Best Glamping near Creswell, NC

This campground is nestled in the tall North Carolina pines. There isn’t much shade though because the branches are mainly at the top. The camp sites are long and have plenty of room between camp sites. The campground has been recently redone and includes some cute cabins. We went on a boardwalk hike there. It said that red wolves and bear live on the area. We only saw deer.

Goose Creek State Park campground is one of the newer state parks in North Carolina. The RV part of the park has a great layout with large sites. The park is very flat with full hookups and a large patio/picnic area. They also have cabins.

We stayed at one of the full hook up RV sites with our Riverside Retro 199FKS and it actually looked small in the site. We had more than enough room.

You are far enough away from Washington, NC that you don't get great cell coverage so, it is almost like going off the grid. I think I had service if I sat outside with my left leg propped up (just kidding). 

Since this park is so new, there are not many trees or vegetation to provide privacy between sites. I think this park will be great once the plants grow in - don't skip for this reason - still go, just know that you won't have a lot of privacy.

This place is a gem of a state park!!!!

Since it's not right next to the coast it's relatively quiet and not crowded. I went here on the tail end of a mid September weekend and found the entire campground to myself! That is unheard of on the West Coast! There is a beautiful sound access.

This is boutique car camping! There are only 14 camping spots all nicely spaced from each other and in a wooded location. Sites 11-14 are around a little peninsula on the sound so all have some water view. There are a handful of water spouts around the campground, and each site has a parking spot, campsite, table and a lamp hanger. The lamp hanger took me a while to figure out since we don't have these on the west coast it is a suspended hook that looks a bit medieval on first glance.

Bring your paddle boards or canoe to float around the sound. There is a great outline of a 3 mile canoe trail mapped out by the put in. (see my photos)

Ohhhh and it goes without saying near the North Carolina sound BRING BUG SPRAY. This is serious deet country.

We loved staying here for the weekend! We were the only ones in the tent area underneath beautiful trees. We kayaked in their creek that goes out directly to the Chowan River. Large fishing pond, firewood available, clean shower house, game room and tidy clean sites. Will return!

Absolutely love this campsite! It’s clean, quiet, and the views are hard to beat!

Not only is this campground surrounded by tall pines and beautiful lakes it is spotless. The campsites are well spaced and give a bit of a community feel with cabins near by the bath house, which also is incredible!!! Heated bathrooms are a plus in our book! Highly recommend 👍🏼

This campground was opened in 2019 so everything is very new. The sites are spread very far apart. There are no trees for shade and this campground may become hot in the summertime. Each site is separated by waist heigh field grass. The sites have course gravel for the RV pad and finer gravel for the “tent pad” / picnic table area. We were in a tent that connects to the back of our Honda Odyssey and I used two tarps to protect the tent flooring even on the finer gravel. Cell signal is almost nonexistent except for possibly AT&T which a neighboring camper told me.

I would recommend this campground except maybe not so much in the summer months

Awesome weekend here. Camp sites were nice and Rangers easily accessible. Swim area was a little rough but the hiking trails and access to the river for kayaks and fishing was nice!

Our campsite was right on the Pamlico river. There was a great spot to watch the sunrise/sunset directly behind our campsite with benches. Also close to our campsite was a dock to fish off of or to launch a kayak. The campgound has really neat hiking trails and a swimming beach. The park ranger told us about a neat program at the park, where they will loan out fishing poles for free, they are great poles and we ended up catching over 20 fish!

New clean RV area in older state park. Bathrooms and showers were new and excellent for RV campers. Verizon 1-2 bars. Spanish moss in trees over the Pamlico. Can get buggy and humid when hot. Bring bug spray. Gravel RV pad.

They have a cabin that is fully handicapped! It has a paved sidewalk to the bathrooms and they will allow you to drive your “person” down the access path to the water way!! My daughter loved it and we will be back! Even the picnic table has a cut out for a wheelchair!

Very small campground. We had an issue with the 50amp service. But they fixed it. The water pressure is low. Plenty of space between camp sites. Very very quiet!!!

