Best Cabin Camping near Cape Lookout National Seashore

They don't call this the Cape Hatteras KOA Resort for nothing!!  This family friendly campground has SOMETHING for every interest!  

We have several family members/friends who would never camp tent - which makes this is the campground for this purpose!  We are not normally KOA campers, but to be able to stay in the same space as family - and for them to have beds and Aside from tent/RV sites, there are "deluxe cabins" or tiny homes, log cabins, raised cabins etc.  This is a KOA - so the spaces are tight and close together, but for this trips' purpose, it was fine.  

Similarly, if you have people who would never swim in the ocean - they have you covered!  There is a large pool - a double waterslide, a hot tub, a kids pirate playground, 2 enormous jumping pillows, volleyball, horseshoes, basketball, tetherball, etc.  

This KOA is directly on the beach - you never have to get back in your car if you don't want to!  There is a super boardwalk with a bathhouse right off the beach, outdoor shower area (which is SO nice) and even a fish cleaning station for the fisherpeople in your life.  Your four-legged friends are not left out - they have a dog pick up station too!  

The ocean front campsites even offered covered picnic tables - which for us is always a big win!  We love having an extension of our tent because OBX weather is a little unpredictable and summer - well, we can expect an afternoon thunderstorm.   We also liked the choice of camping on the ocean side or the sound side.  There are benefits to both choices - is it more important to you to camp with the shortest walk to the beach?  Is it more important to camp where you can watch the most beautiful sunset from your tent?   

We had wonderful weather and were so thankful for the proximity to the beach.  We caught a beautiful sunrise one morning - and usually we are the sunset chasers!  Our weather was excellent and the ocean water was about 74 degrees - refreshing - yet warm enough to play in!  A strong recommendation if you need some amenities for your camping experience!   

Side note - my ECLIPSE EQUINOX hoodie was amazing as a wet sunshirt this trip.  Not only did I wear the shirt on the SUP but my brother in law loved it as well! I actually prefer this shirt as a swim/sun shirt rather than for hiking now that I tried it in the water.  I did not like the way the hood came over my face when I fell in.  It took me a minute to figure out how to get it off my face.  Yet, my brother in law loved the sunshirt and wore it with a hat on the SUP - said the hood was his favorite feature!!

Pool,hot tub ,live music and cafe,,love coming here because u can camp on the beach and on the sound side

They claim to be a camping resort. Well, their definition of resort and mine are different...The grounds were very well-kept. Their property is Right on the beach and has direct access. Nice sandy beaches. There is a freshwater shower at the entrance to the beach so that you can rinse off when you’re done. The bathhouse was nice and clean. The shower area is co-Ed. They have a cute little play area for the kids, and had scheduled fun activities throughout the week. (some required an extra fee) Office doubled as a little camp store with some basic groceries, cold drinks, and souvenirs type stuff. All of the staff that we came in contact with were extremely friendly and helpful. They have a really nice pool area with zero entry and two small waterslides for the kids. Plenty of chairs on the pool deck, and a small area of shade where you could eat or get out of the sun.They had sites for RVs all the way to tents. We splurged this time (heat, salt, and sand!) and opted for a camping cabin.(I somehow forgot to take pictures of the cabin, but it is identical to the one in my Arkansas review… Except no TV. I really thought there was a TV… But no matter, we didn’t miss it.) The camping cabin was basic one double bed one set of bunkbeds, there was air-conditioning and plenty of room. A nice swing on the covered porch. Picnic table, grill, and fire ring. The cabins were very close together, but it wasn’t an issue. This campground also offers deluxe cabins which look like your typical Beachhouse type rental. We were visiting on the holiday, I had looked into tent camping over the Fourth of July weekend and they wanted $150 a night for a TENT site. Yeah, I don’t think so. The beach at the Outer Banks is lovely, it’s not commercial and trashy (like I would describe Myrtle beach) and as far as I could see everyone on the beach was good about observing social distance, and Nobody crowded each other. We stayed three nights and had a wonderful time. Overall we will definitely stay here again. Oh, dogs are welcome year round on the beach, only restriction being they have to be leashed. They are also welcome at the campground and there is a dog play area and a dog bathing area.

Fun place for the kids you have outdoor pools hot tub 's jumpy things for the kids Scavenger hunts, Also have plenty of activities to do around the resort nice restaurants clean restaurants access to the beach RV sites level. You can also rent a Golf cart

Great spot, enjoyed the pool, hot tub, beach, and sound side. The mosquitos are really bad because of the recent hurricane. I wish that they had a few more organized activities for my family, maybe a movie night. It's one of our favorites though, and we come back every year.

