Best Tent Camping near Cedar Island, NC

Tent camping options near Cedar Island, North Carolina are primarily concentrated in small, established campgrounds along the coastal region. Phoenix Farms Vineyard offers private tent sites on a historic former tobacco farm approximately 30 miles northwest of Cedar Island. Coastal Riverside Campground, which has reportedly been renamed to Coastal Carolina Campground, provides additional tent camping opportunities in the area.

Tent sites at Phoenix Farms Vineyard include both drive-in and walk-in options with picnic tables and designated fire rings where campfires are permitted. Firewood is available on-site, and the campground offers water hookups but lacks showers and toilet facilities. The property maintains five tent sites and requires reservations. Campers should note that Coastal Riverside shows limited amenities in the available data, with most basic services appearing unavailable, making it essential to pack accordingly for a more primitive experience.

The coastal location of these tent campgrounds provides distinctive camping experiences compared to inland sites. Phoenix Farms Vineyard offers private tent camping with enough space for spreading out gear and enjoying the natural surroundings. The property features views of historic fields and coastal landscapes, providing a unique setting for tent campers. Areas near Cedar Island typically experience coastal weather patterns with potential for strong winds and seasonal storms, requiring secure tent setups. A review mentioned, "The property is beautiful, and the camp spot is private. The hosts are friendly, and the fire is warm. It's so fun to see all of the animals."

Best Tent Sites Near Cedar Island, North Carolina (2)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Cedar Island, NC

323 Reviews of 2 Cedar Island Campgrounds


  • L
    Jul. 21, 2018

    Goose Creek State Park Campground

    State Park with primitive camping

    Great primitive camping, tent only. There are water spigots, no electricity, and very clean , non smelly vault toilets. There are several short hiking trails that I would rate easy. There is also a swimming area that is free. We did have a run in with fire ants at our campsite. Overall, clean and quiet.

  • Kelsey K.
    Mar. 19, 2023

    Oyster Point Campground

    Not very private

    I chose this site in hopes of being in a private wooded area. Very dissapointed. Original pics and videos i saw were showing lots of coverage. But now everything is so open, you can see every persons camp site. Theres no real privacy. They are also sticklers about dogs on leashes. Even though mine was trained and playing with us in our area. We were still forced to leash him. There are toilets at each end, but it's a pit. No flushing. No sink. No showers. There are fire pits with grates and also a picnic table. There is also a lot of rocks around the tent pad area and picnic table.

    There's a wooded trail that leads up to the main gravel road you come in on. Very narrow. Also water but only half the campsites are looking onto it. I believe it's only odd numbered spots. Overall it was an okay time for the price. Wouldn't come here again.

    Couldn't even attempt fishing because the wind was bad. There was only a small area to even try, but there was an oyster contamination sign. Dirty Foam all around the edge of the water.

  • Martha S.
    Dec. 24, 2020

    Cedar Point Campground

    Amazing Little Campground

    We camped here in October 2020 and stayed in site 17. It is a great site with lots of room between you and the next camper.

    The bath facility is in a very nice building, is heated and has individual locking shower rooms so you have total privacy and security. The roads are paved and the paved pads accommodate up to a 70 ft camper/vehicle. Each site has a smooth, flat, gravel area equipped with 2 lantern poles, one large picnic table, and a fire ring with swing away cooking grate. Beyond the gravel areas are flat level areas of grass. The campsites are shaded by large, tall pines and other assorted trees.

    The bath facility was very clean and well kept. The host was very friendly and helpful. The grounds throughout the park are extremely well kept.

    Upon arrival, you check in with the host, drive to water fill area and fill up your fresh water tank. There are additional water fill faucets throughout the park. Your site is equipped for both 30 or 50 amp campers.

    We really like this little campground and plan to come back again soon.

  • Anton R.
    Jun. 10, 2019

    Ocracoke Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

    Peaceful getaway

    The campground is wonderful. There were plenty of spaces available during my stay (6/6-6/9), especially the field lots. If you would like a dunes site, get there just before or at checkout. Also, check the winds before setting up a tent (15mph winds added an hour to set up).

    The campsite is very dark and quiet after 10p, which makes it very peaceful. Make sure you have a small flashlight ready for the late night run to the restroom, otherwise you may run into one of the grills.

