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Best Campgrounds near Havelock, NC

286 Reviews

Camping options near Havelock, North Carolina range from established campgrounds to dispersed sites across the Croatan National Forest. Several well-maintained facilities cater to various camping styles, including Cedar Point Campground with boat and drive-in access, and the Neuse River Campground offering electrical hookups and shower facilities. Military personnel can access Pelican Point RV Park at Cherry Point MCCS, which provides waterfront sites exclusively for those with base access. The Great Lake Dispersed Site in Croatan National Forest offers free primitive camping for those seeking a more rustic experience.

Road conditions and seasonal considerations should factor into planning, with some forest areas having limited access due to hurricane damage. The region experiences hot, humid summers and mild winters, making spring and fall ideal camping seasons. "Lots of roads closed from hurricane damage, so don't trust Google maps. The dirt roads were not maintained and ridiculously bumpy and unmanageable for smaller cars," noted one visitor about the dispersed sites in Croatan National Forest. Many established campgrounds require reservations, particularly during weekends and summer months. Cell service varies throughout the region, with limited coverage in more remote forest areas.

Campers frequently mention the natural surroundings as a highlight, with several campgrounds offering water access. Flanners Beach Campground receives positive reviews for its privacy and amenities. "Nice little campground with trees and bushes between each site that make it feel private," wrote one camper about this location. Wildlife viewing opportunities include alligators and various bird species in the wetland areas of Croatan National Forest. While most developed campgrounds provide basic amenities like toilets and picnic tables, dispersed camping areas require complete self-sufficiency. Noise levels vary by location, with sites closer to Cherry Point Marine Base experiencing occasional aircraft noise, while forest sites offer more solitude despite sometimes attracting recreational shooters on weekends.

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Best Camping Sites Near Havelock, North Carolina (77)

    1. Oyster Point Campground

    24 Reviews
    Morehead City, NC
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (252) 638-5628

    $10 - $20 / night

    "Fun place to camp, water close by, picnic table and fire ring. Tent pads are pretty big. Host is very nice and cheap."

    "We found a few paths to the river but the river access was very small. There is a Mountain-to-Sea path nearby as well."

    2. Cedar Point Campground

    29 Reviews
    Swansboro, NC
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (252) 638-5628

    $27 - $54 / night

    "Plenty of hiking trails, boat access and woods all right here in this park. The boat access and pier are just a brief walk away from the campground."

    "The one redeeming factor was that it was close to the bath house. The facilities were fairly new. For example, the bath house looked as if it had been built recently, and the concrete looked fresh."

    3. Croatan National Forest Oyster Point Campground

    8 Reviews
    Morehead City, NC
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (252) 638-5628

    "The 24 hour campground park ranger stays on the first site of the right side entrance. There is a oyster fishery nearby."

    "Great location off the beaten path on a dirt road. Campsite 9 backs up to the marsh andhas a great area for watching the sunset. You can also kayak or canoe here."

    4. Dogwood Family Campground

    4 Reviews
    Newport, NC
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (252) 777-4343

    $66 - $80 / night

    "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!"

    5. Great Lake Dispersed Site - Croatan National Forest

    6 Reviews
    Havelock, NC
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (828) 257-4200

    "This is about as close to nature as it gets! All primitive camping, no amenities at all. Beautiful natural surroundings. Watch out for snakes and alligators!"

    "The path is blocked at about halfway down by concrete barriers and downed trees. So I pulled my Ford Ranger in the pines beside the path and slept there."

    6. New Bern KOA Holiday

    13 Reviews
    Bridgeton, NC
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (252) 638-2556

    "Bathrooms: 5/5 Sites: 4/5 upgrades are nice but really expensive for just a concrete pad next to someone else

    Pools: 3/5 they have one but it's pretty meh. Like a 70s motel 8 pool."

    "Gets 4 stars primarily for the staff and the location. Standard sites are crammed together making privacy an issue."

    7. Military Park Cherry Point MCCS - Pelican Point RV Park

    1 Review
    Cherry Point, NC
    3 miles
    Website
    +1 (252) 466-2762

    "There are several different camping locations available throughout the base, all of which are free but must be reserved ahead of time. Base access required! They are all on the water, very peaceful."

    8. Goose Creek Campground

    7 Reviews
    Emerald Isle, NC
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 707-1477

    "Great location, can’t wait to come back!"

    "My wife and I spent a few days here while searching the area for potential retirement location. It's also a seasonal campground."

