Merchants Millpond State Park

We LOVED this campground! Very secluded but not too far off the beaten path. The camp sites are each very private and wooded with lots of shade. We were there in June and there was hardly anyone else camping. The bath house is dated but very nice and clean. The showers were also hot and very nice. The bath house is located central to all the camp sites. We have a 40ft Skoolie and site #11 was very spacious with plenty of extra room for our chase vehicle. We will definitely be staying here again but probably in the spring or fall as it was hot. We were thankful for the shade. Our family enjoyed exploring the swamp and got to see lots of wild life here. Great spot.

Small, very quiet campground, in the middle of nowhere. Only 20 sites, mostly tenters. Dry camp, no dump sites for many miles around. Plentiful spigots, and the are threaded for a quick hose fill up. Very high water pressure. Spigots take a lot of strength to operate. Clean restrooms, men’s side had four shower stalls with free hot water. Rangers do patrol often, doing maintenance as they go. Never felt intrusive. Alcohol is prohibited, but the “refrigerator police” never inspected my rig. Sites are wide spread and heavily wooded, so lots of privacy. Site 7 is very level and deep. Oct 2020, hourly canoe rentals were not offered because of the COVID-savvy sanitation labor with such frequent turnover. Canoes are offered for overnight camping. Merchants Millpond State Park is primarily a canoe/kayak facility, little available for drive up. Firewood available at the welcome center a few miles away.

Sites are located around a circular access road with the toilet/shower building in the middle of the loop. The are is densely wooded so we couldn't see the toilets nor any other sites except the one immediately across from us. Our site was very level. Parking pads are gravel.

We did not have a reservation which didn't really matter as there were only 2 sites reserved. An entrance sign said we had to report to the visitor's center to register. But the center is about 4 miles by car (each way) at another entrance to the park. This procedure is rather irritating.

Cell service is weak to nonexistent.

Some trails can be accessed from the campground, but it is nowhere near the lake. Water activities are near the visitor's center.

In mid June we did not have a bug problem.

We stayed here in late March. It’s a small campground with no hookups - which we were totally fine with. Mostly tent campers and it was very quiet. Plenty of room between sites with vegetation. Clean bathhouse. No AT&T service, limited Verizon service. The mosquitos were already out so bring the bug spray. Would not recommend staying here in the summer due to the bugs. Try early spring late fall instead.

We prefer dispersed campsites, but enjoy state parks for the amenities. We thought we would treat ourselves by staying at Merchants Millpond as it was along our route.

The campground is beautiful with hot showers, fire pits, a garbage at each site, and water spigots every two or three sites.

However, the park rangers provided for an uncomfortable stay. They patrolled the campground on the hour, if not more, when we were the ONLY ones camping there. They would drive slowly when passing our site, and we felt constantly observed by them.

It’s a shame, because it’s actually a beautiful park with hiking trails, cheap canoe rental, etc. Perhaps during peak season it feels different, but it was simply uncomfortable during the off-peak season.

We won’t be back anytime soon, and are submitting a complaint to the state parks for the rudeness.

We stayed at this campground for one night en route to another destination, but we're sorry we didn't have more time to explore. Sites were all walk-up at the time we visited (July 2017) and the ranger was helpful in assigning a site.

The ranger indicated the sites on the east side of the loop (11-20) are generally more level, and our site (19) was perfectly level. However, it was a little tricky to get into with our 25' Airstream, especially since the campground loop road is fairly narrow with ditches on either side limiting our ability to maneuver. The best site for a larger rig would be site #20, with a decent angle of approach from the road.

All the sites have outstanding site separation and privacy, and the park is densely forested. There are no hookups, and because of the trees don't expect to generate solar power. This is pure dry camping, but there is a bathhouse with flush toilets and showers. The bathhouse was clean and while dated was in the process of renovation during our visit. We also appreciated that the park offered central recycling bins at the entrance to the campground loop.

We had no service on AT&T at this park. While we appreciated being off grid, be aware that Eastern NC has a very large dead zone for most carriers.

The RV campground is small with only 20 sites. Many of the driveways are small so larger RVs should read the descriptions to make sure it they are large enough. We have a 19 ft airstream so we didn't have to worry about this.
There are no electric or water hookups. It does have a bath house (with hot showers).

The campground itself is very basic but very small and very quiet. Most of the campers while we were there were tent camping. What makes this state park so wonderful though, is the kayaking/canoeing available on Merchants Millpond. It is spectacular. Birds, turtles, alligators....
The only "downside" would be that the pollen was very heavy at this time of year, even in the millpond.

We will definitely head back when the weather is cooler in the Fall.