Jordan Lake State Recreation Area: Poplar Point Campground

For our maiden voyage in the Winnie, we headed to Jordan Lake State Recreation Area for a quick 24-hr overnight trip. We wanted to get a small sample of camping while staying close to home. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area is located about 30 minutes west of Raleigh off US-64. Whether you’re going for a short trip or several days, Jordan Lake has lots of outdoor experiences and recreational activities to offer.

Camping

A few weeks before our trip we reserved a campsite online with electric and water hook-ups at Poplar Point Campground. The entrance for Poplar Point Campground is located at 558 Beaver Creek Rd in Apex. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area is enormous with over 1,000 RV and tent campsites scattered over five different areas. We chose Poplar Point Campground because it has many waterfront campsites available with water and electric hook-ups and a recreation beach at Loop E. We reserved spot 58 at Loop H, which is a back-in spot, like most at the park. The NC State Park registration system is very useful. You can search by amenities, whether you need a pull-through spot, and length of site. Similar to hotel room booking systems, it also shows multiple pictures of each campsite.

We arrived early on a Saturday morning and checked-in at the Poplar Point front gate. The ranger confirmed that we could switch our spot for the more popular first-come, first-serve spots at Loop E if we wanted. Loop E features a beach area, playground and more waterfront sites. But, after driving by our site at Loop H, we decided to stick with our original plan. We were anxious to set-up the Winnie and explore the campground. 

IMG_2418Our partially shaded campsite featured a flat gravel pad, picnic table and grill. There’s a short walk to the water, which we were hoping to use for fishing access, but unfortunately there was more poison ivy than we wanted to dodge. We found another access to the water, but the low-lying trees made casting difficult for the girls. Surprisingly, we didn’t have any neighbors during our entire stay. Though the girls were sad because they couldn’t play with new friends, it also meant they could run around like maniacs without worrying about traffic.

We spent about 45 minutes setting up camp by rolling out the rug, organizing the outdoor food station, hooking up the water and electric, and making sure the party lights hung perfectly. This park (and most state parks) features a dump station near the entrance, which we used on the way out to empty our gray and black tanks. For lunch, we quickly cooked hot dogs and grilled deli sandwiches on the griddle before heading to the beach. 

Recreation Area

4After lunch we headed to the recreation area to cool off in the beach. The recreation area at Loop E features a large sandy shoreline with designated swimming area. The water was refreshing and the boats racing by made fun waves for the girls. The girls loved catching the waves with their inner tubes and building sand castles on the shore. They enjoyed racing into the water and diving into the calm water. Even though the water was a little murky, they didn’t seem to mind.

The recreation area has a narrow forested area near the parking lot with picnic tables and benches. We spotted several fishermen fishing further down the shoreline. We also saw a pontoon boat selling shave ice and snacks on the shoreline. Even though we just missed the shave ice, we watched the boat motor to the recreation area on the opposite side of the lake.

Unfortunately we left several of our beach essentials (beach chairs, umbrellas, sand toys) at home, placing greater attention on our camping items. We bought inner tubes at the convenience store off US-64, which proved crucial beach toys. Despite not having all our regular beach things, we spent over two hours at the lake beach having a fabulous time.

Dinner Camping

IMG_2425After playing at the beach we headed back to our campsite for showers and dinner prep. The girls helped shuck corn for grilling on the fire pit while I made mac n cheese on the trailer range. We grilled chicken sausages, corn on the cob, hot dogs and cinnamon sugar filled apples for dessert. 

After cleaning up dinner we settled in for puzzles and Uno. I also taught the girls how to play the card game, War, which immediately became their favorite game! Once the sun went down, we chased fireflies around the loop and used our campfire to make s’mores. Then, we read a bit of Wind in the Willows around the campfire before tucking the girls into their bunks.  

Though it took the girls a little longer to fall asleep, they slept soundly until morning. Bill and I enjoyed some music around the campfire while listening to insects chirp near the water. Overall, our first overnight trailer trip was a big success! Camping in the trailer was an exciting, but relaxing experience while Jordan Lake offered lots of fun at a quick drive away. 

