This is an older campground with not too many level sites for a 40' rig. We moved twice & eventually got level, but only with a whole bunch of blocks. It rained a lot during our stay, so the lake was way up and our campsite was a pond in itself. Very serene campground with very nice bike/hiking trails if the weather would have been nicer. Dump station and bath house were convenient to the camping area. Close to town for shopping. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We used our Sr. Access Card to pay for our stay at the very nice Bandit's Roost COE campground convenient to Wilkesboro, NC and Wilkes Community College where the annual music festival Merlefest is held in late April. The site is on W. Kerr Scott reservoir, and has large, well-shaded sites as well as closely stacked lakeside sites on a peninsula. The showers are kept reasonably clean, except on weekends when heavy use makes this more difficult. Internet access via cell towers is strong. There are a number of sites offering satellite shots. We stayed there about a week this year and plan to return. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This was a great campground. We had been looking for a home base and I think this might be it! Easy to get to, easy to get to town/shopping. Tent sites are spaced out nicely, with trees in between. Sites are large with plenty of room. Bathhouse in A section was nice -- could have used more showers, I think, but still adequate. Playground was great. Would have liked more things offered in store, but again, town is close by for anything needed. Will definitely be back next year! We camped here in a Tent.
A great COE campground with really friendly staff and rangers. Located south of Wilkesboro on highway NC-268, which makes it easy to find. Convenient to Wilkesboro shopping, etc. Campground roads are paved, sites are gravel. This campground has two separate RV areas and 2 separate tent camping areas. A few RV sites are not very level and some have picnic tables at an elevation below the camp pad. Many good waterfront sites and many inner-loop sites have a view of the lake. Bathrooms in section “A” badly need a modernization. TV reception was okay with antenna and Verizon cell phone worked great. We camped here for 7 days and will stay here again. Rate shown is with senior pass. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Great place. Sites are laid out kind of funny, but the rest of the place is great. Showers and bathrooms are dated, but function quite well. Large, pea gravel sites. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We always enjoy our stay here. We stayed on site A54. Most sites can accommodate a large camper. Most sites are shady. There are some sites on the water, but they are always booked up. Very popular campground. Even though it was completely booked for the Memorial Day weekend it still didn't feel crowded. My only complaint is that they used to have two swimming beaches and they closed one. The one they closed was the best of the two and my family really hates that it isn't there anymore. Shopping needs are nearby. Great campground. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We have heard so many great things about this place that we wanted to give it a shot. While it was not a total let down, it was one of the worst COE campgrounds that we have stayed in. It just didn't seem kept up as nice as others we have stayed at. Many of the pads needed work. A lot were on top of each other, which is something we never really experienced at other COE campgrounds. The beach was closed, but was told by the attendant that we could go swimming at another park down the road and get access with our pass. We went down there and was told there was no swimming areas open on the lake at all due to the low water. That attendant seemed irritated that the other attendants were sending people down there. Upon leaving we went to dump at the the dump station in our area (B) and it was full. We had to go to the other area to dump. I did like the firewood thing. It was by donation to "Friends of the Lake" and you got more firewood than you do at other places. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This was our 3rd stay at Bandit's Roost. We love this campground and it is close to where we live. We stayed in site A54. We always enjoy our stay. Water level has been low so the beach was closed. I have found this to be an issue at all the campgrounds we stayed at this summer. Someone comes and cleans the bathrooms daily, but I noticed that they were pretty messy on the day we left. Considering that the bathroom's trash can was only half full I think it is disgraceful for campers to throw paper towels all over the floor. But because the bath house is not monitored throughout the day I gave a rating of a 9. The park staff are always friendly and helpful. One note: Wi-Fi is only available at the gatehouse and there is a fee. We will camp here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
