Looking for an adventure where you can explore Kill Devil Hills and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent camping near Kill Devil Hills, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your North Carolina camping adventure.
Primitive camping year-round. No cabins. The park does not offer same-day reservations. For information on the availability of overnight accommodations and particular amenities or to make a reservation, call (800) 933-PARK.
All campers must receive their confirmation letter and information packet before camping at this park. Carefully and thoroughly read the information you receive. False Cape is unusual and can be unpleasant for those who are unprepared. The packet is generally sent via email, but if you need it sent by postal mail, be sure to allow enough time to receive it. No exceptions. All overnight guests must bring two copies of their confirmation letter. One must be placed on the dashboard of their vehicle; the other clipped to the site marker.
Because False Cape is very primitive and has unusually restrictive access, reservations are not available online. For safety's sake, please take the time to carefully read and follow the information below.
Parking is never available at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge for overnight guests. Campers must instead park at the Little Island City Park, leave a copy of their confirmation letter on the dashboard, and walk from five to nine miles through Back Bay Refuge to the park’s campsites. Pets are not allowed access to the park through the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. See below for more information. Beach camping is subject to tides. During significant high tide events, the park may close the campsites. All park guests are subject to Back Bay Refuge and Little Island City Park's rules and regulations. Campers must be out of the refuge before sunset when arriving and departing False Cape State Park. Be prepared for biting insects during summer. They are very common. Little Island City Park in Virginia Beach - the place from which most visitors depart to False Cape - is closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, at noon the day prior to Thanksgiving Day, on Thanksgiving Day, at noon on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. On days when the lot is closed, False Cape staff will meet incoming and outgoing campers at 1 p.m. sharp to let current campers depart and incoming campers enter with enough time to hike, bike and set up camp before nightfall (about 5 p.m.)
$20 / night
$30 - $100 / night
Guide
North Landing has had quite the facelift since our first visit in 2015. Tons of cottages have replaced the coveted waterfront tent sites. Several configurations are offered including studio, one and two-bedroom. RV sites range include water, electric, pull-through and full amenities. There is a large outdoor entertaining pavilion as well as a smaller, indoor event space with full kitchen. There Is a very nice workout room and a bIllIards room adjacent. A decent-sized pool with outdoor shower, a newly-constructed hot tub, miniature golf, basketball, horseshoes, pickle ball, and playground round off the outdoor fun. Unfortunately, as of this writing, they have decided to eliminate tent camping, which will deter quite a few campers.
Ranger
They claim to be a camping resort. Well, their definition of resort and mine are different...The grounds were very well-kept. Their property is Right on the beach and has direct access. Nice sandy beaches. There is a freshwater shower at the entrance to the beach so that you can rinse off when you’re done. The bathhouse was nice and clean. The shower area is co-Ed. They have a cute little play area for the kids, and had scheduled fun activities throughout the week. (some required an extra fee) Office doubled as a little camp store with some basic groceries, cold drinks, and souvenirs type stuff. All of the staff that we came in contact with were extremely friendly and helpful. They have a really nice pool area with zero entry and two small waterslides for the kids. Plenty of chairs on the pool deck, and a small area of shade where you could eat or get out of the sun.They had sites for RVs all the way to tents. We splurged this time (heat, salt, and sand!) and opted for a camping cabin.(I somehow forgot to take pictures of the cabin, but it is identical to the one in my Arkansas review… Except no TV. I really thought there was a TV… But no matter, we didn’t miss it.) The camping cabin was basic one double bed one set of bunkbeds, there was air-conditioning and plenty of room. A nice swing on the covered porch. Picnic table, grill, and fire ring. The cabins were very close together, but it wasn’t an issue. This campground also offers deluxe cabins which look like your typical Beachhouse type rental. We were visiting on the holiday, I had looked into tent camping over the Fourth of July weekend and they wanted $150 a night for a TENT site. Yeah, I don’t think so. The beach at the Outer Banks is lovely, it’s not commercial and trashy (like I would describe Myrtle beach) and as far as I could see everyone on the beach was good about observing social distance, and Nobody crowded each other. We stayed three nights and had a wonderful time. Overall we will definitely stay here again. Oh, dogs are welcome year round on the beach, only restriction being they have to be leashed. They are also welcome at the campground and there is a dog play area and a dog bathing area.
