Outer Banks Camping Travel Guide

The Outer Banks draw people for a variety of reasons, so it's no surprise that the destination offers a choice amongst three distinct camping experiences: the Commune with Nature; the Destination in Itself; and the Cheaper-Than-a-Motel Crash Pad.
If you're coming here to connect with nature, you're probably already leaning toward booking a site at the Ocracoke Campground inside Cape Hatteras National Seashore. If you'll be here during high season, then by all means book away—Ocracoke is the only National Park Service site in this area that accepts reservations. If snowbirds have Ocracoke booked, note that the first-come, first-served campground at Frisco also offers refuge from the bustle.
North of Oregon Inlet, the sole camping option—and a good one—is the privately-owned, tents-only Adventure Bound Campground at Kitty Hawk, located on the west side of Bodie Island amidst a maritime forest that has a mix of grass and treed sites.
Down on the Buxton Backroad on Hatteras Island, Cape Woods Campground fits the naturalist mold as well. Stay here, and you won't have ocean views, but you will have wilderness and some handy amenities not found in the National Park Service sites, including a swimming pool and hot showers.
Families seeking a one-stop retreat rich in amenities have some fine options on Hatteras: Cape Hatteras KOA, Ocean Waves Campground, and Camp Hatteras in Rodanthe. All of these are beachfront properties, though getting a front-row spot may be a challenge unless you book far in advance. If you don't need to be on the ocean, the soundfront Frisco Woods Campground offers on-site kayak and watercraft rentals.
The Cheap-Crash-Pad category includes the state sites at North Cape and Oregon Inlet. These campgrounds are far from dreary, but between the lack of cool shade and the absence of hot showers, it won't be long before you'll find yourself climbing into your car for one reason or another. Rough-around-the-edges Teeter's Campground offers partial hookups (no sewage) for rigs, and a handful of tent-only sites, all within easy walking distance of Ocracoke Village.

Outer Banks Travel Guide

They're maddeningly overcrowded in the summer, and development has been rampant over the last 20 years, but the Outer Banks of North Carolina are unlike anything else along the East Coast. The infamous pirate Blackbeard met his end here, and this is the place where the Lost Colony mysteriously disappeared. On these shores, Virginia Dare was born, and centuries later, Wilbur and Orville Wright learned to fly. The Outer Banks once enjoyed a dubious reputation as "the graveyard of the Atlantic," and to this day, you'll see the many lighthouses that stood vigil over centuries of shipwrecks. You can even see the actual shipwrecks—at several places along the shore, the rusted bones of schooners and cargo ships are mired in the breakers. The East Coast's tallest lighthouse is at Cape Hatteras, and the oldest is at Ocracoke Island. Sand dunes tower over long stretches of undeveloped national seashore, and you can hop a ferry to explore islands where the residents (descended from the Elizabethans) say hoigh toids instead of high tides and call tourists "comers 'n' goers." Read More

Ask a Question

Do you have a travel question about this destination or can you provide a tip to a fellow traveler?

9 Questions | 7 Answers

Just beginning to research the Outer Banks. Looking for the town(s) best suited for a trip traveling with kids ages 4-10. Things to do (besides the beach activities) culture, dining, entertainment. Never been to this area, so I need guidance on the towns to explore in this region.
Read 1 answer or Answer this question
we are planning to go to organ inlet campground. And are not scheduled to arrive till 1 in the morning. Is there anyone to check us in or do we check-in in the morning??
Read 1 answer or Answer this question
I would like to know the best family vacation to take on the outer banks,where to stay, and the best bed and breakfast,etc.?
Read 1 answer or Answer this question
Read all questions and answers »

Outer Banks Camping Travel Guide