Ok, “curfew” might be a strong word, but there will be no late-night adventures when you’re staying at this campground. Keep reading to see what we mean.
Where We Stayed
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park is located 15 miles southeast of Goldsboro, NC.
If you think the campground name sounds familiar, you’re right! We camped here at the end of March 2023 and published this blog post about it. Feel free to refresh your memory on that post, but we’ll talk about new things here.
The image below shows the view from the top of the cliffs the park is named for.
We like the park because the hiking trails are walking-distance from the campground. There’s water access to an 11-acre lake as well as the Neuse River, so fishing, swimming, and paddling are options during the warmer months.
The campground is quiet and the sites are large. In the fall, it’s an ideal place for a quiet weekend.
| Campground Name | Cliffs of the Neuse State Park Campground |
| Location | Camp Creek, WV |
| Dates | November 8-11, 2024 |
| Site Number | Site 5 |
| Site Surface | gravel; a little unlevel |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups + 50-amp electric |
| Cost | $36 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 65 psi |
| Voltage | 125 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 42 Mbps down; 8 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 8 Mbps down; 5 Mbps up |
| Campground WiFi | None |
Cliffs of the Neuse Camping Tip
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park has a gate that is locked at night. At this time of year, the gate closes at 6:00 p.m.
Be sure to take this into account when making plans for your stay. For example, if you want to drive somewhere for dinner one night, you’ll need to be back before the gate closes.
Our site was very nice. There’s a cabin on one side and an RV site on the other. Behind it is nothing but trees for several hundred feet.
What We Did
Visitor Center
Be sure to stop at the visitor center while you’re at the park. They have a few items for sale inside.
There are also several exhibits with information about the park and other environmental topics.
We planned to get our NC State Parks passport stamped while we were there, but I didn’t see any employees inside. Fortunately, we discovered the brochure holder outside the building.
In addition to park maps and various brochures, we found an envelope labeled “State Park Stamp.” In it were stickers of their stamp. I think that’s a pretty good idea to have a backup in case someone stops by when the visitor center isn’t open.
Hiking
We started out on the path from the campground. From there, we took a left and started on the Spanish Moss Trail. We took the trail all the way to the group camping area.
There’s a connector trail from that area that puts you back on the Spanish Moss Trail. Unfortunately, we didn’t take it. Instead, we walked along the road that leads to/from the group camp area. At this point, it’s a road, not a trail. It’s not paved, but it’s definitely wide enough for a vehicle to drive down.
After the 90-degree turn, we picked up the Spanish Moss Trail again. That brought us back to where we started. There are a few spots with stairs, but overall it’s not a difficult trail.
If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice several lovely trees on this trail.
In total, I think we did almost 6 miles of hiking on Saturday.
Between the lake and the Neuse River, there are several spots along the trails with water access.
Relaxing
Typically, we do most of our hiking in the morning. After 5 miles or so, the dogs are more willing to get back to the campsite and relax for a bit.
Aiken is still working on it, but he got lots of practice relaxing outside on this trip. Sometimes he confuses “watching” with “relaxing.”
But there are moments where he manages to chill out. We even noticed some improvement in his response to the campfire. He didn’t seem as bothered by it this time.
Believe it or not, he does sometimes use it as a bed, not just a pillow.
Photos
Happy travels!
