Best Tent Camping near Kure Beach, NC

Tent campers visiting Kure Beach, North Carolina have several established campgrounds within driving distance, including Freeman Park which offers beach camping directly on the sand and Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area located across from the beach. Freeman Park provides a unique opportunity for tent camping with designated sites positioned just 50 feet from the ocean, though military ID is required for Fort Fisher. Lake Waccamaw State Park Campground, located about 45 minutes inland, offers more traditional wooded tent sites with greater privacy.

Most tent sites in the area require varying levels of preparation depending on location. Freeman Park demands 4x4 vehicles for access, as the camping area is directly on the beach with soft sand that can trap unprepared vehicles. A camper wrote, "Remember, when camping on sand, you don't need stakes. Instead you bring 4 plastic bags, fill them with sand, tie the tent corners to the bags and bury them in the sand." Primitive tent sites at Lake Waccamaw feature fire rings and picnic tables but involve longer walks from parking areas to campsites. Sites 2-5 at Lake Waccamaw are a quarter-mile or more from parking, requiring campers to plan carefully when packing gear.

The tent camping experience varies dramatically between beach and inland locations. Beach camping at Freeman Park offers the sound of crashing waves and sunrise views over the ocean, but comes with exposure to wind, sun, and potentially crowded conditions during peak season. One visitor noted, "Freeman Park is a beach area located in Carolina Beach. It's the place to take your 4x4 vehicle, your friends, kids, and dogs, and have some fun in the sand, wind, and waves." Lake Waccamaw provides a more secluded forest setting with sites spaced far enough apart that campers rarely see or hear neighbors. Tent campers at both locations should prepare for insects, particularly mosquitoes, which can be persistent in the coastal Carolina environment. Primitive toilet facilities are available at most locations, though shower access is limited.

Best Tent Sites Near Kure Beach, North Carolina (8)

    1. Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area

    11 Reviews
    Kure Beach, NC
    0 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 500-6465

    "The RV spaces were all full so we were put in overflow.  Overflow is great!  It was wide open; we were next to the stage, right next to the stage and could see the river and the restaurant. "

    "Great restaurants in Kure Beach also. Coming back.

    Recommend parking at your site, then going to check in. Not much space to turn around at the office."

    2. Freeman Park

    9 Reviews
    Carolina Beach, NC
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 458-4614

    $20 - $90 / night

    "Freeman Park is a beach area located in Carolina Beach. It's the place to take your 4x4 vehicle, your friends, kids, and dogs, and have some fun in the sand, wind, and waves."

    "Winds can be high and tents are a challenge to secure in loose sand. Also CRITICAL to be educated about beach weather and TIDES!!!! Super high tides were present during my visit."

    3. Lake Waccamaw State Park Campground

    4 Reviews
    Lake Waccamaw, NC
    38 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 646-4915

    $17 / night

    "This campground is very beautiful - clean amenities, and only a few well-kept campsites with fire rings, grills and several picnic benches."

    "The Yurt had been removed but the platform stayed. We were able to get up our large tent on the platform and have enough space for our chairs. The lake is beautifully kept and clean. Very shallow."

    4. Whispering Pines Nudist Resort

    1 Review
    Sunset Beach, NC
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 287-6404

    5. Cypress Ranch Glamping

    1 Review
    Sunset Beach, NC
    38 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 880-2256

    6. River Island Adventures

    3 Reviews
    North Myrtle Beach, SC
    50 miles
    Website
    +1 (843) 882-7487

    $40 - $65 / night

    "The workers were a joy to be around and very attentive. Our campsite was amazing"

    7. Black River Camping Ventures

    2 Reviews
    Ivanhoe, NC
    44 miles
    +1 (910) 669-2392

    $45 / night

    "This campground is situated right along the Black River in Bladen County NC. Approximately 1 hour from Wilmington, Fayetteville, and Jacksonville."

    8. Virginia Creek Campground

    Be the first to review!
    Holly Ridge, NC
    35 miles
    +1 (910) 329-4648
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Tent Camping Reviews near Kure Beach, NC

187 Reviews of 8 Kure Beach Campgrounds


  • Kevin M.
    Mar. 18, 2017

    Carolina Beach State Park Campground

    Love Carolina Beach State Park!