    The park ranger I checked in with was very friendly and informative, letting me know all the rules, including the wood fire ban during my stay. You will be asked to choose a few spots before you set up, so I would suggest looking at the map posted in the photos for possible locations.

    The village of Ocracoke is two miles from the campground, about seven from the Hatteras ferry. If you forgot or don’t have room to bring your bike, many places in town have bikes for rent by the day, and many told me I could ride and keep the bike out at the campground. 

    If you are looking for a getaway from everyday chaos, definitely stay on the island and at this campground.

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 5, 2024

    Cape Point — Cape Lookout National Seashore

    OK, not great

    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.

  • Roger W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 18, 2023

    Frisco Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

    Best in Hatteras NSS

    Frisco: The best camp sites in all of Hatteras NSS are in this campground. It is just north of Ocracoke- Hatteras Ferry. There are some sites with views and some sites with privacy - Every site here is better than the open park like setting at the other Hatteras NSS campgrounds. . Dense oak and juniper shrubs break up the campground and give a degree of separation to sites….. Frisco closes for the season on Nov 27. Sad. Oregon Inlet and Ocracoke remain open. (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: 4.5. More privacy offered here than Oregon Inlet where we also stayed. Least of campsites are better, in my opinion, than Oregon Inlet. No electricity here, though!
    Beach Access: boardwalk P1 and P 29: Price 2023: $14 w interagency pass Usage during visit: Light Site Privacy: Some great sites Site Spacing: Good Site surface: Blacktop. Our site was pretty level. Reservations: Required. Campground Noise: Quiet as can be.
    Road Noise: Far from a road Through Traffic in campground: No reason. The perimeter road on the right side is going to see more traffic. That’s because campers will be driving to their sites on the one way interior roads - when it’s busy. However, there are great sites on the perimeter . Electric Hookup: No Sewer Hookup: Yes Dump Station: No. We will use the dump station at Oregon Inlet when we drive out of the Outer Banks. Potable Water Available: Yes. At restrooms. Generators: Allowed.
    Bathroom: Clean. Flush Toilets. Showers: Cold water and breezy. Pull Throughs: A couple. Cell Service (AT&T): 1 to 2 bars. Setting: Dense low shrubs between sites. Weather: Sunny and cloudy days. Highs are low to upper 60s. Always some wind. Lows are in the 50s Bugs: Not this time of year Solar: Great when sunny. Host: I don’t believe there was one furing our stay - late in the season. Rig size: Large rigs okay in selected sites. Sites: P6 is cozy little sight, no view, but the picnic table is in a cozy little very shaded area. Ideal for warmer weather - tables in SHADED/PRIVATE picnic area: P8, P10, P40, to a lesser degree-D4, D5 , F1 PRIVACY: A2, A3,A4(picnic table and grill down a short hill from site.) A6 D2, P46, P48,P49,P50, P55,P56 through P62 even, P9(picnic table, a few yards from trailer site.) P17, P65, P67, P69, P71, P22, P24, B1, B5, B7, B4, B6, P26, P28, P26, P30, VIEW of distant ocean: P66, P57, P51( our delightful sight - splendid view), P61(a peak of a view- less privacy), P73(pull over site, no privacy- great view of ocean.), P67(very splendid view of dunes, not ocean)

  • Steve V.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 27, 2019

    Cedar Point Campground

    Heatwave

    Cedar Point RA is a small campground along the White Oak River in the Croatan National Forest. The campground has 40 sites with electric hook up. The sites are level and have a paved parking pad that they are pretty strict on you keeping all wheels on and a gravel area with a picnic table, fire pit, and two lantern poles (that also work good for putting up a clothes line or dog zipline). The sites do not have water hook ups so make sure your RV fresh water tanks are topped off, or there are plenty of potable water points throughout the campground to fill up you jugs. The sites are large and separated by space, not trees, for privacy. The sites on the southeast side seemed to have more shade than those on the northwest side. Campground map is in my pictures. 

    There is no office or signage for check-in, so we just drove in, found our reserved spot that had our name on the tag and set up. The Camp Host came around a little later and apparently we were supposed to know to check-in with him somehow. We stayed on site 24 on this visit. Lots of sun throughout the day until late evening, so a little miserable on this stay as the area had heat advisories every day. 