Ranger
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.
Traveler
I went tent camping and fishing in the sound they have much to offer. Enjoyed a nice night with a buddy. Polite people and not loud.
Scout
Its nothing fancy. Good place for a natture hike, campfire amd one night tent camping. Plan on bringing your own water as there isn’t always running water (not sure why).
Legend
30- 50 amp, free cable, laundry Concrete pads, level area, picnic table, full hookups, nice spacing between sites with some grass over the sand. There are some nice wooded sites under the squatty trees, great shade.
They also have a 2 bedroom cottage to rent. Campers and RV's are welcome. Site is well maintained and staff is great. There are 57 sites with full hookups and they have tent sites that have water, electric along with shade. No more than 2 dogs per site. $54.00 full hookups per night $37.00 tent sites with water and electric $35.00 tent dry site LNT
BTYFI
Travel safe
ScoutJust over the sand dunes is the Atlantic Ocean. They have tent sites, non-electric sites and full hook up sites. There are bathroom facilities and showers. Bring your bug, probably gonna need it.
TravelerCamped here while exploring the NPS sites of NC. Could hear the calming waves from the tent site, and just a few short minutes of walking to get to the beach, and we even saw a deer on the dunes! Sand fleas were absolutely terrible at night, bring mosquito netting to hang inside your tent! There’s also no shade here, so get ready to be hot as soon as the sun comes up!
Scout
We camped in the State campground at Pettigrew State Park. It is a small campground with just a few camp sites. We usually overnight there on the way to the NPS campgrounds on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, though it is nice enough to justify a stay if you find yourself in the area. We visited in March, so insects were not a problem, though your experience may be different if you visit during the warmer months, as much of the area surrounding Lake Phelps is cypress swamp.
I little about the campground amenities: it is modest and good for tent camping. Though there is room for RVs, there aren't electrical and water hookups, though most who were there were in RVs. Each site has a fire ring with a grill and firewood is available for a nominal fee. There is a bathhouse with toilet and shower facilities.
The natural beauty is worth the visit. From the campground it is an easy walk to the lake. We were able to see an impressive sunset from the lake shore. There is an out and back 1.5 mile trail, for a total of 3 miles, that follows the lake, taking you through the Somerset Place State Historic Site. The walk passes through the swamp with many large cypress and sycamore trees. At the end of the trail is a walkway to the lake along an irrigation canal.
ScoutIt was a great visit on a hot and tad rainy day. The management around Oregon Inlet is fantastic and overall people are very friendly. Feels quite safe. Bathrooms are relatively clean and accessible. Ocean can be reached via slightly difficult to navigate sand dune trails. Only negative I encountered is the tent sites (both A stand-alone and B & C RV/tent combos) are quite small and are tough to break ground. The site I stayed at was not overly difficult as it had a somewhat grassy-sand hybrid area to the side that housed a Wawoona 6 tent with vestibule. Had to be pretty compact with the neighbor but no issue. OBX sand is also a bit easier to clean!
ScoutA sweet little campground right among the dunes. There is one loop just for tent camping and 2 loops for RVs and campers. All sites are all well within view of others campers. It is a short walk from your site to the beach but the ocean is not visible from any sites. There is no shade and sites are fairly exposed to the wind which makes sand stakes absolutely necessary. Bathrooms are basic but lack soap dispensers so bring your own. Showers are cold. Watch out for small cactus and sand spurs. Don’t miss the Bodie lighthouse (about a 3 min drive). The campground is also within about 15 mins of restaurants, gas stations, a full grocery store, Jennette’s Pier, and attractions in Nags Head. Overall there is nothing particularly special about this campground but the location and quiet beaches are a definite plus.