    9. Croatan National Forest Neuse River Campground

    2 Reviews
    Cherry Point, NC
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (252) 638-5628

    10. Dixon Landing RV Resort

    2 Reviews
    Bridgeton, NC
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (252) 617-1010

    $60 - $90 / night

    "Just far enough away from the noise but close enough to be convenient to everything. Groceries and restaurants, gas and history all within a short drive."

    "This is a very secluded campground right on the wide Goose Creek/Neuse River, with access to the ocean varying from 25-50 miles. "

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Recent Camping Photos near Havelock, NC

89 Photos of 77 Havelock Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Havelock, NC

286 Reviews of 77 Havelock Campgrounds

  • D
    Oct. 8, 2025

    Emerald Isle RV Resort

    Great Month-Long Stay in the Off-Season

    I stayed at Emerald Isle RV Park for a full month right after Labor Day and really enjoyed the experience. It’s clear this is a busy, touristy spot during the summer, but in the shoulder season it was quiet and relaxing, mostly just the permanent sites around.

    The campground has full hookups and is very well kept. The shower houses, laundry, and common areas were spotless solid 4 out of 5 stars for facilities. The only real downside was the Wi-Fi. it’s pretty slow (under 2 Mbps) and gets worse on weekends. It actually gave me a good excuse to finally buy a Starlink, which worked great here.

    Overall, I’d definitely come back for a summer stay. The location can’t be beat you are minutes from the beach, bars, restaurants, and grocery stores. Great spot if you want to camp near the coast without being right in the chaos.

  • Katie B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 8, 2025

    South Core Banks -- Beach Camping — Cape Lookout National Seashore

    Very Special Place

    We spent 3 nights beach camping in our VW Vanagon, and highly recommend this destination if you have the means! The ferry is $135+ for vehicles, plus $20 per person roundtrip. The beach driving permit is $75 unless you buy it by March (I think). We lucked out with our dates just preceding a big fishing competition, and there was a LOT of open beach space. Almost everyone is there to fish. We took bikes and enjoyed cycling around at low tide. Be sure to camp above the high tide zone, which is black sand. There are narrow/impassable points on the beach at high tide, but there are ramps to the back road every mile. Some ramps are very deep sand, others flat and packed. We got by without 4wd, but we didn’t explore beyond finding a spot not too far from the ferry drop off. We befriended our neighbors who took us to the lighthouse at the southern end of the island, which was beautiful! Currently closed for renovations, and the lightkeeper’s house was closed due to the government shutdown. Overall, south core banks is absolutely worth the effort!

  • Richard P.
    Oct. 6, 2025

    Cedar Point Campground

    Cedar Point Campground

    Love this campground. Clean bathrooms and showers. Very nice host.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 29, 2025

    Oyster Point Campground

    Primitive, Quite Campground

    Primitive campground with no frills. Dirt road in and gravel on site drives. Water spigots spread out between the campsites. Vaulted toilets were clean. Camp host was nice and liked to talk. We stayed 2 weeks. Others came in for a night or two and then would leave. All types of campers used the campground: 5th wheel, schoolie, tent campers, hammock campers, truck and car campers. 

    We had site 11 which was on the water side with a path to the water. It was shady for the later part of the day (which wasn't great for our solar panels). Most sites had shade for either the early or late part of the day. Site was fairly level. Foliage provided privacy between sites.

    The hiking path was not well maintained so we chose not to use it.

    Not a lot in the immediate area. Town was 25-30 minutes away, but had all the types of stores.

    Verizon service was good.

  • David B.
    Sep. 23, 2025

    Cedar Creek Campground & Marina

    Everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

    Loved this place. Great-sized RV site with plenty of additional parking. The boat launch went smoothly. Miles of pristine coast. Fish were hitting 2 Klicks north of the marina.

  • EThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 19, 2025

    New Bern KOA Holiday

    Everything was great!

    No complaints! Nice & quiet after dark, clean showers & laundry room, nice view of the Nuese River, with a peir for fishing & a fish cleaning station as well! Nice pool & playground with a bouncy blowup trampoline for kids.

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 16, 2025

    Turkey Quarter Campground

    Turkey Quarter

    Large gravel sites with full hookups in the North Carolina woods. 15 miles NW of New Bern NC. Fire wood included.

  • C
    Sep. 15, 2025

    Black Barn Farm

    A Perfect Getaway

    If you haven't camped at Black Barn Farm in Newport, you are missing out! One of our party needed lodging while we wanted to tent camp, they put us up in a perfect spot so we could be near her in one of their sweet little cabins right on the water. There were beautiful lights and trails throughout, animals, ziplines and playgrounds , plus the friendliest and most accommodating hosts I've ever camped with.

