting a camping spot. Poplar Point off Beaver Creek Road, a little ways past the old Wilsonville store on US 64, is a large campground with 580 sites on seven loops (Loops C & F have 50 amp service). It’s the largest campground in the state park system and has a large swim beach for campers only.
There are three ways to get a site: make a reservation online at ncparks.gov/reservations, call Reserve America 1-877-722-6762 or try your luck in person at the park office/Visitor Center off US 64, Apex, where one loop (161 sites) at Poplar Point is available on first-come basis for those without reservations.
Waterfront sites, electric or non-electric, are the most fun. You’ll need to look at reserveamerica.com site maps to see what’s available and how to reach it. Normally some sites near the water can be found during the week, but good weather brings more campers. Tent campsites are $26/night for non-electric, $33 with electric and water.
You have to pay attention and be aware of what’s around you. There’s often poison ivy in the wooded areas between campsites, ticks are common during summer. Be sure to wear water shoes while swimming near campsites. There are rocks, submerged tree stumps, and other stuff. Otherwise go to the PP campground beach. No lifeguards. Checkout is 3 p.m., check-in at 4.
Be considerate of your neighbors, regarding noise and privacy. If your campsite is not on the water, walk around your neighbors, not through their site, to reach the water. There’s a 2-mile easy walking trail that covers much of the campground, starting in Loop B. The playground is near the swim beach. Don’t bring your own firewood, buy it at the campground.
If the weather gets snarky, check out the exhibits at the JL Visitor Center. It’s open daily and has information on the lake, lake history, bald eagles, The Corps of Engineers has a Visitor Assistance Center as well, at the southern end of the lake at the Jordan Dam in Moncure, also a great place to see birds and eagles at dusk. The center is off Jordan Lake Dam Road south of Pittsboro. Call 919-542-4501 for directions. Both are free.
Editor’s Note: CSN thanks State Park Ranger Steve McMurray for his help.