    Our family has tent camped here twice and recently reserved a camp cabin for a week this summer. This is a quiet and spacious campground mere miles from Carolina Beach at a price that's hard to beat. We tent camp here around $30 a night for a tent site. Each site is very large and spacious. It could could comfortably fit 2 tents and a car.

    This Campground offers bathhouses, picnic tables, and fire rings. Dogs allowed, but not in the cabins. Plenty of walking trails.

    Campground is flat and shaded, although there are some primative group sites away from the main campground but they don't have as much shade. Grocery store is maybe 6 miles away.

  • Kathryn  W.
    Aug. 8, 2018

    Carolina Beach State Park Campground

    Beautiful coastal forest on the banks of the Cape Fear River

    The group campground is isolated from the rest of the camping areas and is quiet at night. There are a lot of park visitors who walk through the area, but the trail through goes around he main campsites. The pit toilets are in need of some attention, but have always been well stocked. It’s about 400 yards to hike in, so we used a wagon to bring in gear. No water on site, but a really nice fire pit with grill top and 2 picnic tables. Shady tent sites available, but really hot and buggy in summer. Group camp site is about .5 mile hike from the river which is great for wading, but swimming is not allowed.

    Many species of carnivorous plants grow here and abundant wildlife.

    in the summer months there is a place to rent kayaks and paddle boards at the marina.

  • M
    Apr. 1, 2019

    Carolina Beach State Park Campground

    Great Family Spot

    The camp ground was really easy to get around with kids, plenty of trails that preschool kids can enjoy as well as adults. Lots of beautiful views just a short hike away. We camped in a primitive tent site, plenty of shade with nice picnic table and fire ring with grill grate. The bathrooms were so clean, we were really impressed. The rangers are super helpful and very nice. One of our best camping trips ever. Fort Fisher Historic site and Aquarium are less than 15 minutes away. Beach accesses are less than 5 minutes away by car. I would highly recommend visiting in early Spring or late Fall. I live a short distance away and the mosquitoes are unbearable in the warmer months.

  • Sam M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 24, 2018

    Carolina Beach State Park Campground

    beach + camping = awesome

    Carolina beach state park is one of my favorite places to go in North Carolina. Not only does it have an awesome campground, but it's right near one of the best beaches I've ever been to. The sites are nice and secluded, just how I like them. Most of the sites are tent sites, but they have a few full hookup sites for RVs and some cabins to rent too. All of the sites have picnic tables, fire rings, and drinking water.

    Within the park, there are tons of hiking trails through a really beautiful area. I hear the fishing is also really good within the park, but I've never done it myself. The only downside is you can't swim within the park, because the currents can get dangerous. The beach is only like 5 minutes away though, so not really a big deal.

    As for the beach, it's my favorite one to go to in the states. I like it because it's not really touristy like the outer banks or myrtle beach. Not a whole lot of people come to it, so it's always pretty secluded and clean. In July, the water temperature is perfect, the waves are nice, and it's great all around.

    Awesome spot in NC.

  • Kelley K.
    Oct. 12, 2020

    Carolina Beach State Park Campground

    Great place, mosquitos are brutal

    We camped here Wed through Sat for my son's fall break. We arrived on Wed afternoon around 4pm. I was wearing leggings and the mosquitos literally landed on my leggings and bit me through them. I didn't even know that could happen. I should have left the campsite then and gone to Walmart, 17 min away, and bought enough bug spray and candles for the weekend but we set up the campsite instead. We just got back so camped the first week in October, site 17. For the four days, I had two citronella candles, one on the picnic table and one near our camping chairs, a thermocell fogger in the tent (ran for about an hour before we went in to go to sleep)  and then two bottles of 40% deet spray...one for our car when we came back to the campsite and one on the picnic table. We brought our kayaks and launched from both the Carolina Beach State Park marina and also Trails End public access (intercoastal waterway). Both were great with plenty of parking while we were there. There are VERY large yachts in the trails end area which are cool to see, just be careful when paddling that area. We fished at both places and also at Carolina beach from the surf. I caught a HUGE drum there. Lots of dogs off of leashes (rules change Oct 1st) so that was cool to see. We mostly cooked at the campsite but ate dinner at Sea Witch Cafe one night. The place is dog friendly, which we needed, and the food was reasonably priced and so good. The park rangers lock the gates at 9pm and they don't open until 7am so you have to plan accordingly. This wasn't an issue for us, we just watched the clock and made sure we were back. Beach is about 6 min away, Walmart is about 17 min or so, several grocery stores nearby (Food Lion, Publix). Overall, it was a great trip, I just wasn't prepared initially for the mosquitos. I got 90 bites that first day. I even had to constantly spray down my dog to keep the mosquitos off of her. It was a bit much. Definitely put all of your food in your car or at a minimum in your tent. Raccoons come nightly. :) We lost a quesadilla, some dog food, etc.