Thumbs up: campsite space, large beach recreation area, affordable family camping, 

Thumbs down: poison ivy down to the water near campground

2014 Fall Festivals @ Local Parks

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Here’s a list of upcoming Fall Festivals happening at various parks in the Greater Raleigh area:

Southeast Raleigh Community Day @ John Chavis Memorial Park – Sat., Sept 20 from noon-4pm; free event that will feature free food, health information, music, voter registration info and more

9th Annual Fall Harvest Celebration @ Historic Yates Mill Park – Sat., Sept 20 from 11am-3pm; free event includes costumed corn-grinding tours of Yates Mill, a fun children’s scavenger hunt activity, live music and dance, story-tellers, community displays, hand-craft demonstrations and sales, antique vehicles, farm tool displays, food vendors, and more; pre-registration is not required; all ages

Community Art Day Festival @ Powell Drive Park – Sat., Sept 27 from 10am-2pm; free kid-friendly activities such as bracelet making, sidewalk chalk, painting and more; performers will be on site; art vendors will be on site to purchase from local artists with vendor spaces still available

4th Annual Festival in Motion along Walnut Creek Greenway – Sat., Sept 27 10am-2pm; designed to get people out and moving in nature; enjoy this day of discovery with live music, art-in-the-making, nature games and fitness challenges

IMG_1592Heritage Day @ Historic Oak View County Park – Sat., Oct 4 from 10am-4pm; a free “county fair” type event featuring live animals, antique farm equipment displays, heritage crafts, handmade items, live music, antique cars, horse-drawn carriage rides, quilt auction, cane pole fishing, and more; food will be available for purchase

Annual Heritage Day at Jordan Lake (White Oak Recreation Area) – Sat., Oct 4 from 10am-3pm; enjoy hands on activities, live entertainment and demonstrations all relating to the unique cultural and natural resources of this region; gain an appreciation for the rich history of the land and natural resources; for more information or volunteer opportunities for this event, please contact Ranger Jim Trostle at 919-362-0586 ext. 227 or jim.trostle@ncparks.gov

Haunting at Harris Lake: Creatures of the Forest – Sat., Oct 18 from 1-6pm; free event with games, activities, crafts, and a wagon ride adventure as you search for the weird, creepy and outrageous creatures of the forest; wear a costume or come as you are; all ages

Fall Events @ Umstead Park – hosting a variety of events in Sept & Oct from Free Weekend Matinee Movies, Take a Child Outside Week events, Trail Running with a Ranger, Big Year Birdwalk, From Farm to Park and more; for additional info, visit the main Events page and search for September and October 2014

Jordan Lake State Park: New Hope Overlook

img_2178With Fall in full swing, it’s a great time to do some hiking in Raleigh’s backyard.  Months ago we visited Jordan Lake State Park for some hiking and a picnic and with the leaves changing colors now it’d be a perfect time to go back.   Having survived Profile Trail in western NC we wanted to try one of Jordan Lake’s more challenging trails.  After researching the NC Parks website we decided on the blue trail at New Hope Overlook.   Jordan Lake has several hiking trails across many entrances so be sure to research ahead of time which one to go to.  New Hope Overlook is located off WH Jones Rd and has a cash-only entrance, where the fee is $6/car.

The parking lot at the trail head is shared with the boat ramps, so there should be plenty of parking for all patrons.  Before heading on the trail we scoped out the path again at the on-site map.  Needing to be home for a 1pm naptime we opted for the 2.7 mile Blue trail instead of the 5.4 mile Red trail.  The trail is heavily wooded and follows the perimeter of the lake through much of the trail.  Being so close to the water made for some great photo ops and a chance to see a lot of wildlife, such as ducks, herons, turtles and frogs.  It also gave us a chance to take a few breaks and let Ripken enjoy a cool dip in the water.

img_2183The Blue trail had a moderate difficulty with some gradual hills and tree stumps along the path.  It was well cleared and easy to follow.  It took us about 1.5 hours to finish the hike, making it a great mid-morning outing with Ashley and Ripken.  After the hike we headed over to the shore line near the boat ramps for a yummy picnic lunch.  Unfortunately there weren’t any picnic tables so we roughed it on the shore line.  We all had a great time and can’t wait to head back to Jordan Lake soon for some more hiking and perhaps some camping!  Visit the NC Parks website for more information about the features of Jordan Lake.

Directions from Raleigh: follow 64 west and turn left on Beaver Creek Rd before crossing over Jordan Lake, turn right on Pea Ridge Rd, and then a right on WH Jones Rd.

Thumbs up: scenery, shady trail, clearly marked paths, lake views, moderately challenging trail

Thumbs down: lack of picnic tables near parking lot