North Beach at Caines Head State Rec Area
Stacey C.
Reviewed Aug. 24, 2018

Beautiful Basecamp for exploring the Caines Head area

WHAT YOU MUST KNOW: The campground is either accessible via boat or hiking in at LOW TIDE ONLY. It is a lovely hike along the coast with views of eagles, bears, glaciers etc. 5.1 miles one way from Lowell point. The campsite is free but parking is $5/day or free with your state parks pass.

We found South Beach to be a wonderful place to camp. There are a few brand new wooden platforms that we set one of our tents up on, but there are lots of sites both in the woods a little way for wind protection but also along the beach and up on the grass before the beach. There are two bear bins for food. The one nearest us had a nice overhang shelter with 4 picnic tables for cooking/eating. It did rain so we appreciated having somewhere dry to eat and listen to the horror story from the group that ignored the low tide warning and were nursing their wounds from falling on the razor sharp rocks.

No running water but there's a lovely stream for water filtering nearby. 2 outhouses- Warning, no TP. Bring your own!

The trailhead to Caines head/Fort Mcgilvray is at the end of the beach by the abandoned pier and easy to find. Long story short (see the website), Fort Mcgilvray is an old abandoned WW2 fort that is worth the hike uphill to explore. Bring a flashlight. Really gorgeous views of the bay from the top. Great place for lunch at the old gun emplacements. There's even picnic tables at the lookout. There are a few other trails to explore and even a few days at the beach with a good book and a pair of binoculars would be some great R+R.

Month of VisitAugust