We’ve found that many campgrounds in our area (NC, SC, and VA) close for the winter. Moccasin Branch Campground in Raven Rock State Park is a newer campground, so it was built in such a way that it can stay open year-round. Because of this, we usually make this one of our first or last trips of our camping season.
Where We Stayed
Moccasin Branch Campground, Raven Rock State Park
Lillington, NC
March 3-5, 2023
Site 13
What We Did
Saturday morning we hiked the Raven Rock Loop Trail.
Overall, I really enjoyed this hike. According to the park map, the trail was about 2.6 miles long. The dogs appreciated all the water access in the first half (we hiked counter-clockwise), but there really wasn’t much in the second half. About halfway around the loop is the staircase (red star on the map) down to Raven Rock and the Cape Fear River. It’s a lot of stairs and it’s pretty narrow (not wide enough to pass anyone going the opposite direction) but if you think the stairs will be too much, you can just skip that part and not go down to the river. There were trash cans at the start of the trail, at the top of the stairs, and at one other spot along the trail. Anyone who hikes with dogs will appreciate having a few places to throw out a poop bag.
At the end of the trail, there is a water fountain, a dog water fountain, and a Coke vending machine. If you hiked the loop clockwise, it would be at the beginning of the trail. (We didn’t try the vending machine to see if it actually worked.) The water fountains were turned off for freezing temperatures when we visited.
Note: We went early, so there was plenty of parking when we arrived. When we left the park around 11:50, there was a line of cars waiting to get in.
Happy travels!
