THOUSAND TRAILS FOREST LAKE, NC
Advance, North Carolina
📅 Date visited: 3/29/2024 & 11/10/2024
⏰ Check-in / Check-out Times: Site check-in 1 p.m.; site check-out 12 noon. The Resort Office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the Ranger Station is open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
🌞 Type: Thousand Trails / Encore
📍 Address/Grid Coord: 192 Thousand Trails Dr, Advance NC 27006
🌐 Website/Social Media Link: https://thousandtrails.com/north-carolina/forest-lake-rv-camping-resort/ and https://www.facebook.com/ThousandTrailsForestLake/
📞 Phone: Office: 336-998-4135, Ranger Station: 336-414-4351
💲 Pricing Details/Discounts: We’re TT Adventure members, but pricing is available on their website for non-members. They offer weekly and daily rates for non-members as well as extended stay options that include seasonal and annual sites.
🅿️ Site Used: C6 (Both stays)
⌚ Length of Stay: 9 days & 21 days
⏱️ Max Length of Stay Permitted: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Seasonal and Annual
🚘 Vehicle and Rig Specs: Ford F-350, DRW - Cedar Creek 375BHO, Length: 43’ Height: 13’ 6”, 50amp service. Very easy in/out with no issues.
👨👩👧👧 Family Demographics: 2 Adults, 2 Kids (Under 10)
🐶 Pets: We don’t have any, but they are allowed with a $10 per night pet fee in the pet-friendly cabins. Service animals are not pets.
📱 Cell Service Used: T-Mobile 5G, very good coverage.
📶 Other Cell Service Quality: Overall, all three major carriers showed good coverage throughout the area.
Source: CoverageMap LLC.
💻 Internet Service Used: T-Mobile 5G and Starlink
🛰️ Starlink Accessibility: Our NE access was clear from site C6; however, there is quite a bit of tree coverage throughout the park. Area E, the east portion of Area D and most of Area C all had tree coverage. Areas A, B and G had intermittent tree coverage as well. Overall, we saw several people using Starlink throughout the park in various locations.
Source: Starlink App Speed test and Obstruction Reports
📡 Campground WiFi Quality: Good, but required subscription.
🛀 Facilities: Ranger Station, Resort Office, bathhouses, laundry in the clubhouse and Section E, dumpsters throughout the park, package pick-up in the office during normal hours (No USPS), propane refill (by appointment)
🏊🏻♂️ Amenities: Clubhouse, Swimming pools (x2), Store and Grill, Mini Golf, Volleyball, Horseshoes, Activity/Banquet Hall, Dog Park, Dog Wash, Bike/Hiking Trails, Fishing, Canoes, Picnic/BBQ Areas, Basketball, Tennis Courts, Billiards/Game Room, Pickleball, Outdoor Theater
🔢 Total Number of Sites and General Condition: 283 RV & 18 cabins
⛺ Tent Camping Permitted: Yes
♿ Handicap Accessibility: Yes
🔌💧🚽 Electric, Water & Sewer details: Yes. Each section had different capabilities. We had full hook-ups. Sections C, D & E are the original parts of the resort with Sections A, B & G being the newer.
👋🏻 Assigned sites or FCFS: Our site was assigned upon arriva both timesl. The on-duty Ranger said they assign sites to ensure adequate space for various rig sizes and reservations.
👀 Site selection/location assistance: We did not select our site or have issue with the one they assigned. The Ranger offered to guide us to our site, but the map and directions were very clear. The front of our RV did face West, and there was no tree coverage which resulted in no shade in the later afternoon. We had a large greenspace between the front of our rig and the neighbor which was nice for the girls. Overall, we enjoyed the location.
Gated Access: Yes
🚧 Road Condition: Good. There are a mixture of paved and gravel roads throughout the park. It wasn’t an issue for us, but I’ve seen others complain about dust from the dirt roads in some reviews.
⛽ Gas: Country Food Mart (1.2 miles), Shell (3 miles) The closest Open Roads station is Speedway (13 miles), TA Travel Center (14 miles), Loves (25 miles)
🛒 Grocery: Dollar General (1.3 miles), Food Lion (7.8 miles), Walmart Neighborhood Market (8 miles)
🚩 Local Area Attractions/Amenities: Advance, NC is a quite little town and it’s a great launchpad to explore the surrounding area.