Traveler
Didn’t know it was the weekend of the wind surfing competition, rodanthe in general was booked, called the number she was obviously at home but that didn’t stop her from getting up and meeting us there, we got there and it was just beautiful right on the inlet side but you could see the atlantic from there as well, the sunset is amazing, the park was full but it was quiet the duck pond was pretty and it was home to the ducks, the view of the sunset was an hour of beautiful sunset pictures if you every look at a framed picture of a beautiful sunset that how it was at this camp site for a solid hour i love this spot and will forever go there we tent camped the breeze off the inlet made it perfect at night during the day its wide open no trees or shade suggest bringing something to create shade but otherwise beautiful
Legend
Rodanthe Watersports Campground is both a campground and a rental site. The campground is small - about 25 sites or so, some near trees while others are soundfront. This campground offers unbeatable, gorgeous sunsets - which make up for the closeness in proximity to your neighbor.
As we pulled in, we noticed a sign - which informs you that you pay by the person at this campground. We also noticed kayaks, surfboards and stand up paddle boards for rent! The rental hut was precious and the employee just as kind as can be.
Some of the sites had campfire rings, but most did not. We found out later you had to request one when booking if you wanted one…live and learn! We also learned you could have a bonfire on the beach (with a permit), which made up for that.
RV and tent sites were both offered, yet either way, you were within earshot of your neighbor. All that aside, we would come back for the sunsets alone. They were FANTASTIC!
LegendOregon Inlet Campground is located on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It is the first campground found on the island, very close to Nags Head, on the beach side of route 12.
We prefer campgrounds like Oregon Inlet, because they are natural and have beautiful scenery. We love being within steps of the ocean and being able to stare at the tip of the lighthouse (Bodie Island - you can tell by the direction of the stripes!) through the dunes. The Outer Banks also has some amazing stars - we watched a meteor shower which was incredible!!
Oregon Inlet Campground has a loop (Loop A) which only allows tent camping. Most of the sites are pretty close together (many too close for our comfort) but there are a couple that are tucked back in the dunes and a bit further away from the rest.
This campground has free hot showers - just pull the ring and nice warm water runs for about 20 seconds before shutting off. Outside the bathhouse there is a water fountain that has a water bottle fill up station - which is SO nice at the beach!!! We were able to refill waterbottles easily - with water we felt good about drinking! It also did not have the salty taste that many beach water fountains do!
GuideWe camped in Loop A with two tents for four nights in July 2020, and were impressed by the proximity to the beach (five minutes through the dunes, even with kids who whine about carrying things and a small puppy who needs to stop and smell everything) and general organization and cleanliness of facilities.
But the campsites are not very big and hardly separated from each other, especially those on inside of the loop (even numbers). Campsites on the side of the loop closest to the road are really close to the road and there is a lot of road noise (a dune in the middle of the loop helps dampen the sound on the lower-numbered side).
Official access to the bathhouse is only from the side nearest the office, so it’s a ways to go if you’re on the other end of the loop. Official access to the beach is between sites 9 & 11 and 19 & 21, but all the odd-numbered tent sites on that side of the loop have their own little paths.
Showers are cool/ambient temperature water only and unlit.
I would not advise camping here in summer without some sort of shade shelter. They are not joking when they say it’s exposed and there’s no tree cover.
Staff was helpful, friendly, and demonstrated good social distancing.
Local/federal regulations permit driving on the beach, and we had a weekend afternoon hemmed in by pickup trucks, even being honked at for “crossing the road” on foot, but weekdays were not so busy or rude.
We’ll go back if we can get an odd-numbered site below about 21 in A Loop.
LegendWe 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!
