$85 / night

Camper submitted image from COE W Kerr Scott Reservoir Bandits Roost Campground - 1

Camper submitted image from COE W Kerr Scott Reservoir Bandits Roost Campground - 2

Activities

Camper submitted image from COE W Kerr Scott Reservoir Bandits Roost Campground - 3

Roads

Camper submitted image from COE W Kerr Scott Reservoir Bandits Roost Campground - 4

Nature

Camper submitted image from COE W Kerr Scott Reservoir Bandits Roost Campground - 5

Facilities

Established Camping

COE W Kerr Scott Reservoir Bandits Roost Campground

18 Reviews

Warning 1 Alert is In Effect

There is 1 alert for this campground. Camp safely!

Please ensure you have a gate code prior to your arrival to the gate house. Gate codes are distributed by email when you create your reservation. Guests may be required to self-check in.

About

US Army Corps of Engineers

W. Kerr Scott Dam & Reservoir

Overview

Bandits Roost Campground is located on the south side of W. Kerr Scott Reservoir in western North Carolina. Constructed in the beautiful Yadkin River Valley, the lake offers extensive opportunities for outdoor recreational activities.

Recreation

The 1,475-acre reservoir offers excellent boating, canoeing, kayaking and swimming opportunities. Anglers will find channel catfish, large and smallmouth bass, bluegill, threadfin shad, spotted bass, striped bass, and hybrid striped bass. Miles of multi-use trails, that allow hiking and mountain biking, surround the lake, including the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, which has a trailhead at the campground. An additional 25 miles of trails can be found at the Warrior Creek and Dark Mountain areas.

Facilities

Natural Features

The gentle Yadkin River flows through its scenic namesake valley in the foothills of the eastern Blue Ridge Mountains. Forests of mixed hardwoods, including sycamore, poplar, oak and hickory, cover the region. Wildlife is abundant in the valley. White-tailed deer, black bear, eastern cottontails and more can be found among the hills. Birds in the area include wild turkey, woodpeckers, Carolina chickadees, red-eyed vireo, ovenbirds, mallards and wood ducks.

contact_info

This location has limited staffing. Please call (336) 921-3390 for general information.

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Location

COE W Kerr Scott Reservoir Bandits Roost Campground is located in North Carolina

Directions

From Winston-Salem, North Carolina, take Highway 421 North (approximately 55 miles) to Exit 286B, turn left onto Highway 268 and continue for approximately 5 miles. Turn right onto Jess Walsh Road. Campground entrance is located at the end of the road. From Charlotte, North Carolina, take I-77 North (approximately 60 miles) before merging onto Highway 421 North towards Wilkesboro/Boone. Continue to Exit 286B (approximately 20 miles), turn left onto Highway 268 and continue for approximately 5 miles. Turn right onto Jess Walsh Road. Campground entrance is located at the end of the road. Travel times from: Winston Salem: 1 hour. Charlotte: 1.5 hours.

Address

667 Jess Walsh Road
Wilkesboro, NC 28697-0182

Coordinates

36.12195 N
81.250719 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site

Stay Connected

WiFi
Available
Verizon
Fair
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group

Features

For Campers

Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites

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$85

/ night

First Come - First Served

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General Info

B M.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 4, 2023

Beautiful Lakeside camping

We were in site 23B which is down on the point. Nice lake/waterfront view. There are only 2 sites with some shade on the point 23B and 24. We never had to put the awning out we had shade all day in our site. The sites slope some so you will need to use levelers. All the sites on the point are pull throughs. The swim beach is in front of the sites on the point. We had water & electric and there is a dump station onsite. There is no privacy on the point yet other sites offer some privacy. If you have the Senior lifetime National Park pass it's only $16.00 a night. The park was clean.

Only campers are in this part of the park the day use area is down the road. You can drive across the dam too at the day use area. There's a nice view of the campground from the Dam. That's nice you don't have people driving through or hanging out.

We had many shorebirds to watch and Ospreys catching fish. We sat in our chairs in the water & enjoyed the quiet beach. We floated on noodles and relaxed. You can boat, Kayak, Canoe and Paddleboard on the lake.

We went to town to Bushy Mountain Smokehouse for some barbecue. Our food was dry and not very good. We enjoy a beer with barbecue they don't serve any liquor there. The place was packed there is a creamery there too the line for ice cream was long.

Site23B

Month of VisitSeptember

(16) View All

Joy B.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 19, 2021

Quiet and Peaceful

This campground has large sites that are well spaced so you're not right on top of fellow campers. Very quiet and peaceful; we were there in the fall so not many campers.

Month of VisitNovember

Cassandra R.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 31, 2021

Great Value

We had a lovely campsite by the lake. We went in summer and it was SUPER buggy.

The swimming area at the lake is nice with white sand. It stays pretty shallow in the roped in part, so great for kids.

The bathhouse was not great and could use maintenance and an upgrade.

There’s a super nice big playground for the kids.

Month of VisitJuly

keith F.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 26, 2021

Great place on a lake

The campground is beautiful. My wife and I biked/ ran the trails nearby. Our dogs loved walking around the campground. Some nice wooded tent sites that a very large areas. Our spot was a two level site. The upper level was where we parked the trailer and the picnic table and fire ring were down the stairs under a great big oak tree. There was a short path the a little semi-private beach area. Overall it was a great place. Very reasonable price.