Lexington: North Carolinas BBQ Capital! Lots to choose from, but we had lunch at the Bar-B-Q Center. They also have smoked chicken Wednesday – Friday. I highly recommend it! There’s several vineyards and winery’s including Childress Vineyards, Weathervane Winery, Native Vines Winery and Junius Vineyard. The Lexington area also has several parks, museums and gallery’s that include Boone’s Cave Park, North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Bob Timberlake Gallery, RCR Museum and Gift Shop and the Davidson County Historical Museum.
Winston Salem: Winston Salem has a lot to see and do from the Performing Arts to Outdoor Adventures. Two of the items that made our list for a day trip was Old Salem and Kaleideum, a children’s museum that focuses on STEM.
Bermuda Run / Clemmons: Bermuda Run and Clemmons are not too far from Forest Lake. If you’re looking to take care of your sweet tooth, stop by Maddie Cakes in Bermuda Run. Just a wonderful bakery with lots to choose from. Just down the road in Clemmons, there’s Tanglewood Park. Tanglewood is a County park, but it’s such a delightful place to visit. Tanglewood also has a campground that’s very well maintained. They also host the Festival of Lights mid-November through the first of January. There’s so much to do and see in the park, check out the links above to plan your trip!
Greensboro: Greensboro is also a nice place to visit with great food and always something happening. We spent the day at the Greensboro Science Center, such a great place to explore with the kids (young and old). Afterwards, we had a early dinner at the Lindley Park Filling Station. Everything was delicious! You have to try their sweet potato chips.
Asheboro: We didn’t make it to Asheboro this time, but if you’re in the area, it’s worth a trip to explore the North Carolina Zoo.
Salisbury: Salisbury is not too far from where Chris grew up. That’s another benefit of Forest Lake, it lets us visit family. Salisbury is a nice town to visit with several things to do nearby. Tiger World and endangered wildlife preserve is a great place to take the kids. They promote conservation through education. The North Carolina Transportation Museum is also nearby in Spencer, NC. Once home to Southern Railway’s largest steam locomotive repair facility, the grounds now feature all types of transportation history including railroading, automotive, aviation and more.
✏️ Additional Notes / Review: This was our first visit to Forest Lake, and the first time we used our Thousand Trails membership. The reviews for Forest Lake were largely positive and accurate. We had initially planned to arrive midday for check-in; however, delays pushed it closer to 6 p.m. The on-duty Ranger was more than helpful and informative. After finding out it was our first time using Thousand Trails, he made sure all our questions were answered. Forest Lake assigns sites prior to arrival; however, we didn’t know which site we had until check-in. We were provided a detailed map and printouts containing information about both the campground and Thousand Trials. The on-site membership specialist also hosts a weekly “Coffee Call Seminar” to answer questions.
The campground is broken up into areas A thru G.
To the East are areas C, D, E, group area F, cabins and tent sites.
To the West are areas A, B and G.
The East side of the campground looks be legacy with the West side being newer. We were assigned site C6 which was a 50amp with full hook-up. The site was very spacious, and we had no issues entering or exiting. The roads in areas C, D and E are mixed pavement and gravel. Some of the reviews I read prior to arrival mentioned this, but it wasn’t an issue for us. Everyone was mindful of their speed, and dust wasn’t an issue.
Forest Lake has lots of amenities, which we listed above. A virtual tour can also be taken HERE. We stayed over Easter, and they hosted both an egg hunt and afternoon crafts for the kids. The pools weren’t open yet, but they had a beach area on the North side of the lake where some of the more adventurous kids went swimming. They also have an onsite store and grill with limited hours (Thur – Sun). Some of the online imagery is a little dated on a few sites, but by-in-large accurate. The only amenity that stood out to us was Putt-Putt. The girls love playing, and while the course was playable, it needed quite a bit of work.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Forest Lake and will keep it on the list if we’re back in the area. The staff was super friendly, and its location is ideal to explore nearby cities.