A great COE campground with really friendly staff and rangers. Located south of Wilkesboro on highway NC-268, it is easy to find. Campground roads are paved, sites are graveled. There is a separate tent camping area. A few sites are not very level and some have picnic tables at an elevation below the camp pad. Campground is located away from most all road noise; but convenient to Wilkesboro. Many good waterfront sites and many inner-loop sites have a view of the lake. Bathrooms were okay, and kept clean – but could stand modernization. We will stay here again. Rate shown is with senior pass. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We were really lucky to get site A20 which is a great lakeside site. Very peaceful and serene at least where we were. I am not sure what it would be like to be there on a weekend as it might be too busy. We are kayakers and this was a very nice lake. My husband used the shower and as many have said it needs updating. We will return. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This was our second visit to Bandits Roost. We stayed on site A45. Sites are roomy and there is space between sites which was great since the park was full. There used to be two swimming areas, but now there is only one. The office staff said that the other one was too deep for children. Too bad, because it was the better of the two and my teenagers enjoyed it. There is internet available, but only if you are at the entrance and at $5.00. Not convenient at all which is why I gave a rating of 9. The park staff is friendly. There is no store to buy supplies, but there is ice and wood available to be purchased. I would recommend this campground. We plan on camping here again at the end of the summer. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
A COE campground a few miles south of Wilkesboro (on highway NC-268). Most everything has been said about this campground; so I won’t repeat it. Let’s hope it gets a modernization soon, as did Warrior Creek in 2010. This is a great campground. Located away from most all road noise; but convenient to Wilkesboro. We camped here for 5 days and will stay here again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is a COE campgrounds on Scott Kerr Lake at Wilkesboro, with two RV camping areas. Hosts and park ranger were very friendly and helpful. Many of the campers we met here were regulars, that book each spring and fall. The campground roads are paved, but sites are graveled. Due to run-off in heavy rains, a number of sites get quite muddy. Some sites have the picnic tables and fire-rings are 6-8 feet lower than camper pad, not good. As mentioned, bathrooms were okay, and kept clean: but need modernization. In section “A” there are numerous waterfront sites and inner-loop sites with a view of the lake. There are also two nice tent camping areas. For $5 there is wireless internet available at entry gate, this covers the length of your stay. We camped here for 7 days and will stay here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Bandit’s Roost, is one of 3 COE campgrounds on Scot Kerr Lake at Wilkesboro. Enter this campground from NC-268. Campground roads are paved, but sites are graveled. There is a separate tent camping area. Some sites are not very level and some have picnic tables at an elevation very different than camper pad! Most sites are at least partially shaded and also have fire-rings. Bathrooms were okay, and kept clean, but could stand modernization. Two beach areas and a playground for kids. Many good waterfront sites and many inner-loop sites have a view of the lake. Wireless internet available at entry gate, $5 for length of your stay. We camped here for 3 days and will stay here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We stayed here for 3 nights in A48. The staff was very friendly. The bathrooms were clean and we even witnessed a worker cleaning them. There was a room that looked like it used to be a laundry room, but no longer held any washer and dryers. I did not check on other sections of the campground to see if a laundry room was available. The sites were great sizes and many were in shade. Some site were right on the lake. It did seem that it was time for the sites to have new gravel. Our site was clean when we arrived. There are areas for swimming in the lake and the areas around the lake were clean. The price was great at $22 a night and we had water and electric, but no sewage which I feel was reasonable for the price. We would love to camp here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We've stayed at Bandit's Roost 2 times this year and will be staying one more time in September. We have been very pleased overall with our stays. Three things kept me from giving this park a "10": 1. Sewer hook-ups 2. No soap in the bathrooms 3. Water accumulates all over the shower section to the point that you can't get dressed without getting your clothes wet Overall, I consider Bandit's Roost a very good park especially priced at $20. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Based on previous reviews and our previous experience at another COE campground, we were looking forward to camping here, especially as a base for exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were very disappointed with the maintenance and cleanliness of the campground. Apparently everyone who camps here must smoke. There were cigarette butts all over the place: in the site and on the "beach" (actually a steep muddy bank). Fireplace was filthy and unusable (full of corn cobs and other unrecognizable food items from one of the previous campers). Our site (and the beach) were also covered in goose droppings. We ended up staying inside the trailer most of the time because of this. We just didn't feel comfortable letting our kids play outside in the filth. Playground was very outdated and had broken glass on the ground. Men's room and garbage dumpsters were quite a hike from the lakeside pull-throughs. The men's room was clean but the shower facility didn't look too inviting so we did not use it. We will definitely not camp here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
The previous posts are accurate and I agree for the most part. We camped here over the Memorial weekend. The sites are old and tired but in good condition and clean. My son and I fished but the water was shallow near the shore and out into the reservoir for quite a distance. Having a boat would definitely help. Overall it was OK. We have stayed at other COE campgrounds that are nicer. The staff was very pleasant. We camped here in a Motorhome.
