Ocracoke Island, NC

Hatteras, North Carolina

4.8/5
based on 5 reviews

Description

Added by Angie Stidham

This is a wonderful place for anyone who wants to have miles of beach to walk, run, fish, kayak, or just spend the day searching for seashells.

Camping on Ocracoke is allowed at the National Park Service Ocracoke Campground. Ocracoke Island is accessible via the North Carolina Ferry System. The ferry from Cape Hatteras is free and runs all day.

The campground has 136 campsites spread out over the grounds. They can accommodate RV's, campers, and primitive tent sites. Campsites are a short walk over the dunes to the beach. The campgrounds have several miles of excellent beach that are excluded from the recreational day beaches on the islands, but campers have access to the entire coast. The inland side of the island, across the road from the campgrounds, contains a nature preserve with a couple of miles of easy hiking trail.

The town is about two miles south of the campground and has several gift shops, a few restaurants, and a general supply store which carries some camping gear. Most visitors are day trippers, so the island is quiet and peaceful at night. There is plenty of wildlife to see since the beach area is isolated and only has light foot traffic: from the huge variety of birds, to all kinds of crustaceans, fish, sea turtles, and even a pod of dolphins on occasion.

The only down side to the area is that there is no tree coverage in the campground. If you want shade, you'll have to bring along a tarp, pop up canopy, or umbrellas. The ocean side of the island is also very windy, which helps with summer heat, but can cause some frustrations with tents and tarps (unsecured tents can be blown over the dunes and into the water in less than a minute if the wind is right), so bring extra long stakes to secure them in the sand. Sunscreen and bug sprays can also be vital. No-see-ums and biting flies can be abundant. But all the bugs in the world cannot beat having miles of empty beach to wander 24 hrs a day!

Get more information and make reservations for the campground here.

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Features

Photography
Camping
Fitness
Chillin
Fishing
Running
Kayaking
Bathrooms
Beach
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Food Nearby
Scenic
Wildlife
ADA Accessible

Ocracoke Island, NC Reviews

We camped at Ocracoke Campground for 4 nights and had an incredible time. From the amazing scenery around you to the ocean just over the dunes in the back of your campsite, this was one of the best campsites we've ever stayed at. Signal was weak but available which was nice. The showers are cold and not heated, but are nice. Toilets are all flush toilets. The campground is about 3 minutes from the town itself making it easy to get to the restaurants and shops around there.

The ferry was super easy and ran pretty regularly. Did a short weekend camp here and we enjoyed the long stretch of shore for runs.

We didn't have it in our schedule to camp here; we just took the ferry over and had a nice time. Not sure there's many free ferries that exist anymore! Fun island to walk around and pretty beaches.

Two nights at Ocracoke. Bought fish in town at Ocracoke Seafood Co. (a local fishermen’s collective) and grilled it on the charcoal beach side! Great sunrises, shell collecting, minimal bugs. Sights along the dunes have shade and private beach walk access :)

Loved this campground! Right next to the beach! Only drawback: only cold showers! Brrr! Better than nothing!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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