Legend
We’ve lived so close to this park for so long and I regret not coming sooner. This park is 5+ miles from the Little Island Park Parking lot, where you have to park if you’re staying overnight. So, you have to hike, bike or boat into the primitive campground because its access is blocked by Back Bay Wildlife Refuge. But because of this, the Park is a serene oasis away from traffic, no RV’s, not a lot of people. A great place to get away from it all! We hiked in on the East Dike trail through Back Bay, about 5.4 miles, with everything for the weekend on our backs. The trail is a rock/gravel road, probably more suited to bikes as it was pretty hard on our feet. But beautiful views of Back Bay on the way to the Park. Once we made it to the park, we stopped in the Visitors Center, which sells cold drinks, is air conditioned, has clean full-service bathrooms and friendly attendants who answered all our questions we had about the camping. From the Visitors Center, it’s about another .5 or so of a soft sandy hike to the Oceanside Barbour Hill campground, where we stayed. Our campsite was #12 and the attendant told us it was one of the new sites this year. It was close to the pit toilet bathrooms, drinking water faucet, and outdoor shower. The campsite was very secluded, you can’t see it from the main road, it’s tucked back in the live oaks. Site #13 is close by, would make a great buddy site. The campsite has a picnic table and a hook to hang your food and trash at night. Fires are not allowed but small camping stoves are, so we brought a little pocket rocket butane stove to cook on. What we didn’t know when we made reservations here is that you actually have two sites to choose from at this campground. There is the #12 in the live oaks site and then is you walk a short distance to the Beach, you have a designated #12 spot on the beach that you can choose to camp at as well! It was awesome! We ended up doing most of the cooking and eating at the live oaks site and sleeping and hanging out at the beach since there is no picnic table or anything at the beach site. Such an amazing experience to wake up to the sun rising over the Atlantic ocean and sleeping under the stars. There were only two other tents camped out on the beach with us when we were there so it was still pretty isolated. If you want to be on the beach by yourself, just walk less than a mile down either way and there is not a soul. There’s tons of hiking, interesting things to see, beautiful nature. We saw dolphins playing in the ocean! The beach alive with crabs! Osprey catching fish! We saw an old graveyard and church steeple at Wash Woods, that’s definitely worth the hike. We walked to the North Carolina border. There’s a Loveworks and a buoy that marks the southernmost Virginia State Park. We hiked over 30 miles over the weekend, there so much to do, we are exhausted! We came in mid-June and the weather was gorgeous - 80s during the day and 60s at night. There were some biting flies and mosquitos but nothing a little bug spray couldn’t take care of. We did not see any snakes. At the end of our trip, we opted to hike back to Little Island on the beach through Back Bay. It was slightly shorter, 5.1 miles, but a tougher hike because of the sand. We came home exhausted, sunburnt, blisters, but just in awe of this amazing park. It’s definitely worth the hike!
GuideThough we were caught camping in what seemed to be a very dramatic North Carolina storm we made the best of it. Good location all around, close to the ocean and cool towns nearby. Showers could use some updating but I guess that’s what we get for winter camping on the coast! Also another down side... close to the highway so it was a bit loud at night
GuideEven on the fourth of July weekend, with every campsite booked, this place was quiet and felt very removed from the beaches several miles north in Virginia Beach. We biked in from Little Island Park.
From the parking lot to our campsite, it was about 7.5 miles. Some campsites are closer by a couple of miles. We're both in good shape, and on bike we made the trek in less than an hour. I rode my mountain bike, and my wife road her hybrid commuter bike without issue. We brought a collapsible 5 gallon jug that I had to ride back to the visitors center (about 2 miles from our campsite) to fill up.
It was a fair amount of work, but we took our 9 month old and 2 year old children. We towed them in a trailer and they loved their time at the beach.
The visitors center is a great spot to stop and rest for a while. It is air conditioned, and they have a small gift shop with cold drinks and ice cream available.