W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir – Bandits Roost Campground – COE Wilkesboro, NC – May 6 & 7 (Wednesday/Thursday) Cost with Golden Age with electric and water $10 – 100 sites – our site 26A. This is another great COE campground but it is only one of over three on this lake. There are some campsites on the lake and others in the woods. There is a tenting only area and there are areas without water and electricity. The section we were in the A loop we had campers on each side of us but we could look out to the lake on both ends. Bandits Roost our campground is on the south side of W Kerr Scott Reservoir in the Yadkin River Valley. There are bike and hiking trails, boating, fishing, water skiing and swimming. Hunting is allowed in season. There is a playground, basketball court, amphitheater and launching ramps for boats, canoes and kayaks. The people who work here are nice and it is a nice campground. There is one bathroom and shower house per loop so your site could be a good distance walking to them. We stayed here for two nights, one with thunderstorms and rain and the next a bright, sunny day! We camped here in a Motorhome.
Nice COE park, employees very nice, we had site A-58 which was back in with extremely nice patio area at bottom of a set of stairs. With sewer and cable would be a 10 all the way. I can't complain to much for $20.00 a night. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Very long back in sites. Some pull-thru sites. Would rate this a 9 or 10 if sites had sewer connection and paved pads. Overall a very nice campground. We had a site that backed up to the water. Site was level. Very clean campground. Staff very friendly. We use our Golden Age Passport and paid $10.00 per night. we stayed for 7 nights. About 1/2 the sites can be reserved. We stayed here in a 5th wheel. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Very nice campground. When we couldn't get level on the assigned site we were given a list of all the available ones so we could choose which one we liked best. Many sites were close together. We will definitely return. We camped here in a Motorhome.
One of our favorite campgrounds. Nice family atmosphere, no drinking allowed. Some sites are just dirt, others are grassy. Beautiful lake. We camp here yearly We camped here in a Motorhome.
We did enjoy our stay here. Area A is out on the point and Area B is more secluded. We chose site 87 in Area B. Some of the sites are real close together and share a common entrance drive. This is a nice, clean campground. The bathrooms and showers were clean. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Our very first experience in a COE CG & we were not disappointed. We had a site on the point above the beach. 2 weekday nights so the CG was very quiet, almost too quiet. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is one of my favorite places to go. Yes there are some sites that are too close together, but you will learn where to stay once you've been there. It is nice to have a "hotel" card to get in and out of the park at any time needed as well. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Overall a good Park, New Construction abounds. The shower house is not within walking distance. Staff is friendly and sites are large. Of the three campgrounds that I have seen on this lake this is ranked #2. If you have children camping with you you may want to stay at Bandit's Roost. Camp roads need work. Dump station is very clean. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very pretty. Lots of trees and well designed park. We have camped at other COE parks in the south. This is one of the best. We will stay there again soon. If you want more privacy, pick Loop B. There will be a short walk to the water (Hilly) but worth it. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Great campground for a state park. Pretty lake with almost all sites close to water. Clean for a state park with heavy use. Beautiful lake for boating. Sites are large and not close together. Almost all are shady and located in woods. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Another excellent COE campground. This one is 6 miles from Wilkesboro, NC on the Scott Lake. This is one of my all time favorite campgrounds. The sites are spacious and well spaced for some privacy. We have camped here twice and will return again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
campground over crowed for me, and very tight to get into. Much rather stay at Fort Hamby on us421 side of lake. Much nicer sites but it's a lot smaller. Fills up fast. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Tidy, well maintained COE campground at the W. Kerr Scott reservoir with extremely spacious, level, gravel campsites including 50 amp electric and water. We found that the roads in and throughout were in good shape and more than roomy enough for our 30 ft class A. The sites are surrounded by trees and near the reservoir, some had a nice lake view. Bathrooms were very clean and the showers were fine (hot water was hot and shower heads were high enough) but lacked a private dressing area. Dump station is easy in and out. Campground closes the end of Oct. We would definitely camp here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a army corp of engineers campground. It is wonderful. The sites are large and very well maintained. There is a beach for swimming as well as boating and fishing. The grounds and the facillities are very clean. All this for $16 per night. I would highly reccomend this campground!!!! We camped here in a camper.
