Are you planning a tent camping trip to Castle Hayne? We've got you covered. Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Castle Hayne, including sites, reviews, and tips. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Castle Hayne, North Carolina's most popular destinations.
Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area (FFAFRA) is Federal land owned and managed by the United States Air Force, the Army National Guard, and MOTSU (Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point). FFAFRA's primary purpose is to offer recreational activities and lodging as well as training events for DOD eligible groups. There are cottages and lodge rooms along with RV and tent sites for rent by authorized persons with proper DOD identification. There are also meeting rooms, a Military Museum, and facilities available for special events, team building, and official exercises. Come and see why “Ft. Fisher is One of the Military’s Best Kept Secrets.”
Residents and visitors have long enjoyed the beach area now known as Freeman Park. In fact, the area has become one of Carolina Beach's major attractions as it is one of the only beaches in NC that you can drive your 4X4 vehicle on.
Whether coming to the area to swim, camp, fish, or go boating, crabbing or casting for minnows, people love Freeman Park. Visitors are drawn to the beautiful beach with its variety of wildlife, dunes and majestic sea grasses indigenous to the region.
Overnight camping is only allowed in designated, reserved camp sites Labor Day through the Thursday before Memorial Day each year. Reservations are on a first come/first service basis. During this period, there is a $50.00 per night fee for a campsite permit.
NO OVERNIGHT CAMPING is allowed the Friday before Memorial day through the Sunday before Labor Day.
Visitors and campers driving 4-wheel drive vehicles must have a valid Freeman Park access pass at all times to enter the park (can be purchased online or in person at entrance to park). Camping permits can only be purchased on-line.
$20 - $90 / night
$45 / night
Primitive campsites are located near the beach and the inlet at Bear Island. Fourteen family campsites accommodate up to six people and two tents each. Campsites 1 to 11 are accessible via ferry, private boat or paddling only. Campsites 12 to 14 are accessible by private boat or paddling only and are not hikeable.
Sites 1 to 11 have a picnic table, while sites 12 to 14 do not. Fires are not permitted at Bear Island, but campers may bring propane or backpack camp stoves.
Water and a bathhouse with hot showers is located at Bear Island, but is available from only mid-March through mid-November. There is no water at Bear Island when the facilities are winterized.
Hike-In Distance Light and simple is the way to travel, as campers must carry all provisions to the campsites from the beach or ferry dock.
$12 - $52 / night
SORRY: CLOSED PERMANENTLY.
$35 - $55 / night
Guide
I had made a reservation. I showed up on the day and time I had planned. Nobody was there. I called and texted. I finally left after about 15 minutes of waiting. This campground is off a side road. When I pulled into the camp area, I had a funny feeling. I decided not to stay there between the no-show of the staff and the funny feeling my gut was telling me. I hope your experience would be better than mine.
Guide
The campground is in a nice area. The small lake is beautiful and full of fish. It is near a small bustling town with everything you need. The staff is friendly.
The only drawback is that the camp itself is outdated. The so-called bathhouses need a severe update. The bathhouse does not have HVAC in it. There’s one male toilet and one female toilet for the entire camp. There are two portable toilets on the back end of the property. There’s one shower of the two that works and it is a small shower. Do not weigh more than 175 pounds going in that shower.
All in all, it’s a good temporary campsite. This is not set up for long-term, even though there are multiple long-term campers here.
Traveler
From checking in until packing up to leave, my three night stay was very pleasant and restful. I disperse camp usually, but having the advantage of a very well maintained bathhouse was super nice. I have friends in Wilmington and frequent this area. This Campground will be my go to location when I'm in town!
TravelerSmall quiet campground that has some adorable amenities. Pet and child friendly. Nick (the owner) is super helpful and they even have item you may have forgotten they will lend out. Firewood is provided. We stayed I. Their little cabin on a whim. Cozy but small. AC and heat both worked well. Their camp store has very affordable gifts and some supplies one might need. We came to this area to try some unique restaurants. The cabin allowed us to stay and try all of them. We went to the Mad Boar on Friday night for some amazing prime rib and unique appetizer. We went to The Country Squire and enjoyed a wine tasting before a dreamy colonial meal. The atmosphere here was so realistic. They even have an inn. And of course we had to go to the Duplin Winery. Next time we will bring the kids to enjoy the craft hour and playground.