What a hidden gem! Cabins are clean but very rustic - bathroom, bunkbeds (with clean and comfy mattresses), gas stove, stink, platic table and chairs, and a porch - just straight up fishing cabins, nothing fancy. But they are situated directly behind the dunes from miles and miles of totally prestine beaches. The only on-island supplies are ice and gasoline, so you must pack in everything. Tap water is potable but tastes very desalinated, so bottled water is recommended. If you crave isolation and wide open spaces - dont miss this gorgeous place! Be sure to bleed your tire PSI all the way down to 18 and drive 10 miles down the dune road to the lighthouse. Totally dreamy and not to be missed!

This is an excellent campground. The sites are a bit close together for my liking, but normal for the KOA experience. Sites are clean and well designed.

The proximity to a lovely beach is a huge win. We were able to walk just about 100 yards to an empty, clean beach with great waves.

The pool and hot tub are amazing. Too bad it was so cold during our visit!

The store is clean and well stocked. Plenty of necessities and some fun frivolities as well.

Arcade is dated and many machines are broken or losing functionality.

Playground is very cool! Bounce pillow was a big hit.

Arrived for Halloween and were pleased to find some fun events happening. Unfortunately, one of those events included LOUD music and some drunken karaoke at the pool area bar. That was, happily, the only disturbance of the week.

Long story short, this place is well worth a visit if you don’t want to “rough it” at a NP campground.

We spent 2 separate weeks here. The 1st one was planned, the second was because we loved it so much there.

The first thing that captured my heart was the drive in!! It is AMAZING!! The bridges, beach views, sand dunes, inland water views, it is something so pretty it’s hard to describe and be able to capture all the beauty! It truly is something you have to see and experience.

The campground is cute and has a beach vibe. There is a pirate ship playground, a huge pool and hot tub, jumping pillow, basket ball court, your kids will defiantly keep busy! They have my dogs favorite dog parks of all dog parks. They love running free in the sand! The store is cute and. If and has anything and everything you would ever need for an epic beach day.

Speaking of beach…this beach is captivating. The big waves are dreamy. On sunny days you’ll watch surfers and pelicans. Windy days you’ll see kite boarders and pelicans.

We went during the winter and the sea was so amazing. Everyday was a new beach. One day there was a 3’ drop off, the next day it vanished without a trace. The sea birds are adorable. And there are always fishermen being in something exciting be it a fish, shark, or sting ray.

One down side of winter was most of the stores and attractions are closed, but the upside is a quiet campground for beachy dreams and soul filling peace.

If you are looking for beaches that aren't covered with people, you may have a hard time finding something no matter what state you live in. Luckily, North Carolina has some amazing beaches on the Outer Banks, and Long Point Cabin area should definitely be on your list of spots to check out. Since this area is on a small barrier island, you have to take a ferry to reach the cabins. Because of this you, and the other temporary residents of these cabins, have the island all to yourselves.

Being located far from any truly habited land comes with some benefits and issues. If you are looking for empty beaches, lots of outdoor activities (fishing, hiking, shelling, kayaking, etc.), and clear skies to view the stars at night, this is the campground for you. The downfall to this seclusion, though, is that you have to bring all of your necessities and recreational gear with you on the ferry. With an off-road vehicle, this will be no big deal. But if you don't have that luxury, you will be carrying your stuff back and forth on the back of a cart driven by one of the NPS staff. You also don't have any access to convenient stores for forgotten stuff or drinkable water. So be prepared before you head out to the island.

Although the cabins are a bit older, they are still great for your stay here. They all have a porch with rocking chairs to be able to soak up all of the island sun and breeze you can on your trip. They also each have their own private bathrooms and kitchen, so you don't have to worry about sharing with your neighbors.

I actually decided to set up my tent for the first night since it was so beautiful outside, but that required a lot of clearing an area in the sand for my tent since the send is covered in broken shells. This was a bit of a chore, but was so worth it when I fell asleep under the stars that night. Also be prepared for changing weather. As nice as it was the first day, I had to take down my tent the next day due to the harsh winds and rainstorm. Once that cleared up, though, the weather was back to being as beautiful as before.

Pros

• Solitude
• Great fishing and other outdoor activities
• Clear night skies for stargazing
• Private cabins or camping
• Personal bathrooms + kitchen

Cons

• No convenient stores for forgotten items
• Must bring all drinking water
• Older cabins
• Hard to explore without an off-road vehicle
• Quick-changing weather

Nice cabins!