  • Cindy A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 28, 2022

    Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area

    Stayed at Fort Fisher for the Kite Festival Nov 2022

    The RV spaces were all full so we were put in overflow.  Overflow is great!  It was wide open; we were next to the stage, right next to the stage and could see the river and the restaurant.  The restaurant was closed but they had a wedding on Saturday, so there was lots of car traffic in the parking lot.  Not a problem.  Expected a cool day, but it was hot and there were sooo many people going to the kite festival. 

    All good, inexpensive place to stay.  The restrooms/showers, women's, were clean but well worn.  Still this is camping, or glamping, right?

    Pretty nice place to park the trailer and enjoy Kure Beach!

  • Katy S.
    Aug. 2, 2020

    Freeman Park

    4x4 Camping Heaven

    Freeman Park is a beach area located in Carolina Beach. It's the place to take your 4x4 vehicle, your friends, kids, and dogs, and have some fun in the sand, wind, and waves.

    First and foremost, make sure you know how to drive in the sand and what to do when your car gets stuck. It happened to us, as well as to many vehicles on the beach.

    Also, be aware of the tides, it's dangerous to be driving near the water when the high tide comes in.

    The camping is allowed on the beach Labor Day through memorial Day, but might require a permit, check the rules before you go. In the past, the permit was required only after April 1, so we always tried to come in February or March, when the weather is nice but not too hot.

    The camping is allowed in the designated spaces. There's enough room for one tent. Remember, when camping on sand, you don't need stakes. Instead you bring 4 plastic bags, fill them with sand, tie the tent corners to the bags and bury them in the sand. This will prevent your tent from flying away,

    There are several pit toilets on the beach, some trash cans are provided too. There's a store next to the fishing pier a short distance from the beach where we usually go to brush our teeth in the morning. 

    I love Freeman park and give it 4 stars only because it's a primitive camping spot and people should be aware what to expect. It doesn't have fancy amenities, but the proximity to the ocean is priceless. 

    Our favorite dining spot: The Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar in Carolina Beach.

  • Alex M.
    Jul. 20, 2022

    Carolina Beach State Park Campground

    Unpleasant Stay

    This campground has plenty of curb appeal: large sites, nicely spaced; shade trees and privacy shrubs; clean, well-lit bathrooms with quality fixtures. I only realized my mistake once I started setting up my tent. The biggest drawback here is the mosquitoes. Out of 30+ campgrounds this summer, this is the first one where I've had to break out the picaridin lotion. (It worked, luckily.) Other wildlife included big black ants - lots of them - and spiders so massive I could see their eyes gleaming in the beam of my headlamp.

    These are all natural parts of camping in this environment. What really ground my gears was the RV campers across from me who ran a generator. They turned it off at 11 pm, thankfully, but it came right back on at 8 am. I wasted no time getting out of there. Bad, bad campground etiquette. RV folks - please don't do this, even if you're technically allowed to. It ruins the experience for your neighbors.

  • Kirsten J.
    Jul. 14, 2019

    Wishing Well

    Small campground near sunset beach

    Wishing Well campground is located off Sunset Beach in NC. It is a smaller campground, and much of the shared ground is a storage facility for boats and RV's that are not in use.  There are about 10 or 15 RV sites in the loop and the bathhouse is at the back of the loop.  Behind the bathhouse are about 10 tent sites, with electricity at most.  It was nice that the picnic tables were covered in the back of the property - yet the approach from the road, and the initial entraceway would turn some people away from this campground.  

    The people (and owners) were very friendly and I did like the privacy that this campground held.  It was close enough to easily drive to the beach, without being in the middle of craziness.  