Guide
Such an awesome KOA, bathrooms were immaculate. Free coffee everyday and so many activities! Great communication, they text before every event, and if something is lost they send out alerts. Loved our stay!
Guide
The spots are very close together. There is no shade, but a constant beach breeze.
You can not see ocean from the campground due to the dunes, but it is about 300 feet to the water.
The owners are very nice. He will even help park your rv with his tractor.
Same price for full hookups verses no sewer. You will have to go across the street to their other campground to dump and there is no water for rinsing, only a sewer drain.
The public bathroom stalls only go as high as shoulder level.
Scout
Everything Beth said, we had the same experience, unfortunately.
ScoutA gem of a place! Call to reserve a spot. The staff is super helpful and friendly. We loved being right by the beach. There are spots for RVs and tents. You could still hear the waves even with RVs running air conditioners.
Scout
Nice pool and walking path around the edge of the sound.
Guide
This is a very large campground with mostly full-time people. Nice laundry facilities, decent sized transient sites, beautiful beach and piers. It was "off-season" but the weekends were quite busy. There is a 5mph campground rule that most definitely is NOT followed. Kids and adults drive golf carts like it's the Indy 500. Was a nice stay, but probably won't go back.
Traveler
Very clean, well kept. Pool great size.
Scout
I’ll definitely be staying here again! Beautiful and very well maintained landscaping, clean facilities, very helpful and friendly staff. Really close to the beach, a good selection of restaurants as well as other points of interest. My only regret is that I didn’t have time to stay longer. Thanks again for a wonderful weekend!
Brian Leonard
ScoutThis is a relaxing, natural campground. Many bird songs at sunrise and Whip poor will calls at sunset every night. We have dogs and there are nice places to walk along the pond, and grass areas all around the campground. The dog park is nice for some off leash time. The facilities are great with a store, laundry, and clean restrooms and showers. A very nice pool is available, but with Sunset beach, and Ocean Isle beach just minutes away we have gone there daily. I am fascinated by Bird Island that is a nature preserve and reachable from Sunset beach, this is a day trip we are looking forward to taking the dogs on. Calabash is another town we have visited and it is a gem. We didn’t expect to want anything but seafood but the Peruvian restaurants’ line out the door was intriguing and we ended up there for a late lunch and loved it. My partner is an avid fisherman and had a great day fishing on a Hurricane charter out of Calabash.
LegendJake from the Dyrt here! This campground is new to the Dyrt and open for reservations through the Dyrt!
RangerWe loved our time at Holden Beach RV Park! The staff is so friendly, and the campground is beautifully maintained. It’s in a perfect location too.
Upon check in we were escorted to our site, and they even helped us back in. The bathrooms and laundry were clean and kept up well during our stay. There’s a small playground and a pretty big dog park. We were there during Thanksgiving, so they had a potluck meal for all of the guests in the park. We really enjoyed that!
The gift shop is super cute, and they have the biggest DVD library for free rentals!
The only negative was that our site seemed to be one of the few that directly faced another site even though it did not show that on the park map. We ended up being super close to the other campers (so much so that we were basically all around the same fire pit) which was a little uncomfortable since they were strangers.
Overall we really enjoyed our stay and will definitely be back! We will just make sure to pick a different site number next time.
ScoutTalk about Southern hospitality, the hosts were amazing and the campsite was a safe place for Luna and I to spend the night!
Traveler
My husband and I recently purchased a small RV and decided to do a short trip close to home. This campground is amazing. Beautiful views fishing is good and the hosts are very nice and informative. Will be returning to this gem of a campground!
