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Located on the border between North Carolina and Virginia is Kerr Lake, a beautiful man-made reservoir and the the largest lake in Virginia.
It measures 850 miles in circumference and is surrounded by scenic woodlands, sandy beaches, and idyllic camping spots. It’s also known to be one of the best fishing lakes in the eastern United States.
It’s the perfect place to go camping in North Carolina, as it’s shoreline is so vast, you will be sure to find a quiet spot – in fact, there are seven campgrounds around the 50,000-acre lake with hundreds of spots.
Most campsites come with a boat ramp, since Kerr Lake is one of the few lakes that allow motorized boating.
If you’re dreaming of camping Kerr Lake, then this guide will tell you everything you need to know, and we’ll also share our own camping experience too!
A Brief History Of Kerr Lake, North Carolina
Kerr Lake is the biggest lake in North Carolina and Virginia. Surprisingly Kerr Lake is pronounced as Car Lake.
It’s an artificial lake built as a dam and water reservoir and stretches across the North Carolina border into Virginia. Kerr Lake NC is also known as Buggs Island Lake, which was the original name.
In Virginia, you will still see signs for “Buggs Island Lake.” And even the state agency that regulates fishing calls it Buggs Island Lake. That’s the Virginia law!
At its maximum capacity, Kerr Lake, or Bugg Island Lake, is one of the largest reservoirs in the Southeastern United States. The lake has over 850 miles of shoreline and covers approximately 50,000 acres and is 300 feet above sea level.
Kerr Lake State Recreation Area is a North Carolina State Park, which means certain rules, like no alcohol, apply! Can you believe it? No alcohol while camping. That’s like having smores with no chocolate!!
Just get creative. Coffee tumblers work well. You did not hear it from me, and be aware, if discovered, you could lose your alcohol or get kicked out.
Kerr Lake Campgrounds
Kerr Lake offers hundreds of wooded tent and trailer campsites, many of them on the water’s edge with access areas. There is also cabin lodging and paddle-in campgrounds for those who plan on kayaking.
We stayed at two of the eight campsites on Kerr Lake, Nutbush and Satterwhite Point, both of which are open year round.
Note that camping fees range from $15 to $145 per night, depending on whether you’re booking tent sites or RV sites, and need to be reserved no less than 3 weeks in advance.
If you plan to camp over a Friday or Saturday, there is a minimum booking of two nights.
Tent campsites come with a restroom block with hot showers and flush toilets, picnic shelters with picnic tables, a parking area, and each camping spot has fire rings for making a campfire.
Most RV’s come fully equipped and you’ll just need to get the basic supplies such as food, water, bug repellent, etc. The dump station on Kerr Lake is in Henderson Point at this address.
Site number 38 at Satterwhite point is where we had our tent set up right by the lake!
Nutbush Campground
On the first night, we camped at Nutbush near the bridge. We decided to move the next day as we didn’t like the campsite as much as what was on offer at J.C. Cooper Campground at Satterwhite Point. It was way better.
We camped the first night at Nutbush as Satterwhite was booked out.
The Nutbush campsite is fine, but not as wooded as J.C. Cooper.
At Nutbush we were camped on the side of the bridge where boats could not get through due to the low bridge.
You can bring your boat in via car to the Nutbush campsite and load into the lake from there. But, our friend’s boat was moored at Satterwhite Point Marina so couldn’t get through.
What’s the point of camping on Kerr Lake if you can’t go out on your boat?
Satterwhite Point camping
Satterwhite Point campground had campsites in wooded areas right on the lake that were really large and quite private. We only had neighbors on one side and they were a little behind us so it felt like we had the lake to ourselves.
Not only did we have the space for our friend’s RV but we had all the open area in front of us right down to our private beach where we could pitch our tent.
The only problem was that the amenities were a little further away.
I loved the serenity of the campsite and the wilderness feel while still providing us with camping luxuries like water and electricity.