Site35

Month of VisitSeptember

Janet

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 1, 2021

Gorgeous campground!

This place has it all! Swimming, kayaking, boat launch, small hiking trail. Sites have a fire pit, picnic table (it’s really heavy!) and a grill. I loved how each site is fairly unique. Many have steps to go down to the fire pit area. Lots of sites on the water. Site 32 was on a little cul-de-sac next to the beach and had a perfect spot for my hammock overlooking the water.

I stayed on an rv site in a tent. There are tent specific sites. The tent sites are heavily wooded.

The bathhouse was unremarkable but clean.

They had movie night on Saturday night (RV) but I didn’t realize it until Sunday morning haha.

The campground was very quiet all weekend. Appeared to be mostly families. There is no alcohol allowed and I did not notice anyone breaking this rule.

There is firewood ($5 bundle - must have exact change!) available and ice but no camp store. Walmart is close by though.

Site32

Month of VisitAugust

(6) View All

Martha S.

Guide

Reviewed Dec. 24, 2020

Close to Lake, Great Bike Riding in Park

We camped here near end of July. This is a COE park and it was well kept, clean and easy to get to.

We had a back in site with W/E, 94B. This is a good interior site. There are great sites down on the peninsula that have water views but we were not able to get one on this trip.

Bike riding in the park is fun and there are plenty of areas to bike.

(6) View All

Roberta K.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 26, 2020

Beautiful and Versatile

Love this campground! Well maintained and clean bath houses. Choose a site hidden in the trees with lots of shade and privacy or in the sun with a view of the reservoir. Hiking trails and water activities. Warning: prone to flooding and cancellations.

Kelley G.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 28, 2020

Excellent location

The location next to the reservoir is awesome. Rode the bike trails and loved it. Did some kayaking too. The actual campsites can be a bit tricky to park but overall great time

Caleb C.

Ranger

Reviewed Oct. 8, 2020

Good views

Stayed here for a night. Had a spacious site near the entrance of campground. They provide wood, $6 a bundle. Bathrooms were eh. Dump station on site. Potable water. Good campground. Nice trails on campground also! Would be lots of fun in the summer!

Greg C.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 26, 2020

One of NC's Best Car Camping Spots

We love this campground. The bathrooms are a bit rough, but we have never caught anything from them so they must not be too bad.

I can do all my favorite outdoor activities here without driving anywhere. There is fishing, canoeing, hiking, and some awesome mountain biking. The sites are nicely spaced with trees between them. You need to plan on buying firewood at the campground. Temps are usually a bit cooler than in the big piedmont cities which is another plus.

SiteA7

Month of VisitOctober

Chad K.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 22, 2020

Hidden Gem

Bandit’s Roost seems very popular with the RVers, but tent campers should check it out as well. Spacious sites, with fire pit and picnic table. Some primo sites are near and/or overlooking Kerr Lake. The sites are also relatively private and well-spaced. Be sure to chat with Marvin at the gate as well!

Annell N.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 14, 2020

Bandits Roost, North Carolina

Love this COE park.

(6) View All

Ashley G.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2019

Great!

This was our first time camping. Overall it was a great experience. Only reason I gave it 4 stars was Bc the bath house and dump station nearest our campsite was out of order. The dogs and kids loved it!

Von B.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 1, 2019

On the water

Awesome sites very quit and relaxing. I love it Army Core of Engineers. Very well kept up and the host are the best.

Angela S.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 31, 2018

VERY NICE

ONE OF OUR FAVORITE SPOTS. THE ONLY THING WRONG IS NO SEWER HOOK UPS! ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.

Month of VisitAugust

Connie M.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 31, 2018

My favorite home away from home,

Been coming here for 20 years. This park has been my go to place when we need to get away. We have stayed here with a tent n now a camper. Clean sites n most sites r pretty level. Would give 5 stars but this park isn’t full hookup. It’s still a beautiful place.

SiteStayed on site 37

Month of VisitAugust

Brent W.

Guide

Reviewed May. 28, 2018

Lake Front

Excellent campground, clean bathrooms and showers okay. WATER FRONT site hard to beat. Only thing not there is sewer hook up.

Month of VisitJune

Jeff S.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 20, 2016

Bandits Roost, NC

I really enjoyed my weekend here and will go back soon. Campground and shower house were clean. I tent camped on a camper site as they were the only spots available for the weekend. The site had a fire pit, grill, picnic table and a food prep table next to the grill. The site was 98b and was on the side of a hill. Rather that having one large area, it was divided with an upper and lower section connected by steps. The upper was wide enough for a camper and the lower part had the grill, etc. It worked well with a tent, but a camper would take up the upper part and leave no room for hanging out under the awning. This site, as did most in the B loop, had great tree cover/shade. There was a pretty constant and comfortable breeze. There were also some good tree for hanging a couple of hammocks on the end of the lower area. The only negatives for me...I was hoping for direct access from the site to the reservoir and the shower house only had one toilet (mens).