Scout
I’ve used this site a few times, very friendly employees and a nice short walk to the beach. Golf cart rentals available and a restaurant.
GuideJust off the road. Close to lots of places to eat and beaches. Seemed to have lots of activities some places even had chimaeras and Weber grills.
GuideAfter hearing about the mosquito situation, I was worried, but have not seen one yet - October 9. We hiked a trail to see Venus flytraps in the wild. A short peddle to the ocean beach. Very nice sites.
LegendJake from the Dyrt here! JCO Campground has some amazing sunset views and tons of space to explore around the pond! Check them out and share some pics from your stay!
LegendJake from the Dyrt here! Your host Kathrine is an experienced host and is ready to make your next camping trip a memorable one! There's a spot for everyone, from the onsite camper, to bring your own tent/RV sites, check them out and share some pics from your stay on the Dyrt!
Guide
Campground was within close walking proximity to the beach. Beach was clean and we had fun hunting for shark teeth. Water was fairly clear and nice temperature.
Camping sites are close together but fairly level. Lots of barking dogs, even in their units. Shower/bath house was DISGUSTING!! Showers were full of sand, hair stuck to the walls, torn and stained curtains. Water was hot though. By the end of the week it was out of hand soap.
The bridge that is right behind camp about 60 feet was under a full rebuild. Construction noise started a little before 0700 each day. Dump trucks and heavy machinery while drinking your coffee. A warning before arrival from the reservation office would have been nice. I understand the bridge needs work but warn people.
Glad we got to visit with friends on the base but we won’t be back.
LegendJake from the Dyrt here! Home on the Range is new to the Dyrt but they have a great escape for the family to enjoy playing around the playset or socializing around the communal patio! Check them out and share some pics of your stay!
Traveler
We stayed in site 5 for 11 days. The Yurt had been removed but the platform stayed. We were able to get up our large tent on the platform and have enough space for our chairs. The lake is beautifully kept and clean. Very shallow. You can walk out a good 300 meters. We kayaked and fished while we were here. The rangers were helpful and checked in to make sure we didn’t need anything and kept the trash can empty. All the locals we spoke to we friendly! The down side is you are a long walk to the toilets. This is primitive so no power or water at the site. We absolutely loved it and plan to come back again!
Bring mosquito netting or pop up to keep the horse flies away!
ScoutWe stayed here for one night and I cannot say enough good things about this place ! First of all, we weren’t even supposed to stop here but my mother got sick and we could not continue, so I found this within a 5 min search and book a deluxe spot within 10! We showed up no more than a half hour after that and they were already ready for us. Secondly, I locked my keys in my with the car running and with my sleeping kid and cat in it…. while I was freaking out, their INCREDIBLE staff, I don’t use the word incredible lightly they truly were the most caring people I’ve had at a campsite, tried to find a car kit and when they couldn’t called the fire department for me (shoutout to the firefighters for being so fast) and checked in on us the whole time. Definitely felt embarrassed and mad at myself but the staff was so kind to me I couldn’t thank them enough. Some of my favorite things beside the staff was the welcome packet which includes a free gift at the general store (has everything you forget lol) as well as the tide tables, amazing bathrooms (Pristine and even had linoleum with an outdoor light for nighttime), small shrubbery between the spots so even if you are right next to someone you have still feel like you have your own space, firewood delivered to your sight upon request (obviously you pay for it lol), a free trolly to the public beach and shops, and all amenities were so nice and so clean. Will 100% be back again and if you are looking for a myrtle beach style of vacation, check out Holden Beach and this amazing RV park!
ScoutWe come here a couple times a year. They are always making improvements along with keeping it clean and comfortable. Nice sites for a private campground with meticulously maintained facilities. They also have a new pool that is wonderful.
Discover the beauty of tent camping near Castle Hayne, North Carolina, where you can immerse yourself in nature while enjoying a variety of amenities and activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Castle Hayne, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Castle Hayne, NC is Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area with a 4.1-star rating from 11 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Castle Hayne, NC?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Castle Hayne, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.