    The bathhouse could use a little TLC. The bathrooms were functional but not very clean. The showers are separate from the bathroom and half were out of order on this stay. Additionally, in typical National Forest fashion, there is no heat or air or even a fan in the bathroom or showers, so again, pretty miserable on this stay as the area had heat advisories every day. The heat in the bathrooms and showers had to be over 100 degrees. Also, typical National Forest setup, the showers are push button, with no temperature control (you get what you get) and the water only flows for about 15 seconds with each push of the button. 

    Firewood was available at the camp host. There is a full grocery store 5 minutes from the campground. The resort has many amenities like a boat ramp about a ¼ of a mile down the road and a hiking trail that loops for about 2 miles along the marshy shore line. There is a dump station and trash dumpster behind the camp hosts location. 

    We found good cell phone service with Verizon throughout the property. The campground did not have wi-fi. 

    While in the area we enjoyed the public beach on Emerald Isle, which is only 15 minutes from campground. There are lots of water sport rentals nearby and restaurants. Camp Lejeune is less than 30 minutes away and on some nights we could hear the artillery in the distance as the Marines trained. However, as a retired Army guy, the faint sound of freedom did not bother me at all. 

    The heatwave during our stay really hindered us. Not sure we’d revisit in the middle of the summer again, but during the cooler month I’m sure it would be much more comfortable.

  • Joe B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 2, 2022

    Flanners Beach Campground

    Grandson’s first camping trip

    I’ve been riding my bicycles on the the trails around Flanner’s for years. This was my first camping experience here.
    We brought our T@G Boondock XL for my wife and I, and a side tent for my grandson. Decent sized spot for our camper and 10x10 tent, and it included a fire pit (very tall sides) and a picnic table. We spent the first day setting up, preparing food and enjoying the fire. Ended the day in the tent playing guitar and singing, while my grandson played the Djembe. Day 2, was fresh ground Death Wish coffee in the Chemex and breakfast. Then we went for a 3 mile hike. Ate lunch and played ladder ball. Another 2 mile hike in the afternoon, some card games, dinner over the fire and pudgie pies. Played music around the fire until bedtime.
    Day 3 was Coffee, breakfast and tear down/pack up. The grounds were clean, saw the hosts throughout the park, and they were very friendly. Showers/bathrooms were good. Water was plenty hot in the shower. It was cold at night and in the morning, and the facilities have screens for ventilation, so it can get quite cold (or hot) in there. The beach is closed indefinitely. The trails are great.
    Great first camping experience for our grandson. I will be back. The sign at the gate says NO ALCOHOL. Not sure why this is an issue, but it’s their rule.

  • Laura F.
    Jul. 15, 2020

    Oyster Point Campground

    Clean and Small Campground

    We really enjoyed our night at Oyster Point.  The host was friendly and helped me find another campsite when my was taken by an unregistered guest.  We were able to launch kayaks almost directly from campsite #11.  Tent pads are big enough for 1 large tent or 2 small tents.  The campground is small so fairly quiet.

    **Pro's: **

    Metal Fire Ring/Grill 

    Picnic tables 

    Lots of lantern hooks

     Port a Johns were very clean

    Some cons:

    The bugs are bad in June and bug spray didn't really help.

    The sites aren't in order by number. 

    The gravel road had a lot of ruts in it so getting my trailer with kayaks in and out was a lot of trouble.

    No showers

    Port a johns were noticeably tilted down hill


Guide to Cedar Island

Tent camping near Cedar Island, North Carolina, offers a unique blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure. With a variety of campgrounds to choose from, you can enjoy a peaceful retreat surrounded by stunning landscapes.

Local Attractions to Explore

  • Visit the beautiful Phoenix Farms Vineyard, where you can enjoy scenic views and a charming atmosphere while camping on a historic tobacco farm.

Activities for Outdoor Enthusiasts

  • At Coastal Riverside Campground, you can engage in various outdoor activities, making it a great spot for those looking to immerse themselves in nature.

Tent Camping Prices

  • Some prices for tent camping range from $30 to $50, providing options for different budgets at places like Phoenix Farms Vineyard, where amenities include picnic tables and firewood.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Cedar Island, NC?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Cedar Island, NC is Coastal Riverside Campground with a 3-star rating from 1 review.