Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Grifton, NC

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.

This was my first visit, I plan on going back so I will update as I learn more about this site. There are RV and primativr sites. They are literally right next to each other. The RV sites have power and water hookups, fire pit, and picnic table at each site. The RV sited are also numbered. The primitive sites are not so well kept. They are not clearly marked and no dedicated fire pits. There is a little highway noise pollution, but not terrible. There is a free onsite dumpster. Fires are allowed. I had alcohol one night without any hassle. Showers/restrooms available on site are free. You pay by the day (in cash or check) at the Nature Center (during banking hours Mon-Thurs I believe). Prices are fair ($10 primitive site and $20 RV site). Campsite is riverfront (keep in mind for the bugs). I didn't see or hear much wildlife aside from an owl, a rat snake, and one good sized spider. Campgrounds are pretty clean. There is a large communal fire pit with plenty of seating and little private-ish decks overlooking the river. There is free wifi. Multiple people had their pets with them. Good cell phone reception with Verizon.

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.

We recently stayed overnight at Wallace Meadows and it was one of the most lovely places we've ever been to! Rich was very friendly and welcoming and the hookup & amenities they offered for a fee were excellent. The bath house was spotless and we each enjoyed a nice hot shower! The property is surrounded by trees and it was very tranquil. There's even a guesthouse which could possibly accommodate fellow travelers who may not have an RV. There's also a laundry room but we didn't use it. They have a background in hospitality and it really shows. Before we left, we purchased some fresh eggs from their farm, beautifully packaged and delicious! We will return to North Carolina. There's so much to see here and we'll definitely return to Wallace Meadows Farm.

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.

I have camped in this state park several times, including with the Boy Scouts. Other than the park itself, I really enjoyed the camaraderie when our Scout troop and another Scout troop that was camping were playing“Capture the Flag.” I say all of this because it is a great place for group camping. However, it also has conventional camping and cabins. When I first started camping at Cliffs of the Neuse, it did not have more than a mile of trails. Now it has added some more trails. It also did not have showers or cabins in times past. This park has improved significantly over the years and now has showers that are frequently maintained. One of the things you have to be aware of is that this park is sandy, so when you are camping, you will probably want to put some kind of rug in front of your tent or RV to minimize the amount of sand that you track in. Don’t think choosing another site will move you away from the sand. It won’t. Another thing you have to be aware of is that in eastern North Carolina, fire ants can be a huge problem. Some of the trails are easy, but the Spanish Moss Trail is quite steep in some places. Also, the Galax trail is almost always flooded during the spring or after a series of rains. There is a lake for swimming and a large picnic shelter. On weekends, it is not unusual for there to be lots of people at the picnic shelters, so you will have to reserve them. The sites have picnic tables and fire pits as well. This is a great park for swimming and boating, but the hiking is limited. If I am not mistaken, the total length of trails is fewer three miles. However, the main attraction is the view over the Neuse River and the new visitor’s center. Even with limited trails, it is still a great park for relaxing.

Small overnight stop but the owners were very nice The bathrooms and laundry very clean They sell their own beef and I will have to say the best beef hot dogs I’ve ever had . My grandkids got to feed the cows and the walk around the farm was very nice Very hot on the site but refreshing shade by the river

We camped on the primitive side. Hardly anyone here. We took spot 4. Across from the clean pit toilet. They do have water. The area for rvs were packed and it wasn’t as appealing as the primitive. Follow the signs to primitive tent camping. Is a loop and the closer you get to the loop the more bugs cause of the water. On our walk with the dogs seen deer and a raccoon visited us during the night. Internet is spotty. Turn your cellular data on.

A friend and I spent a wonderful weekend with our dogs at Goose Creek State Park. We camped there for 2 nights and enjoyed every bit of it. The campground has no showers or hot water. It didn't bother us. The campsites are very private and spacious. We walked from the campground to the beach with no problems. There are also a lot of trails around to hike and explore. The only thing you need to be aware of are, the ticks, mosquito's and bugs. We definitely would camp there again.

The good news about this RV park is that it is conveniently located next to Interstate 95. The bad news about this RV park is that it is conveniently located next to Interstate 95. Needing to stop for the night on the way home, I found this place along the way. The rate was reasonable, and it was close to fast food places. It was late, and I didn’t want to cook supper. I think that most people stay at this campground for one of two reasons. One is that they are traveling either north to south or south to north, and it is just off the Interstate. The other reason is for the shopping. This area between Selma and Smithfield is a mecca for shoppers, especially during November and December. There are dozens and dozens of outlets, and people from hundreds of miles stop at them. That’s why this RV park is a great place for people who fit into one of those two categories. This RV park does NOT accept tents. It is strictly for RVs. As far as amenities, there is a clubhouse and a large swimming pool. I didn’t see anyone in the swimming pool, especially since it was December. However, I can imagine that it would feel great during the summer, and it seems large enough to handle lots of people. Some of the“picnic tables” were interesting. Many of them looked more like patio furniture, which is a nice touch. All of the spaces that I saw were pull-through sites, and they were level with water, sewer, and 30 and/or 50 amp hookups. The campground roads were paved, and the RV sites were gravel. There was also a dump station. Other than the swimming pool, there is also a large pond in which you can fish without a license. For the younger children, there was a swing set, which surprised me. For a campground this size, I would have thought they would have had a large playground. On their website, they list a playground. Either I missed it, but I don’t think I did, or they don’t expect too many children staying here. There is also a fenced area for owners to walk their dogs. Although there is Wi-Fi, I got the message that the internet was not available. I was happy to see that their bath house was heated, although I never could get warm water to come out of the faucet. Fortunately, the shower had hot water. The only complaint I would have about the showers is that they are small. The area to dress and undress was just large enough to turn around in. I would imagine that most people who are overweight would have a difficult time, but then again, this is an RV park. Most people would be taking a shower in their RVs, so if you are in a teardrop like I was, you would appreciate a larger shower. The worst part about this campground, for me, was the noise from the Interstate. I thought it would die down during the night, but I was wrong. There was also the sound of trains—at least seven or eight times during the night. In the campground office, they have a little store with canned food items and a few other necessities. I got there late, but the hostess was very nice and pointed out everything I needed to know. Overall, it is everything you would expect from a top notch RV park, including the amenities and the services, but I wouldn’t want to stay there for several nights unless I wanted to hear traffic 24/7.

Not a campground anymore