There are more than 1,000 campsites at the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area; the 24 at the New Hope Overlook campground are easily the most serene. From this base camp you can hike the 5-mile New Hope Overlook Trail, you can paddle up the Haw River arm of the reservoir (an area that tends to see less motorboat traffic than the rest of the lake), you can fish, or, if you’re a cyclist who loves long road rides but not the traffic associated with them, you can set out from your tent and enjoy the lightly traveled roads of Chatham, Lee and Moore counties.
Getting there from downtown Raleigh
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Address: 280 State Park Road
City: Apex
State: N.C.
Zip: 27523
Distance: 35 minutes from downtown Raleigh
Latitude: 35.3927
Longitude: 79.0424
No. of campsites: 24
No. with hookups: None
No. without hookups: None
Primitive sites: 24
Reservations? Yes. 877.722.6762
Cost: $13
Year-round? Yes (some sites are closed in winter)
Gate hours: Open daily at 8 a.m., closes at 6 p.m. November-February; 8 p.m. March, April, September and October; 9 p.m. May-August.
Stuff to do nearby: fishing, hiking, paddling