Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Gloucester, NC

This was a very nice, well maintained campground. The staff were extremely polite and helpful. We stayed from Aug 11-14, 2020. The pool was nice on a hot humid day. They have gem mining. You buy the bags of dirt in the camp store. The bathhouses are all very new due to a recent hurricane and they were kept clean. The dock/pier was picture perfect as the sunset over the Neuse river. The playground and jump pad looked like they would be a lot of fun but were closed due to Covid 19 restrictions. They had horseshoes and Gaga-ball that were open. They had 2 fenced in dog parks and a dog washing station. We chose this campground for it’s location near historical downtown New Bern and we would definitely recommend it to others. They have RV sites, tent sites and cabins.

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.

Full timers and long term on business campers beware! This campground has nothing to offer. The owners of this 1 year old campground are very strict with their rules and regulations. They are very nice in person and when checking in but soon you will find yourself receiving passive aggressive emails from them about rule violation they’ve spotted on the 6 or more cameras throughout the park. They have a very strict leash law here but offer no dog run/park area for your K-9 to play. They claim a dog park is on the list of things to come, but the second half of a drain field will come first. There are no amenities here, other than a very small fishing pond and some poorly maintained walking trails at the rear of the campground that have piles of post construction material scattered about. The campground is on well water and very brown in color so I would not drink or cook with it. Over half of the sites have your living side of the RV facing west and there is not a tree in sight, so in the summer be prepared to bake in the sun. The entire campground is gravel parking lot with 10 foot slivers of grass between each site and god forbid don’t let Sean the owner see you put anything(rug, vehicle, etc…) on his beloved grass. I gave this campground 2 stars… 1 for being dark and quiet at night and the other star for the free and decent wifi. So if you don’t want spied on via cameras, harassed, a dusty rig and a place for Fido to play, I would suggest going 8 miles down the road to an awesome campground called Whispering pines you and your dog will be much happier!

We stayed here six years ago and when I knew we’d be returning to the area, I tried to find it on The Dyrt but it wasn’t there (and I could not remember the name). When we were there in 2018, the campground was in transition and our stay was less than optimal, so I figured maybe it was no longer there. I was surprised when we arrived at the ferry terminal to see it was there, open, and looking quite improved. I stopped in at the office to speak to the owner/manager and she was very surprised to find it was not on the Dyrt’s map so I’m glad that now that I finally had a chance to post my review, it had been added! 

There are 60 sites, including walk-in tent sites, back-in W/E, pull-thru W/E, and FHU pull-thru sites. The prices range from $20-$75. You cannot get any closer to the Cedar Island-Ocracoke ferry terminal from this campground. There is also a motel. The bathrooms are much improved since the last time we were there and there are hot water showers. 

Activities/Amenities: Playground, dog park, horseback riding, SUP rentals, beach volleyball, community fire pit, boat ramp, dump station, post office. 

Had we known this campground was still here, we would have stayed!

This spot is close to everything without being on top of it all! Kid friendly, pet friendly, and very clean! All of the lots are level making for an easy setup! This is nice because you can get to enjoying your time away from home quickly! The owners, Lisa& Shawn are very hands on with this campground making sure that everyone is comfortable and feels at home while staying here! We originally booked 3 nights and added an additional night because we weren’t quite ready for our stay to end! This place is truly a hidden gem!! We will definitely be back!

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

We found Dixon Landing in their initial opening phase and it is lightly booked at this point (they even have openings for the upcoming summer holidays). This is a very secluded campground right on the wide Goose Creek/Neuse River, with access to the ocean varying from 25-50 miles. 

Every RV site is pull-through with both “waterfront” and “water view” (more of a view of the marsh along the river) sites. Site layout is long, very wide(you have to actually walk over to talk to neighbors) and mostly level side-to-side. Front-to-back was easily compensated with blocks. The road in and the sites are a combination of compacted sand and grass that drained well after a storm. Many sites have shade or afternoon shade. The electric pedestal was new and tall, making it easy to connect the surge protector, and topped with a solar light. 

Hosts Steve and Joan were themselves RV’rs and park details reflect their experience. Since they are in their opening season they currently offer basic services with electric/water, a dump site(no water) and free on-site pump-out service, picnic tables, firepits, a dog park, kayaks, and a fishing pond for kids(C&R). More services are in the planning or permitting stage. Today they offer a bathroom and just got permits for the full bathhouse. Fiber-optic cable should be run to their area this year. We were amazed at how many TV channels we picked up just on antennae. Verizon, ATT and Sprint service are known to be good. They will have an ice machine, laundry, and a pier eventually. 

Today you will go to enjoy the absolute quiet, waking up to sunrise glinting off the wide river in every window, fishing from the banks, land and sea wildlife, gorgeous sunsets over the river, and hearing whip-or-wills serenade after sunset. 

It was about 90 minutes (including 2 ferry rides) to reach the Cape Lookout National Park and lighthouse.  The ferry dropped us off for 2 hours to walk the beach, hike and view the wild horses on Harker’s Island. Gary’s, the local seafood restaurant, was a find! So good we ate there twice. I’m already looking at the calendar to go back.