- Lake Royale
Tar River Life
Hosted by Nikki · Lake Royale, North Carolina
16 sites · Tent · 40 acres
Family-friendly
Recent Hipcampers say this Hipcamp is great for families and kids.
Nikki is a Star Host
Star Hosts are highly rated, responsive, and committed to providing incredible experiences.
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Tent-only sites (dispersed)
2 sites
High demand
Tar River Tent Camping(1-3 tents)
98%
(155)Campfires allowed
Toilet
Pets allowed
Picnic table
Tar River Tent Camping (Max 6 Tent)
100%
(25)Campfires allowed
Toilet
Pets allowed
Picnic table
Reviews
98% Recommend186 ratings · 141 reviews
Recommends
· April 2026
Tent · Group trip ·
Tar River Tent Camping(1-3 tents)
Well kept campsite. Would stay again. Beautiful site next to river with great amenities
M
Micah B.
1 year on Hipcamp
When we arrived, we were welcomed at the gate and greeted with a map. We were 1 of 2 family's camping this weekend. When we arrived at our site it was too small for our tent. The owner quickly adjusted and gave us a larger site to accommodate our 14 man tent without any fuss. We really appreciated that. We also liked the firewood delivery each day as it got really cold Saturday and Sunday morning. The trip around the corner to the Vollmer market was nice also for ice cream or coffee. The sites were all on the river and very nice. Fishing was also great!
J
James A.
2 months on Hipcamp
Clean, well maintained campsites and great layout around the lake! It was quiet and secluded while still being conveniently located. We will definitely be back!
J
Jason B.
1 month on Hipcamp
Recommends
· March 2026
Nikki at Tar River Life was incredible, came by to greet us and was so friendly!! The space was exactly what we needed and made for a perfect stop on our roadtrip!
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Gia D.
2 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· March 2026
Tent · With pets ·
Tar River Tent Camping(1-3 tents)
It felt very private even though there were some others around. For some reason, there were so many bees on the ground. No one got hurt but it would be nice if they can take care of this. Other than that, we really enjoyed overall and will def come back.
A
Amy C.
2 reviews
Great spot by the river- easy to access. This was our second time camping with Nikki
A
Ashly P.
2 reviews
Recommends
· October 2025
Great campground and the owners are wonderful. Would return again in the future.
B
Brittany K.
7 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· October 2025
Tent · With pets ·
Tar River Tent Camping(1-3 tents)
Loved staying at Nikki's campsite for a short girls weekend. Our site was private and right on the river, which was soothing to watch all day. Highly recommend living the Tar River Life!
Georgia D.
8 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· September 2025
We loved this camping site. The host is super nice and helpful.
S
Sushmita K.
7 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· September 2025
Tent · With kids ·
Tar River Tent Camping(1-3 tents)
Neat place on the Tar River. Very pretty for canoeing as the water is slow moving. Sites 1-3 were nice, with site #1 having easiest access to the river (it's a bit of a steep bank) and a sandbar in front.
P
Pablo T.
3 reviews
Recommends
· September 2025
Always enjoy just relaxing by the river ! Nikki and Mann. Or great people always make u feel welcome and helpful I’ll continue to keep coming back
R
Robert M C.
5 reviews
Recommends
· September 2025
The place was wonderful. Very quiet and felt private even though there were other campers around. The owners were very accommodating when we arrived and realized our reserved site wasn’t large enough for our group. They had us set up on a new site in under 20 minutes! We will definitely be back.
Elizabeth D.
8 months on Hipcamp
I specifically said, no less than five times, that I wanted to sit my chair at the river and put my feet in the water and be able to walk into the water.
I think i got bumped from my original site that was "supposedly" what i wanted, to a "brand new!" site, that you couldn't even see the water much less get in🤬
they said the storm damaged the "my" site, but then they fixed it, but still have me this "great new site"....why couldn't i get the one i specifically requested?
J
Julie M.
11 months on Hipcamp
It was amazing staying here. Definitely worth coming back. We also did the kayak trip with tar river life while we were there. Mostly secluded spots. Nice enough private potty tent across from your site. The mud road was crazy though so we do recommend 4WD here.
Kristie A.
4 reviews
Recommends
· July 2025
Enjoyed a peaceful visit. Nice sites and friendly host.
J
Joel R.
10 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· July 2025
Great communication. Pin location was very helpful. Sites just as described, quiet and spaced apart. I’ll definitely stay again.
S
Steve H.
9 reviews
The canvas tent was soooo lovely to come to after a long trip and it was amazing to wake up next to the river to the sound of birds singing. It was easy getting in & out. There were lovely hammock seats in the shade you could stretch out in. Billy & Nikki were easy to get ahold of, too. Wish we coulda stayed longer!
R
R L A.
2 reviews
Recommends
· May 2025
Great spot on the River. perfect little getaway and great responses from the host
B
Ben S.