We haven’t had a camping spot this great since camping on the beach on Zanzibar Island in Africa. Four steps out the door and we were in the most beautiful water you’ll ever see.
This was just as good, and lying in bed at night looking at the stars from our bed was pretty amazing.
By the way, this was a camera free holiday – one we rarely make. We weren’t even going to write about our camping trip to Kerr Lake, but because it was such a wonderful hidden unplugged secret we discovered we decided to share.
However, it means all our photos and video footage was taken on our Samsung Galaxy 8 phones – which really do a great job.
Camping Equipment To Bring With You
The girls were ecstatic to go camping with friends. We were so excited to head to the stores and buy some camping equipment.
The equipment you bring will largely depend on whether you go for a powered or non-electrical sites, and whether you’re tent camping or hooking up an RV.
If you are tent camping, then I recommend you bring the following:
- Tent with poles and some spare pegs
- Sleeping bag that’s rated for the seasonal temperature you’ll be camping in
- Sleeping pad or mat for each camper
- Pillows, such as inflatable pillows, which are easy to transport
- Folding camping chairs that are compact enough to transport
- Lighting such as a headlamp or flashlight for nighttime
- Camping stove so you can cook at your campsite. You’ll also need extra fuel, cooking utensils, and pots and pans etc
- Weather-appropriate clothing that’s suitable for the weather
- Toilet paper, never assume there will be some, so bring your own
- Tarp can be useful
- Bags for your waste – always take your rubbish home with you
- Foot mat to wipe your feet outside your tent
There are so many options for camping equipment these days and you can go really crazy on prices, but we decided to keep it simple and cost effective and get only the essentials from Wal-Mart and Dicks Sporting Goods rather than REI.
We purchased everything we needed for the same price as one tent at REI.
However, if we needed a tent for long-term camping and durability we would buy one of the more expensive ones at REI as they have great quality and return policies.
But our Ozark family trail tent from Wal-Mart is a good one. It sleeps 10, is easy to put up and we got it on sale for $97 – a bargain!
Things To Do At Kerr Lake
Now you know where to camp and what to bring, it’s time to talk about all the fun you can get up to on your camping vacation on Kerr Lake!
1. Go knee boarding on Kerr Lake, NC
I love how travel pushes you out of your comfort zone. It forces you to try new things, to test your boundaries to discover your strengths and find your inner power.
I couldn’t help but think of this the minute Kalyra jumped off the boat to get on the knee board.
Confident and ready to nail it.
I’ve tried knee boarding before on the same knee board of the same boat in the same body of water. In fact on the day we were doing it, Facebook memories popped out with a photo to remind me of that day that had happened 8 years before.
I could not get up on the knee board.
Kalyra got up straight away. I was stunned. Watch:
2. Go tubing on Kerr Lake, NC
Whereas Kalyra is my child who will dive straight in and give something a go, Savannah is our very cautious child who waits until she’s observed enough to feel comfortable.
Even then she’ll be timid and clingy and will only try in small bites.
That was her on the tube. She started by playing in it on the water’s edge, then asked to have a turn sitting in it with Mummy, “but only slow.”
If we went any slower the boat would have stopped, but the wind carried her screams right up to the captain, “Stop. I want to get off. That was terrifying!”
Then on the last day, she decided to have another go. This time we went a little faster and further.
She screamed the entire time but at least she pushed her comfort zone out a little bit and she was glad she did it.
We spent every day out on the boat tubing with stops for swimming and ice cream at the marina.
This will be one of your teen’s favorite things to do in the Raleigh area.
3. Fishing on Kerr Lake, NC
One of our friends, Anne, and her two sons, brought some fishing rods so the kids spent a morning learning the art of patience from the banks of our beach.
Kerr Lake is one of the best fishing spots in North Carolina, and is filled with crappie, bass, and bluegill.
Anne is a keen fisherwoman so we let her teach the kids how to do it.
I loved fishing when I was younger, spending almost every day of the summer doing it down the waterfront, but now I can’t stand it.
