Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Cape Lookout National Seashore

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.

Good:

• Flat site with concrete pad and patio
• Wooden picnic table
• Dog park with a couple trees, benches, water, obstacles, doggie bags & garbage
• Access and proximity to sound and nice beach
• Paved trail for walking or biking going north or south along Hwy 12 right outside campground
• Well kept bathhouse - better on Sound Side where it’s newer
• Amenities in great condition like mini golf, playground, tennis court

Meh: <>Full hookup although water pedestal was way forward and separated from sewer and electric. No idea why it’s different here than other campgrounds but it makes for lots of obstacles to avoid when parking. And after parking, we had to move our RV forward to reach the water spigot even with our long hose. <> Indoor and outdoor pools and hot tub - nice to have and good size but could use TLC <> Not enough activities esp. considering size of campground and site cost. But water balloon fight for kids was very well organized with lots of balloons, and kids rewarded with ice cream coupon for picking up balloon litter. Win/win!

Bad:

• Sites were way cramped – they really pack you in.
• They tell you to be considerate and not cut through sites but can’t contribute a few feet to offer a path rather than walking a long way around. THEY should be considerate!
• Most expensive campground we’ve ever been to even just for two adults. But cable, kids, dogs, extra adults each cost $3 - $8 more daily. It REALLY adds up to be ridiculous. We hooked up to cable and got it for free. We refused to claim extra people and pet. Even the people Boon-docking in their van for one night in their cheaper sound site - arriving late and leaving early - paid $98.
• Only 4 ocean front sites on northeast corner, at most, have any chance of seeing the ocean from the site. Between dunes, campground roadway, pavilion and parking between all other oceanfront sites and beach, we’d a been hoppin’ mad if we’d paid an extra $50 nightly for those.
• It’s windy, people are slobs, and they do pick up some litter, but not nearly enough. There was lots of litter on sites, caught up in bushes and grasses, mowed over when they mowed without picking litter first, caught up in sound next to their wooden boardwalk. We asked repeatedly for them to clean up. Staff was friendly but ignored us so...really Not so friendly. GM got involved and made it happen, but still plenty more. We picked up some. They need a staff cultural change to constantly pick litter and not mow without picking litter first.
• Tennis court was new and in fabulous condition with lines for pickle ball and youth tennis too. But only open when office was open beginning at 9 AM. It’s HOT then. We brought our own rackets and went to play early in the morning before seeing sign and locked gate. Ugh!
• No fire pits provided like at KOA two doors south and they tell you that if you bring your own fire pit it must be off the ground. Sheesh! We brought ours but it was too windy for us or anyone else to do a fire, leave our awnings, canopies etc. up anyway. Bummer!

Ugly: — Wi-Fi is pretty much zero. We connected a time or two in four days from our site in early morning/dark hours but couldn’t even check email. Only places to get on were at hotspots in clubhouse. Staff says it’s because people are streaming/overloading. Nope, it’s because they need to update their system for their 400 sites.

Our absolute favorite place. This is the reason we got a camper....to make this vacation possible every year. They have concrete pads, full hook up sites on both the ocean and sound side of Rt 12. They offer themed activities, multiple pools, playground, dog park area, bath houses with laundry, arcade/game room, mini golf, basketball, tennis courts, and amazing sunset views from the sound front sites and viewing area. They also have a marina on site to rent jet skis or drop in your kayaks and paddle boards in the sound. Not far from restaurants, the Rodanthe Pier and family activities.

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.