We were on site 22, which is ocean side, and right up next to 23. They could easily act as companion sites. If you camp on the ocean side, you are permitted to set up your tent on the shore (in a designated strip) as long as you let them know at the visitors center.
All other campers we met were quiet and friendly. and we really just could not have asked for a better situation.
This is my kind of day at the beach. I loved it.
Also, pets are allowed, but they are not allowed through Black Bay. You either have to bring them in via boat, or coming up south from North Carolina.
Legend
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:
ScoutThe pricing is incorrect on The Dyrt and their website. The Dirt states $20-$60 then I went to their business website and the cheapest (tent no hookup) was $40. So I called to find out what was correct. The young girl on the phone stated that the cheapest price was $45 (again tent and no hookup). The girl was very rude. Be aware of the pricing issue. I will not visit.
TravelerWe had a really tough visit for a family camping trip! we purchased these amazing attached camping tents that you can put a pop-up in between. We assembled our super tent and quickly realized that the wind was not going to allow us to do anything that we had planned. We then proceeded to have the wind rip apart our central canopy and completely destroy it and forcing us to try to drive the hour and 15 minutes back into Kitty Hawk to try to find a replacement for The center part of our tent. This pretty much ruined the first day of camping. Throughout the rest of the time we ended up having three tents attached to the middle piece that was sunken into sand buckets and then the sand was filled with water to further anchor the legs of the pop-up canopy. This is the only way to have a pop-up canopy at any of these sites. We experienced a full body exfoliationFrom the consistent winds that picked up ridiculous amounts of sand so that all of our kids were sandblasted bright red. Be aware that their showers will not have sufficient light to take a shower after dark. The park rangers are very cool and try to be as helpful as possible. We did not have a pleasant experience. We also experienced a thunderstorm and a sighting of a shark less than 4 feet away from my husband while he was fishing along the shore. I would recommend however staying at another campground and getting a pass to drive along the beach, that is always fun.
TravelerThis is a tough place. Big winds and lots of rain. Trucks on the beach everywhere.
Town to get fish a long way away.
Grilling tough in the wind.
Get long tent stakes.
GuideMultiple different sites for tents and campers. It’s right next to a drive on beach access plus there are paths to walk to the beach. Each site has plenty of space between them and all are fairly close to bathroom and showers.
Traveler
Room behind site in grass for games and tent, two car maximum space between site entrances, ocean within walking distance and stays a constant turnover of 77 degreesF. Separate inside and outside pool and jacuzzi. Helpful staff to acquire additional parking pass. Quick check-in.
ScoutLoved camping here! The campground is a short walk over the dunes to the beach and close to other points of interest such as Wright Brothers National Memorial, Jockey’s Ridge State Park and the town of Nags Head. The bItIng insects were vicious so don’t forget bug spray. But it was summer near the beach, so what do you expect? We treated our tent with permethrin after the first night which seemed to help a lot.
Legend
I visited well before the recent hurricanes when water was just typical of the season. Despite this, the lower area, more wooded and appealing to tent campers was partially boggy and marshy, leaving it unavailable for camping.
I looked further for another campsite for my evening of camping and ended up in the open area, which provided little to no overhead coverage and closer neighbors. It was ok, but the sites in the trees would have been much better because they were more spread out.
Ending up in the open clearing, I was very close to the parking lot, which was great for moving my camping materials, however late in the evening people pulling in nearly blinded me, because there was no break from their headlights.
I asked if there were other options the next morning and staff was not the most helpful or friendly. I had considered saying a second night in the area to see more of the awesome things in the Kitty Hawk area, but because this sites wasn't helpful in accommodating me in a less trafficked area and didn't even seem to want to speak to me in regard to this and because other camps in the are did not allow tents, I ended up moving on instead and missing out on the things which could have been.
Camping in this area is tough, it could have been completely different if it had not been so wet!!
Tent camping near Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, offers a unique blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Kill Devil Hills, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Kill Devil Hills, NC is False Cape State Park Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 11 reviews.
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