We stayed here while attending Merlefest. Lovely, quiet wooded park. Big rigs (we are 41 feet + tow vehicle) should unhook before going to sites as the road to the camping area is narrow, twisting and winding. #19 pull thru was only one adequate for our size rig, but we choose a long back in site closer to showers/restrooms. Firewood available for sale at the park. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Overall we had a good time. We had some issues at the newer bath house with water pressure, and some people had issues with having hot water. From experience, I think they have tank-less hot water tanks in that bath house. They can some times be tricky. The older bath house had wonderful water pressure though. The folks in the check-in office were so nice and helpful. They had life jackets and bike helmets you could use. The biggest issue we had was the amount of poison oak/ivy all around. What was growing up the trees looked like they had just tried to kill some of it, but hadn't died yet, still very green and obvious. There was tons on the ground all around our campsite though, with kids it was hard to make sure they were not in it. It felt crazy making them stay in the road. Don't go in the grass. So we had a large concern about tons of kids in the road with some traffic that would go way too fast. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This was our first time at Fort Hamby. We stayed in site 12 which was very roomy. All the sites were well maintained. The bathrooms were updated and clean. Camping sites are down one road and the swim beach, park, and boat ramp are down another. Because the amenities are down another road it makes the camping area very quiet and peaceful. Sites are very well shaded. The roads are hilly which is why I left my bicycle at home, but the younger crowd enjoys that. Swim beach was clean, and there is a parking lot right next to it. There are some trails to the water and fishing was very popular. There is a Walmart, restaurants, and other shopping about 5 miles away. If you are coming from Wilkes, the Walmart is on the left before you get to the campground. The office sells ice and firewood, and you can borrow life jackets there, also. We enjoyed our stay and would camp there again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Huge sites, typical of COE campgrounds. Three sections: one near the new bathhouse, one hilly in the middle, and one near the water. Some sites have steep hill. We were in very large and level site 3 near the bathhouse, with shade and a nice wooded view. Other loops are a drive to get to bathhouse. It is about a mile (hilly) walk to the swim area. We would stay here again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Sites was good but the amenities were bad. All activities were a quarter mile away down another road. The bath house was still incomplete. It had, in our opinion, a good tent area and that's it. We will not be back. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This campground is undergoing development and I think it will be a great campground when it's completed. I hope they plan on a shower/bathroom facility but I didn't see any place for that. The spaces are set up for privacy but not isolation. The roads need improvement in some areas - big washout areas and I noticed a few fifth wheels that scraped when making a turn. The roads are steep in some areas. The swim beach is closed for improvements now but season is a few weeks away. The hiking trails are not marked which should be done. Overall a good park and it's only getting better. We camped here in a Motorhome.