2 reviews
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · With kids ·
Tar River Tent Camping (Max 6 Tent)
This has been our best camping experience since moving to eastern North Carolina. We’ve tried so many sites, but nothing quite hit the nostalgia button of what we camped in growing up in New England. This site nailed it. Very fair price, very clean, river access. So grateful to have found the spot.
J
Jacob F.
11 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · Group trip ·
Tar River Tent Camping (Max 6 Tent)
Absolutely loved the sites. Each site was spaced apart so you felt like you were secluded. I loved being able to get in the river and float from my site. Each site was in shade which I know will be great next time I go. Really loved having fire wood on site and extra available if needed. The paths were great to walk on. The Host was very nice. We loved how close it was to stores if we needed anything. It also a great treat to go to Vollmer Farms store for ice cream which was like 2 minutes up the road.
Jessica W.
4 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · Group trip ·
Tar River Tent Camping (Max 6 Tent)
I really loved camping at Tar River Life. The sites are spacious and clean. It was quiet and relaxing. No one bothered. We would recommend this campground and we will be booking again.
T
Tricia T.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · With pets ·
Tar River Tent Camping(1-3 tents)
Always a great place to camp. Great weekend no rain, temps in the 70s. Right along the river my kids spent time trying to fish. Friendly tubers sailing by our camp site waving to say hello. Really fun time getting to relax.
J
Jrmann331 M.
8 reviews
We loved this place. Nice for relaxing. It’s clean and neat. Surely this place will be in my list as to go place. Highly recommended.
R
Ramya P.
11 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2025
We had an awesome time camping on Nikki and Billy’s land!! The sites are clean and flat. Great burning wood provided. Clear and easy instructions to site. Beautiful land to walk around. Billy checked in and was super nice and helpful! They were also helpful and responsive answering questions leading up to our stay. We will definitely be back!!
O
Olivia W.
11 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· April 2025
Site was flat and big.. on the water.... Space between sites were good... Absolutely great place to spend a couple of days at... Definitely recommend... Thanks
G
Gregory F.
2 reviews
We (3 dogs, 5 adults) had a great time camping on Nikki’s land!! We brought our pop-up tent camper and had no issues leveling it on the high ground site. The campsite instructions & directions were very clear and easy to follow. The map was a nice touch. This is a great secluded site away from the rest of them, and with a short walk to the river. River is full of blue-gill! We caught and released many fish, and I enjoyed floating in the river. Having some form of toilet, a trash can, and fire pit with 1 complimentary bundle of wood were great touches as well! Only thing that could have made our specific site better would be some type of trees or something to provide shade, as there was no shade, so I do recommend bringing an EZ-up or similar to this site, but I believe the river sites looked well-shaded. Excellent time here and very well maintained space- absolutely recommend and we will be back! P.S. for dog owners- no fault of the land but TONS of ticks here that seemed to not be deterred by Frontline and topical spray- so just be aware!
M
Madeline G.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· April 2025
Tent · With kids ·
Tar River Tent Camping(1-3 tents)
We had a great couple nights. This place is close to home for us and a new favorite escape! The sites were clean and well-prepared. Nikki and Billy were easy to deal with and made the process seamless. Not sure if I want to tell other people about this little gem.
R
Ray T.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· April 2025
Tent · With pets ·
Tar River Tent Camping(1-3 tents)
Sweet set up. Loved being right along the water. It rained the night prior and the road was muddy to the sites but the site was flat and perfect for my arrangement. The site assistant was helpful and insightful. Had a great weekend!
S
Sarah K.
4 reviews
Recommends
· April 2025
Great land, lots of campsite option
Tent · With pets ·
Tar River Tent Camping(1-3 tents)
The men were so excited when we pulled up to our spot (#5)!! We had a great view, fairly easy access for the kids to get in the river, and privacy. Some other spots (2-3, I think) were open and would be great for a huge group, because there was no privacy between them. I didn’t notice in reviews or site details that were was a private potty tent. So that was a pleasant surprise. The wood they provided was good burning wood. We peeked in on the yurt. That looks really cool for cold weather! Overall, a great place, with lots of campsite options! We would definitely come back!!
S
Sarah G.
2 reviews
Recommends
· April 2025
Tent · With pets ·
Tar River Tent Camping (Max 6 Tent)
Camping here was easy! Having a campsite by the river was wonderful. The firewood was a bonus. We had no trouble finding our site and Billy even checked in to be sure we were good.
We did, however have noisy neighbors at next site that ran a generator until midnight. After it died, it was so peaceful. Would visit again!
E
Elizabeth W.
4 reviews
Location
Lake Royale, Franklin, North Carolina, United StatesTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
Hosted by Nikki M.
Joined in February 2022Response rate: 100%Response time: Within 5 hours
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