Have been several times the last being 2 nights last weekend. I sleep in the primitive site in a hammock and there were plenty of trees to hang from. Firewood is $8.00 a bundle. Although it was a busy weekend the sites are far enough apart that noise is not an issue. The primitive sites are well maintained and the staff is great. There is a dock that you can launch a kayak from and racks to store them. Nice touch. Water is from various spigots but no electricity. There are some bathrooms

I’ll be back

We drove up to check the park out to see if it would be worth a trip to camp. We will definitely be making a trip there. The camp ground was nice and very clean. The sights are all gravel with full hook ups. But loop around the sight is paved. There are some cabins as well with a bath house. The tent sights are completely secluded drive in with some on the water. All the roads are paved and nice. Except the road back to the tents is dirt but very well kept. If navigating the tent spot the road may be tight for larger trucks. I have a F-150 that was fine but anything larger than a half ton truck it may get tight.

Activities: There is a nature center at the entrance of the park. A ton of trails with trail heads everywhere. A swim beach (we didn’t walk to). A place to launch Kayaks as well.

Careful There is four foot tall vegetation between the sites and they are spread out. When I was there a random fire started where myself and another camper fought it for 30 mins and my wife drove around getting campers to evacuate until the fire department came. Just be mindful if your smoker and any fires you may have while camping. If you were camping there March 5th, 2023 and came back to your house unhooked from your trailer, I’m sorry but I used it to contain the fire instead of burning your 5th wheel down. I didn’t hook it up because I was dragging it through fire and didn’t know if you would want it hooked up.

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.

I have a personal pull to Goose Creek State Park as it was once my family’s land going back generations and generations. My great-grandfather, grandfather, and father carved out the trails used for hiking today and the road to the campground its self was made by my dad and his friends. The state bought the land in the 70’s and it became our state park. It makes me proud to share a part of my family history with the rest of the world.

Even without the personal connection I feel when I visit GCSP, it’s such a beautiful place to be during anytime of the year. Hiking trails equipped with boardwalks lead through the marsh and swampy areas while sporadic signs display pictures and information about the wildlife you are likely to see. The primitive campground has more than 10 sites, with the farthest sights sitting on the edge of the Pamlico River. It truly is an awesome sight to take in at sunset and sunrise. Bath houses with showers, hot water, and toilets are available. There are two group sites and, recently added, several rv sites and about 5-6 small cabins. I have not stayed in the cabins yet. They seem to be fairly popular so reservations should be made at least a couple of weeks in advanced. There heat and AC but no bathrooms or kitchen area inside the cabin. I believe there are two sets of twin beds and a full bed but you have to bring your own linens. There is also a very nice bathhouse available for cabin renters. The only downside to the cabins and RV sites is there is no shade. The sites are toward the front of the park, and, perhaps because of the recent construction, there is are no trees, woods, or shade around. As a personal preference, I want to be IN THE WOODS when I camp so the aspect of being out in the open is not as exciting as tent camping. That being said, the cabins are adorable and have a fire ring, picnic table, and everything you need to enjoy a night of camping.

Stayed for 2 nights. Very quiet. Price for campgrounds you can’t beat.

Heads up there are a lot of mosquitoes. So make sure you pack the good stuff and not anything for light coverage.

Firewood is 5 a bundle which was easily found in shacks.

Park does close at night so no going in and out or returning too late.

The camp sites are well maintained with a picnic table and fire pit area. Small gravel used on a dedicated tent area. We had a second larger tent on the site too. Bathroom near camp site. Wildlife walks right by, several deer on our trip. Took kayaks and paddle boards with us and put right in at the dock. Good places to explore around on the water. I had several 13 year olds for a birthday trip and they had fun. A separate beach area if you like for swimming. Ranger was very nice and kept a check periodically. Definitely recommend it for overnight or a few nights.

I love this place. The view of Goose Creek is awesome to wake up to, and the grounds are always well kept. The staff is wonderful, and willing to help. I've been there about 30 times now, and couldn't think of a better place to park and camp!