The girls didn’t last too long, but at least they had a go.
Anne spent a couple of evenings under the moonlight fishing for catfish from the beach and from the back of the boat in the beach shallows.
Savannah joined her one evening off the back of the boat while the rest of us watched and chatted and enjoyed our coffee mug drinks.
4. Swimming on Kerr Lake, NC
I can’t tell you how much I love lake living. The water is still and calm. The shores are usually blanketed in forests – in North Carolina, usually sweet smelling pine.
And lurking underneath the waters are ZERO monsters! No sharks, no crocodiles, no jelly fish.
To dive off the edge of the boat with 300 feet of water underneath you and not have to worry about getting your legs bitten off is so liberating!
Needless to say, we spent a lot of time swimming in Kerr Lake. Off the shore from our campsite and wherever we wanted to stop the boat for a break and a cooling off swim.
Followed by ice creams at Satterwhite Point Marina.
We had a lot of toys for the kids to enjoy: floatable rafts and toys, stand up paddle boards, and kayaks. The kids loved spending the day with each other playing in the water – they’ve all got the tans to show for it.
5. Kayaking on Kerr Lake NC
If the tube wasn’t something Savannah could master, kayaking was. She was having a ball kayaking and knee stand up paddle boarding from the shore.
The kids were determined to paddle over to the other side of the lake from our campsite at Satterwhite Point on the kayak and SUPs.
It was quite the distance and involved crossing over the boat traffic channel so we weren’t allowing them to go until the last day when the lake was quiet.
Savannah was not going to be left out. She watched the others go back and forth and was determined to experience this grand adventure for herself.
She jumped in the small kayak and off she went with Craig and I trailing behind. She made it all the way over to kayak amongst the trees on the other bank. She was so proud of herself.
My favorite moment was when we were about 50 meters from shore, and she yelled out,
“I can’t quit now. We’re almost there!”
She made it and got halfway back before we tied her to the back of Craig’s kayak and towed her back. It was a fun adventure and one she could claim some bravery for herself.
6. Watch sunsets on Kerr Lake, NC
As a friend of our friend, Rina once told her, “You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a sunset on Kerr Lake.”
Rina packed us into the boat at 8 pm every night to ensure we did not miss the sky as it moved from yellow to orange to pink.
Of course, we threw the tube and knee board into the water to do a little sunset tubing and knee boarding.
Cruising around the water on sunset watching the kids have so much fun and seeing that glorious sun setting brought me such joy and happiness (while I sipped on my coffee cup!).
I could imagine that sunrise would also look spectacular, but I like to sleep in – hey, I’m on vacation!
Final Thoughts
Our camping trip was perfect and we loved spending time with our friends.
Because we spend so much time together as a family, we wanted to go camping with friends, especially for the girls.
Thankfully, our good friends from Durham were keen to come with us, and we enjoyed four nights of camping bliss.
Kerr Lake, NC is where our friends camp all the time. It’s only an hour from where they live in Durham and they have a boat moored at the Satterwhite Marina.
I just wanted rest, relaxation, to connect with friends and to get close to nature, so camping at Kerr Lake, being only 90-minutes from our home in Raleigh, was the perfect solution for our short getaway.
What do you think? Would you make a camping trip to Kerr Lake?
More North Carolina Travel Tips
Need more inspiration for visiting North Carolina? Here are some guides on our favorite places in NC!
- Things to do in Raleigh NC
- Unique + Fun Things to Do in North Carolina Bucket List
- Top Places to go in the North Carolina Mountains
- Breweries and stunning waterfalls in Asheville NC
- A Guide to the River Arts District, Asheville NC (Why, What, and How)
- Things to Do in Downtown Asheville, NC (2 night stay)
- 48 hour itinerary for Durham, NC
- Don’t miss things when you visit Johnston County
- Best things to do in Chapel Hill, NC
- Camping at Kerr Lake, NC
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