“Paddle Down an Unspoiled River!”
With more than 5,000 acres of land around Lake Phelps and the Scuppernong River including over 16,600 acres of water, Pettigrew State Park is an ideal blend of nature, history and recreation. Explore Lake Phelps and cast your line into crystal-clear waters where largemouth bass reign. Take a trip back in time at the grave of a great Confederate general. Or hug a tree as wide as an elephant. Paddle down one of North Carolina's last undeveloped rivers. Pettigrew exhibits its history among picturesque natural surroundings. Majestic cypress trees tower above as the branches of tulip poplar and swamp chestnut oak provide perches for songbirds. Wildflowers decorate the landscape with a splash of color.
Reviews of Pettigrew State Park
5 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on September 02, 2019AT&T 4G
Confirmed by 2 users | Last reported on April 22, 2023Dugout canoes mentioned are no longer at the site (moved to a college campus). Also this does not mention Somerset Place within walking distance- good representative plantation for this area and interesting enslaved population research.
Small but nice flat layout to this campground. Clean bathrooms with showers. Limited amount of campsites. Stayed here on the way to Cape Hatteras. Don't take the GPS turn on the dirt road, continue for another mile for a paved road that takes you right to the campground.
Nightly Rate: $15.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 10
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Pettigrew State Park in Creswell, North Carolina has a small, primitive (no water, electric, dump and the RV sites are dirt) campground located on Lake Phelps.
While the sites sit among old growth forest, it was a warm and humid summer day when we camped here requiring us to run our generator for a bit until the sun got down after dinner. Because there's no electricity offered, I'd recommend camping in the park in cooler months, but there's hiking and swimming in beautiful Lake Phelps. The campground does offer restrooms with showers which are older, but relatively clean.
The park is in a remote farming area in eastern North Carolina. We used it as a way point on our way to the Salina on Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 6
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
This is an older & small campground; there are only 13 sites. Half of the sites are set back into the woods & the other half back up to woods but are otherwise in a field. The wooded sites are beautiful. Sites 3, 5 & 6 are particularly nice; site 1 is very short in length. The field sites are not constricted by length or width. The bath house is quite old. However, it is acceptable. I have used some bath houses where I just have to grin & bear it. I did not need to do that here. It is a very easy walk to Somerset Place [https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/somerset-place]. I wanted to stay at this campground to see and appreciate Lake Phelps. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Phelps].While staying here we also went into Columbia and visited the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge [https://www.fws.gov/refuge/pocosin-lakes/visit-us/locations/walter-b-jones-sr-center-for-the-sounds-and-pocosin-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge-headquarters]. We did the boardwalk. Such interesting terrain. One day we had lunch at Barnyard Betsy - Cheesesteaks & Hoagies. [https://barnyardbetsy.com/] Creswell is a teeny-tiny town with at least 2 good places to eat. I had a cheesesteak & my husband had a hoagie. Both were absolutely delicious & too large to eat unless you are very hungry.. This place is a must-stop. Across the street is a coffee shop. The days we were there it closed at 2p & we did not have a chance to go -- Big Blue 252 Coffee Bar.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 9
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
We stayed here for 3 nights in mid-October of 2023. I selected oursite out in the grassy, less-treed area for our portable solar panels. The lower numbered sites are tucked within the trees and offer more privacy. Site 1 is best for tents or maybe a van - I would not want to back a trailer in to it due to trees & tree roots.
Our site was just a back in on the grass next to a picnic table & firering. The sites are just open areas that you back in on a bit of a raised area - there are some lower drainage areas to watch for when backing.
Rangers were nice, there is a launch ramp, nice trails, easy, flat walking, a bit of a boardwalk and the old plantation next door. I walked & enjoyed the trails and walking around the plantation (the history here - whoa... take the time to read the signs). Women's showers: the one with the extra curtain would not get hot, so I moved to the other, smashed a couple of bugs, figured out the push button thing and got nice hot water, but it didn't drain well, was standing in 1.5" of water with a couple of dead bugs by the end... adventures in campground showers! The campground is a simple campground - the park is quite nice! I thought it was a great place to walk and had some very interesting info & history.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 11
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Pettigrew State Park
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Last Nightly Rate
- 15.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 25.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 15.0
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Paved Sites
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Rec Facilities
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Potable Water
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Standard Tent Sites
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Water Hookup
Campground, Restrooms
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