Cabins are rustic, but fully accommodating with kitchen conveniences. Get there by ferry or boat! I sailed over while the group brought their 4 wheel drive vehicle on the ferry. Feels like a world away from populated beaches. Built a fire on the beach at night, sailed and fished the Core Sound by day. We called it the "down-east hilton" cabin and loved every minute!

Took our ORVs on the ferry to the island and stayed in a cabin. The cabins come in different sizes but none have power. They have huts for generators to sit in to help with the noise. We brought a window a/c unit and it kept the place cool (highly recommend) had water, shower, toilet and gas kitchen. We rode our 4 wheelers down the 30+ mile beach. On one end of the island there's a historic museum like town and light house.

Love Hatteras KOA. We stayed here for over 15 years in tents, then eventually worked our way up to the cabins. Now that we are RV owners we are able to stay here in our own camper. Good thing because the nightly prices for cabins became WAY overpriced. The RV sites are getting pricey as well. The proximity to the beach is great. There are no roads to cross so the campground is oceanfront. The pool is really nice and my wife and I feel comfortable with the kids riding their bikes all over the facility. There is a cafe onsite serving breakfast and lunch (dinner too I think). Although I typically use my mobile hot spot, Wifi is available. To top it all off Cape Hatteras National Seashore is one of the most beautiful places in the US. I would give 5 stars if it wasn’t so expensive.

Great Island has become my family's favorite places, having The Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Core Sound on the other of this narrow barrier island is our paradise, It is boat in only and only 4 wheel drive accessible, no paved roads. You can camp on the beach or stay in one of the NPS cabins. Abundant wildlife, empty beaches, our kind of heaven in the summer months, hot fishing spot in the fall.

Hatteras Sands in Frisco, NC: The sites along the waterway would be nicest. They are very cute cabins and some with water view. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). Desire for at least moderately secluded campsites to be offered is important to me. Overall Rating: Water sites are nice . Very close sites, Clean grounds , No privacy - 3 Usage during visit: Empty Site Privacy: None Site Spacing: Very, very close.
Site surface: Concrete Reservations: Yes Campground Noise. I can say that the area seems quiet. Road Noise: No Through Traffic in campground: No Electric Hookup: Full hock ups Potable Water Available: At site.
Bathroom: Yes Showers: Yes Pull Throughs: Yes Cell Service (AT&T): Two bars. Setting: Open with little shrubbery Weather: Highs in 60s. Lows in 50s Bugs: None Solar: Plenty Rig size: Large rig sites Sites: Get a site one along the water.

But we did camp along the beach on the island.

I've stayed here on two separate occasions both with larger groups of people. There's plenty of real estate and no need to worry about being on top of one another. There are limited facilities (a few vault toilets and a covered pavilion). You can seek shelter indoors at the Light Keepers quarters during the high season (regular business hours) if needed. There are several boardwalks that meander around the island and numerous sandy paths connecting the sound side to the ocean side.

There is a large raccoon population on the island so store your food and water accordingly. We did experience a raccoon running off with a dry bag full go food that wasn't secured to a permanent structure. It can be buggy if there's not much wind, but generally there is a breeze blowing across the island.

If you don't have your own personal water craft to get to the island, you can take a private ferry to the island. There are several companies that offer reasonably priced tickets to and from the island.

Again, this isn't a review for the cabins here per se, but relevant in that there is more camping available.

Campground is 1 of the 4 within the Cape Hatteras Nat’l Seashore. Cost here is only $20/night (the others are $28). No hookups available, but there is a dump station and potable water fill on your way out. Cell service is good. The walk to the beach is a bit long, maybe about 1/2 mile or so. 

We stayed here for a night in early November and the place was nearly empty. There were one or two campers per loop, so the campground was nice and open and quiet. I think that during the busy season it would be an unpleasant stay, as the sites are all right next to each other, side by side, just big grassy area. Sites are large though, which was nice. 

We didn’t use the showers but I believe they are cold showers. The set up is almost like an outdoor shower, with a short door and a pull rope for the water. Watch out for spiny sand spurs (?) that stick in your dog’s paws and your socks- very painful and they’re all over the grassy areas. 

Sites must be reserved through recreation.gov. It was easy to pull up with no reservation, pick a site, then reserve and pay online. No service fee through this site. 

No wood fires allowed here. Each site has a picnic table and grill, nothing else.

Dumpsters available, but no recycling bins. Not sure if North Carolina segregates recycling after pickup.