Guide to Havelock

Camping near Havelock, North Carolina offers access to unique wetland ecosystems where longleaf pine forests meet coastal waterways. The Croatan National Forest surrounds Havelock with over 160,000 acres of diverse terrain including pitcher plants and Venus flytraps in its pocosins (raised swamp areas). Spring and fall camping provides comfortable temperatures between 60-75°F while avoiding summer's intense humidity.

What to do

Kayaking from waterfront sites: At Oyster Point Campground, some campsites have direct water access. "There's like a 20 ft path directly from my campsite to the river, which is nice," notes Jenna L. The campground provides excellent water access for paddlers looking to explore the Pamlico Sound.

Wildlife viewing: The wetland ecosystems support diverse species including alligators. "This is a large area of national forest where dispersed camping is allowed. This is about as close to nature as it gets! All primitive camping, no amenities at all. Beautiful natural surroundings. Watch out for snakes and alligators!" advises Virginia W. about exploring the Great Lake Dispersed Site.

Historical exploration: New Bern KOA Holiday serves as an excellent base for exploring nearby historic sites. "New Bern is a really wonderful little town on the coast of NC and this KOA is close to all the action," writes Julie L. The campground is approximately 30 minutes from Havelock and offers convenient access to Tryon Palace, the Pepsi Cola museum, and the fireman's museum.

What campers like

Spacious, private sites: Campers frequently mention site spacing as a major benefit at Cedar Point Campground. "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," reports Steve V. The campground provides level sites with paved parking pads.

Clean facilities: The bathroom facilities at several campgrounds receive positive reviews. "Bathhouse was clean with large, individual showers," notes Rick S. about Cedar Point Campground. At New Bern KOA, campers appreciate the individual bathroom units: "The bathrooms were very clean and each had a shower sink and toilet all to yourself. Climate controlled also," writes Joe B.

Fishing opportunities: Many waterfront campgrounds offer fishing access. At Dixon Landing RV Resort, campers appreciate the fishing potential: "Great area, quiet and very nice owners and campers... fish jumping, quiet and relaxing. On the water so you can put your kayaks in and paddle the creek," according to Rhonda S.

What you should know

Road conditions can be challenging: Forest service roads may be difficult to navigate, particularly after storms. One camper noted about Great Lake Dispersed Site: "The path is blocked at about halfway down by concrete barriers and downed trees. So I pulled my Ford Ranger in the pines beside the path and slept there," reports Austin S.

Insects can be intense: Bug protection is essential, particularly in warmer months. "We loved this campground! It was so easy to access, the roads were well maintained and it was right on the coast... Only complaint is nature related and that's the bugs! The flys are insane but you'll quickly learn to ignore them," advises Hannah F. about Oyster Point.

Frequently Asked Questions

What campgrounds are available near Havelock, NC?

Several quality campgrounds surround Havelock. Flanners Beach Campground is conveniently located between Havelock and New Bern with clean facilities, updated picnic tables, and fire pits. Military families can access Military Park Cherry Point MCCS - Pelican Point RV Park right in Havelock. For those willing to travel a short distance, Croatan National Forest Neuse River Campground offers beautiful riverside sites. Other options include Wallace Meadows Farm for RV camping and the New Bern area provides additional choices like New Bern KOA Holiday and the Rest Area for overnight parking.

What amenities are offered at camping sites around Havelock?

Camping sites around Havelock offer a range of amenities to suit different preferences. Campsite at Wallace Meadows Farm provides excellent 50-amp RV sites with water service, a convenient dump station, and spotless bath houses with hot showers. The farm features both pull-through and back-in sites with easy highway access. Goose Creek State Park Campground offers spacious RV sites with full hookups, large patio/picnic areas, and rental cabins. The park also features beautiful boardwalks and sound access. Most campgrounds in the area provide clean restrooms, picnic tables, and fire pits, while some include additional amenities like showers, dump stations, and water/electric hookups.

What is the best time of year to camp in the Havelock area?

The best time to camp in the Havelock area is spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) when temperatures are mild and humidity is lower. These shoulder seasons offer comfortable camping conditions without summer's intense heat and crowds. Long Point Cabin Camp at Cape Lookout National Seashore is particularly pleasant during these periods, offering uncrowded beaches and comfortable weather. Mid-September can be especially ideal, as noted by campers at Camp Ocean Forest who enjoy the coastal views with fewer visitors. Summer camping is possible but prepare for heat, humidity, and more crowds. Winter camping is available year-round at most sites but expect cooler temperatures requiring appropriate gear.

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