the cg is the nicest of the three on the lake to me very big sites parked a 30ft camper and 3500 crew cab dolly and another truck with boat in site now thats big has a table fire ring with grill top two lantern post and a separate grill for cooking about 90% shaded next site is about 20 to 30 feet away very privet sites level on gravel pad bring dry dock tote no sewer has a dump station has a gate with a card pass to get in and out boat ramp swimming beach playground theater and panic shelter only reason not giving a 10 is that the cg is under going a facelift now and no lake side camping other than that it a great place for us to go the kids love it ride bikes all day there we camp here several times a year we are local call ahead because its small and goes fast even on weekdays for weekends you need to plan ahead for staying here camped here in a travel trailer We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Rate is with the senior pass. Beautiful wooded COE park in the NC mountains. Forest-like atmosphere with hiking trails. The park is on the water, but there are little or no sites with a water view. When we were there, the beach and boat ramp were closed due to high water. Very, very limited OTA TV and slow Verizon signal, but usable. Restaurants and shopping within 10 miles. This is a beautiful area of NC with attractions nearby and several wineries within a short drive. We will return. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We were not disappointed; WC is really nice. We were way back in the park and although we had neighbors we felt like everything was quiet and relaxed, even seeing security a few times. Walking along the bike trails was awesome! Could have easily walked to fishing. The place has a beautiful forest setting. We look forward to going back. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Absolutely beautiful! Nice, large campsites with plenty of elbow room from neighbors. Lots of hiking and biking paths, swimming area, picnic area, playground. Very clean. Local restaurant, Mason Jar Grille, had great food and friendly staff. Enjoyed the restaurant enough to go back several times on our trip, which is unusual for us. Visited Grandfather's Mountain which is a must see. All-around great trip. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This was a nice quiet campground with large clean sites. It is very family friendly with a playground and beach. It has been recently remodeled. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 10 / 10 ]
July 2011
$11
This is a great park with large sites, some with view of water. Staff was very friendly and helpful with information of places to visit and maps as how to get to them. This is a very quiet park if you want to get away from crowds and noise. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Roads are asphalt and in good shape. Lots of one way roads in park. Our camp site was long at 85 feet X 35 feet wide with table, fire ring, BBQ cooking equipment, gravel, level, water and 30 amp power. No 50 amp power in this park. Water pressure was low at 20 psi. Verizon cell phone worked well here. Sat. dish will work on the ground if you can find a hole in trees. TV channels over the air, did find a small number to look at. Staff was helpful at check in and nice to deal with. This park will have a total rebuild in fall (underway now) to rebuild all sites, add more sites, add 50 amp power to sites, rebuild bathhouses, new playground equipment, and rebuild other items as well. Rates were on Golden Age Card. Gates are locked 24/7 and you need a code to get in. Free Wi-Fi at the Visitor Center 5.8 miles north of park, day time hours only. Items: All sites are not level and some are way off. The dump station sits on side of a slope. To drain water out of tanks you will need to level up. Gate house was moved to a odd place. You will not have a place to stop or park. You need to turn left as you past the gate house. So do not pass it or you will need to back up to make the turn. Bathhouses were very dated. This park is over 30 years old now and it shows. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Just spent a wonderfully relaxing weekend at this campground. I couldn't begin to say enough about this place. Beautiful views in every direction. Great fishing spots in the campground and all around the lake. Rated this a 9 for only two reasons, the water pressure was low (not a huge deal) and the dump station was poorly marked. But I had a great time nevertheless and will be back again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We decided to spend three nights here since we had stayed at Bandit's Roost last month. We initially decided to select a site in the #60 to #71 area. When we reviewed the sites, we noticed the water very low and stagnant. We drove to the other loop, #7-#21 and chose site #13. None of the sites are on the water. In fact, none of the sites with the exception of #2 and #3 are on the water. #2 and #3 are near the swimming area. The bathrooms and showers were clean. Not much to do and the lake is not close enough to see. Some of the loops were closed to camping. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Very pretty campground - lots of trees, rolling hills, and hiking trails. The camping loops themselves were OK. I thought the sites were a bit close, considering the size of the park. Though too close, the sites were nice and deep, very level, and had a large picnic table area with a fire ring, a grill stand, and a charcoal grill. Unless you have a boat, there is not a lot to do at the park, but we just enjoyed hiking and lazing around the campfire. As noted, the bath houses are a good hike away. One last note - we had an electrical issue and the ranger was extremely helpful in aiding me in trouble shooting the problem. He even followed up the next day to makes sure we were OK. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Nice campground. 2nd in my choice of the three that are on the lake. Fort Hamby would be #1 but fills up fast. It's small but this is a nice place for kids too play and to relax. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This was a nice family oriented campground. The sites were a little tight compared to Bandit's Roost, the neighboring campground. The sites in the RV camping area were mostly shaded. The lake is very nice for boating, fishing, and watersports. The swimming area is a nice size but, could use a little more sand on the beach. Overall, this was a nice park and we would camp here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a huge park, it takes a good 10 mins to get back to our site which was site 55, secluded pockets of sites so it doesn't feel crowded. Activities included: beach on reservoir, marina, playground. No Camp Store and make sure you bring your own camp fire. The bath houses were very far away, but we don't use them anyway. It is a great campsite to use to access other parts of the Army Corps of Engineer parks nearby. We drove over to Berry Mtn to goto the larger beach and it was not crowded at all. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.