I would recommend you get here before dark. Check in staff are not available in the late evening and there are no street lights on the road. There are also several speed bumps in the campground that are hard to see as they are not painted yellow. There is a small store on the campground for essentials and propane. Laundry room is decent and takes card or quarters. There is also a pool but was closed for the season when I arrived. Staff could use a little bit of work. One staff named Liza was not pleasant to deal with during a storm. Would recommend dealing with TJ though. Grocery store named Conners nearby but a tad on the pricey side compared to inland prices. So if you can purchase groceries prior to arrival. Check in process was not streamlined. However, their reservation system was “live” and the only upside prior to arrival. There are areas for tents and cabins as well. The area along the sound can flood with stormy weather, so would recommend not staying on the edge during bad weather as the road sometimes gets covered with water. We stayed in site S13 and the road flooded in bad weather. It is also not smooth pavement and one of our stabilizers got bent. I would also recommend for the campground to trim some trees as they were difficult to navigate around our air conditioning. Long story short, arrive before dark!

This is an extremely long review but please read and beware before staying at Hatteras Sands! My family and I are frequent campers at HS; we usually come down twice a year for the past several years. Until now all of our experiences have been stellar and even though Hatteras Sands is a little run down in some areas we liked staying because the staff was friendly and accommodating. I do not know what has happened(perhaps new management or ownership) but things are severely lacking in the customer service department. Let me preface by saying I witnessed the below events and was completely shocked by the behavior and level of unprofessionalism in which things were handled. My cousin rented a double lot and was told even though she paid for the double lot that since she had two cars she would need to pay an extra$100 for the second vehicle to park. She paid this$100 as well as an additional$75 for her mother to be able to come and use the overflow parking which is nothing more than a grassy lot next to a bunch of junk. She proceeded to park her additional vehicle in the space next to her camper as instructed. While cooking dinner we were being watched by a male outside the office and as we sat down to dinner the female“manager” and male rode over on their golf cart to inform us that our fire needed a cover over it if we were not cooking; no problem, this was an oversight on our part. Then miss manager advised that we needed to move said vehicle to the overflow parking even though my cousin had a double lot and paid$100 extra for parking. I proceeded to get into a heated argument with the woman, she refused to listen and was extremely rude. She made sure to say“I’m the manager who runs things here”…Was I in the wrong for yelling? Perhaps I was but she informed us that the owner of the campground would be calling; great! They never called… The next day my aunt and cousin went to the office to discuss the matter calmly to which the manager was very condescending, rude and unwilling to have any kind of dialogue. She instructed them to leave the office immediately; which they did without further conversation or argument. The same male from the previous night proceeded to follow them on his golf cart and confront my aunt screaming at her and telling her to“go smoke some more meth”. We assume because we are residents of West Va. He said this in front of my 9 year old son and two other small children. This was highly unprofessional and utterly uncalled for. At this point she is in fear that this man is going to potentially harm her or her children. She proceeded to pack up her entire site and the children while this same male sat at an empty cabin nearby and watched her the entire time. Creepy! Finally…the owner did call; she was very nice and did her best to rectify the situation. But the damage had already been done the result being a partial refund for the remainder of the days left on their reservation and my cousin moving to a campground down the road. To me this is not acceptable; she should have been give a full refund. Later we were shocked to find out the aggressive male is not even an employee of the campground but a subcontractor who performs odd jobs and the boyfriend of the so-called manager. They actually live in an area at the back of the office. They both made everyone feel unsafe and uncomfortable not to mention the derogatory meth comment. A word to the owner- this is not how to do business. You need to check in on your employees from time to time. Allowing such behavior is appalling and they will put you out of business if things continue on this way. I have read other reviews, we are not the only ones to have these issues. My cousin, my husband and myself as well as my mother in law; we all paid and we all saw and heard what happened first hand. We know many who frequent this establishment and we will be telling them all about this experience. More than anger I feel disappointment at the entire situation. This was a wonderful place where many memories were made and now ruined by a poor management team.

Wildlife, privacy, boon docking with cold showers and flush toilets. The best of simplicity. Take bikes and enjoy riding to the beach!

This campground is absolutely gorgeous and quite the change from the other campgrounds at the OBX. It was quiet and peaceful.

My only two cons are that the shower was icy cold (to be expected) and my second has nothing to do with the campground itself but just the area around. Not that much to do and quite ran down. Lots of political hate signs WELL passed the election which was not very welcoming.

If you are just looking to visit cape hatteras and possibly just a place to chill at the campground, this place is perfect for that.

Lovely spot! Quiet and wonderfully kept, freshly mowed and trimmed! The bathrooms were clean and tidy and free of bugs, webs and mess. Showers available - we didn’t partake but hear they are cold! Hatteras lighthouse in sight. Slept to the sound of frogs and birds - wonderful! Highly recommend!!