Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Harkers Island, NC

Short ferry ride from Harker’s Island. Prettiest water I’ve seen in NC, can be compared to the Caribbean! Fresh water and restrooms on island. Camp anywhere 100ft from buildings. Trees for shade, privacy, protection from wind more central on the island. The light house is beautiful! Wild horses just across the water on Shackleford Banks, which can also be camped- minus all the amenities.

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.

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!

My wife and I love to tent camp, and this is our second visit here.  Here is the breakdown:

• $28/night

• Showers are cold water only, but they do have great pressure

• No matter where your site is located, there is easy, easy, so much easy access to the beach

• Park Rangers seem attentive, as we have seen her/him patrol each day of our visit

• Dogs and cats and I imagine other animals are welcome

• Cell Service is spotty for both Verizon and T-Mobile

• No shade

No complaints with this campground, but I do want to elaborate on cellular coverage.  I think The Dyrt mentions that T-Mobile has availability.  This is kind of true.  It comes and it goes depending on your location at the campground.  I am a T-Mobile customer and I have been connecting to U.S Cellular towers during my trip🤷‍♂️.  I am on. the sound side of the campground (west side), and last year, we were closer to the ocean and our coverage was "better".  Point is, your mileage my vary.

Don't hesitate, put your phone away, bring a sunshade, and relax.  You will not regret it.

Paved, level parking pad on sandy grass sites tucked between the dunes and vegetation in Cape Hatteras National Seashore in the outer banks by of North Carolina. No hookups, but water and dump are across the street, and generators are allowed.

Loved camping here. Our campsite was tucked behind the first dunes, which we thought would keep us out of the wind... until the wind changed direction. Lots of blowing sand, a gritty dinner, but I still loved camping here. Note that although it is dog-friendly, you can't bring dogs on the ferry. So, only dog-friendly if you are taking your own boat out.

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

July 4th trip with family and dog. Easy access to amazing dog friendly beach, few minutes  walk from camp spot just over the dunes. Park does great job maintaining both restrooms and grounds. One of coolest beaches we've ever been to, extremely secluded and great for kids/dog and swimming. D Loop: # 28 inside loop was decent spot for tents only with better breeze than some of outer spots that are surrounded with brush. Town of Ocracoke is really neat, drive thru on the way to campground from ferry. Did not venture out too much do to covid, but would love to visit in the future. Cons: Mosquitos! Will eat you alive at night, fine during the day; just come prepared. Also, large group two sites down played loud music from their cars both nights of our stay till 10pm. Rangers drove by them but did not tell them to turn down, I understand it was a holiday weekend but more should have been done. Overall great spot, would pick a different time of year next time due to mosquitos but will return!

We just returned from 5 days at Okracoke. Our first few days we experienced high winds, gusting to 30 mph. We spent the first night worried our tent would blow down and the following day reinforcing our guy lines and stakes. Our sight, D5, was on the dunes making sand screws a necessity. The sand spurs in the dunes proved frustrating, especially for our dog Max. The bathrooms were very clean and the water deliciously potable. At night, the absence of ambient light made star gazing a breathtaking experience. There are no fires allowed at the campsite nor are they allowed on the beach In October. Camping just seems better with a campfire and it is an element of camping I sorely missed. The town was a few short miles away with a well stocked grocery and hardware store. The Pony Island Restaurant served fabulous takeout breakfast from a walk up window and lunch at the Okracoke Oyster Company was divine. (The Reuben was one of the best I ever had) The hosts, including their dog, were lovely and helpful. If I were to return, I'd definitely choose a grassy site instead of the dunes and the sand spurs and be prepared for high winds.

I'm tent camping. The lady in the welcome center was in a rush to get out of the building and go work in a next-door diner so she didn't have time to answer any questions about this campground. I paid $30. There's a beautiful place to walk my dog along the water. White sand beach. The site itself has hookups if you need them. It has a picnic table, a fire ring and plenty of space for my vehicle and tent. I'm about 15 feet from the water. Nice view.

Drove down from our 4 night stay in Kitty Hawk, took the ferry over to Ocracoke. Tent camped for the night. Our little spot (D25) had a paved drive that I could back into, a grill and a picnic table. So everything you need really. It dog legged off to the right into to smaller trees witch we took advantage of as a wind break.

We walked over the dunes to the beach, water was warm but the surf was a bit rough so I only went out about waste deep (Rip current). Wind was up that day too, a lot of sea shells on the beach if your into that.

Grounds had shower stalls with cold water, no problem for us and they had men's and women's restrooms that were clean and well lit.

We would defiantly recommend this campground and I hope to stay there again some day!