Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Kill Devil Hills, NC

Obx Campground is located on Collington Island right behind Kitty Hawk, in the outer banks. It is clean, simple, and convenient to Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills. The roadways are gravel and the sites are back in gravel with a picnic table and full hookups. There are 2 ponds and another place with water access on the property. You will need to drive to public access areas to get to the beach on the other side of town. There is a market on the drive to the camp ground that has fresh seafood and fish that is very good! We bought fish to cook while we were there and also more to take home. The sites are large and there is plenty of room for slide outs and the two vehicles you are permitted to have on site. This is a great place for families and not a place you will find a bunch of party animals. We found OBX Campground convenient for visiting the Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills area.

The campground's location is awesome, it's right in the middle of the Outer Banks, close to Bodie Island Lighthouse,  Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Jockey Ridge State Park, Wright Brothers National Memorial, etc.

We stayed at the group site, which is basically just a patch of grass with a few picnic tables. We visited on Memorial Day 2018, and the first night was very pleasant, with nice cool breeze from the ocean. The second night though was hot, humid and brought an army of mosquitoes. The campground has no shade, so I wouldn't go there during the summer months. If you do, bring your own shelter or beach umbrella.

You can walk to the beach through the dunes, it's a very short walk. The bathrooms and showers are clean and nice.

When we stayed there in 2018, we could hear some noise from the bridge construction nearby. I'm assuming it's done by now, and even back then it wasn't too bad.

This was a very nice campground. Small, privately owned. Very spacious lots, especially considering it’s in OBX. The person we spoke to when reserving was very kind and professional. The grounds are flat, many sites are private / back up to preserve type landscape however sites 51-53 are close to a guy across the creek that plays his radio super loud all night and sometimes all day, and is verbally very loud at times, too. We were in site 52, we would definitely return to this campground but would prefer a different spot next time. 52 & 53 currently have a view of a person’s backyard whose property neighbors the campground edge. They were quiet but the guy would drive through 53 to go to the back of his yard when 53 was empty. There’s bushes planted along the property edge so it’ll eventually grow in and be better. Again, great ownership/employees, and great campground, we just didn’t love the sites 52/53 personally. Some may not mind those concerns I shared. This campground is located in a great spot, on Colington Island technically still Kill Devil Hills. We adventured to many local attractions easily from the campground. Highly recommend 4WDing on the beach in Corolla and checking out the lighthouses. Billy’s Seafood is on the way into the campground and has fantastic local seafood!

We stayed in site #4, which is one of the water/electric sites right on Pamlico Sound. Very level, and the view was amazing. All the sites were very small and tightly spaced, with zero privacy, which is pretty standard for such prime waterfront real estate (and typical of most popular beach destinations).  Since the sites were so small, this place was really geared more toward tent campers and those with shorter RVs (25’ or less, I’d say). Each site had a picnic table, and most had a fire pit, which is pretty rare in this area (many CGs ban ground fires due to frequent high winds).

Bath house was ok. Cleanliness was so-so, depending on the day, but the biggest issue was it was not air-conditioned, so using the restroom was generally a pretty muggy and unpleasant experience. However, the amazing outdoor showers made up for it. They were huge, with great water pressure, and felt wonderful after a long, hot day in the sun. Unfortunately, there was often trash or toiletries left behind from other guests in the showers, but there was so much room and ledge space that it was easy to avoid and didn’t bother me. Generally speaking, the bath houses and grounds could stand a little more regular cleaning and maintenance, but since the owners run a watersport rental business from the property, it’s obvious that’s their main focus. Once checked in, it seems campers are left to their own devices until/unless they want to rent some equipment, because the owners and staff spent all day at the rental booth. I didn’t find this to be a problem at all; I just mention this to advise other campers to expect a more hands-off management approach, at least on the camping side. If you want to rent some water sport equipment while in the Outer Banks, this is a great place; the selection and prices are good (and half off for campers), you can launch right from your site, and the staff are very knowledgeable. Even if you aren’t into watersports, the sound is great for wading and cooling off, especially for kids, since it’s so calm and shallow. The sunsets are breathtaking, and it’s especially fun to watch the kite surfers out on the water in the evening. On a final note, be forewarned that the wind here is no joke. Be prepared to securely tie down any tents, pop-up gazebos or screen houses you have. The wind was so strong for two nights that our pop-up was shaking most of the night. The good thing about the wind was it kept the bugs away, because mosquitoes here are brutal when there is no breeze.

The Outer Banks are chock-full of activities and attractions for the whole family, whether you prefer your vacations relaxing or action-packed. Most of the more active, kid-centered attractions are farther north in the Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hills area. Rodanthe is definitely quieter and less crowded, which we liked, but there are still plenty of restaurants in the vicinity, more kite and water sport outfitters, souvenir shops, and an arcade. Lisa’s Pizzeria, right next door to the CG, was amazing. Buxton is worth a day trip down for an Apple Ugly at the Orange Blossom, and a tour of the Hatteras Lighthouse and adjacent National Seashore visitor center. Ocracoke is another neat day trip, but we didn’t have time.

Overall, this is a really neat little campground on the sound, and the prices are great for the area (much lower than the big RV resorts a few blocks away). There are quite a few campgrounds in the Tri-Villages alone, and after driving through most of them, I would probably opt for Rodanthe Watersports again. If you can deal with the tight spacing, minimal upkeep, and lack of big-resort amenities, this is a great, cost-effective option in a gorgeous setting!

Coming to North Carolina, coastal camping is something which has to be on your bucket list. I traveled down the highway looking to get closer to Kitty Hawk where I wanted to see some of the many first in flight stops and this place jumped out at me and welcomed me in from the highway.

I stopped and. a local store and they raved about its location and proximity to the water so I simply had to stop and see for myself. I was not disappointed.

If you are looking for waterfront camping and activities I cannot see any location being more serene especially around sunrise and sunset. The water front stretches for miles and is so peaceful. Despite being located near the town of Bells itself you feel removed from civilization and next to your new close friend at the campground, where everyone seemed very nice.

As a tent camper I found the only downfall to be that the facility only had one shower area for the entire camp, and on a busy weekend like when I was there on a holiday that could be a bit of a juggling act for everyone. The bathrooms themselves were nice, though a bit dated and the entire camp was quaint.

They had a dock and launch which made for perfect water activities and when I was there they had many outdoor activities for everyone to enjoy.

When you think of one of those cute communities nestled right on the east coast you see in your mind something that looks just like this place. It was ideal!

TIPS:

• When traveling in this area check out the slightly strange and interesting spot Diggers Dungeon, a monster truck Mecca that will bring up a few memories even if you aren't really a fan. This spot is really interesting and has a diner, petting zoo and even tours of the shop where they put together the most famous monster truck of all times "Gravedigger"
• Bring your water toys. This place is the perfect site for getting out the jet ski or just floating in the amazing feeling waters.

We loved this no-frills campground. Upon arrival, we were greates by the camp host, Glenn who was incredibly helpful throughout our stay. We stayed at Beechland for 6 days and really enjoyed our stay. The hook ups all looked new and this may have been the cleanest camp ground I've ever stayed at. The bathrooms, showers and pool were pristine. We saw a staff member cleaning them every day at 9am. We brought our dogs with us. There was plenty of grass for them, a dog park, and several bag stations. Beechland is conveniently located within walking distance to downtown Manteo and is only a 10- 15 minute drive to Nags Head Beach.

Beechland doesn't have a laundry room or campstore but there is a grocery store, laundromat and coffee shop just down the road.