    The bathhouse - very clean - but dated.  The showers were small - changing areas were provided, which was nice.  This is a nice campground - and very affordable!


Guide to Kure Beach

Tent camping opportunities near Kure Beach, North Carolina extend beyond the beach to include inland options within a 45-mile radius. The coastal Carolina environment features sandy shores with warm water temperatures reaching the mid-80s in summer months and cooler inland lakes surrounded by pine forests. Camping in this region requires preparation for persistent coastal insects and significant temperature fluctuations between day and night, especially during spring and fall shoulder seasons.

What to do

Kayaking the Black River: Black River Camping Ventures provides access to tea-colored water perfect for paddling adventures. Located about an hour from Kure Beach, campers can explore downstream to find ancient cypress trees. As one visitor noted, "The tea-colored water provides excellent fishing, exploration by kayak or paddleboard, or it can be your next favorite swimming hole. Miles down river you can find the oldest cypress trees east of the Rocky Mountains."

Fishing from dedicated piers: Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area offers fishing opportunities for military families. According to one camper, the area "has shop, rental center, and fishing pier within walking distance of the camping area. Also has a nice pool and rec center, as well as ongoing outdoor classes (kayaking, ghost turtle hunting, etc)."

Waterfront activities at River Island: River Island Adventures combines camping with organized water recreation about 50 minutes from Kure Beach. A visitor explained, "This is a water adventure company that also has camping on the property. You can reserve a camp spot without signing up for any river activities, but camping does give you a little discount on activities if you do decide to rent a kayak or anything."

What campers like

Watching sunrise over the ocean: Beach camping at Freeman Park offers direct oceanfront views. One camper shared their experience: "We loved it. We were almost alone, only one other vehicle. Two nice guys just there to night fish. After they left we only had the police truck making his rounds every few hours. Wonderful to wake up to the sunrise over the ocean."

Easy access to local attractions: Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area provides a central location for exploring nearby points of interest. A reviewer mentioned, "Less than a mile from the Aquarium and fort fisher civil war museum. Great restaurants in Kure Beach also."

Private camping at inland sites: Lake Waccamaw State Park Campground offers secluded tent sites away from crowds. As one camper described: "This campground is very beautiful - clean amenities, and only a few well-kept campsites with fire rings, grills and several picnic benches. The sites are all a far distance from one another so there's no chance of bothering one another at night."

What you should know

Military ID requirements: Access to certain campgrounds is restricted to military personnel. A reviewer at Fort Fisher clarified: "You need a DOD ID card to stay here. It is affordable if you qualify to stay. They will check and make you leave if you are not a card holder."

Beach driving conditions: Four-wheel drive vehicles are essential for Freeman Park access. A camper advised: "First and foremost, make sure you know how to drive in the sand and what to do when your car gets stuck. It happened to us, as well as to many vehicles on the beach. Also, be aware of the tides, it's dangerous to be driving near the water when the high tide comes in."

Long walks to facilities: Several campgrounds require significant hiking from parking areas to sites. At Lake Waccamaw, a visitor warned: "The only warning I'd give is you are permitted to drive to your campsite to set up, but sites 2-5 are a quarter mile plus from the parking area. I didn't read the key on the map, so that's my fault for not knowing. But just a heads up, especially sites 4 and 5 (we were in 4) are very far from the bathroom. Don't forget anything in the car."

Tips for camping with families

Seasonal timing considerations: Cypress Ranch Glamping offers alternative accommodations when tent camping conditions are challenging. For beach camping at Freeman Park, one camper advised: "This is a great place where you can camp directly on the beach, but because it is located in Wilmington, NC it can get VERY busy. During busy times you have to apply for or get a permit. It's very hot and busy during the summer but if you go in spring, fall or warm winter days it's absolutely amazing."

Educational programs for children: Nearby attractions supplement camping experiences with learning opportunities. Fort Fisher offers "ongoing outdoor classes (kayaking, ghost turtle hunting, etc)" and is "Less than a mile from the Aquarium and fort fisher civil war museum."

Accommodations for different comfort levels: Black River Camping Ventures provides basic amenities that work well for families. A reviewer noted: "The campground is primitive but still provides plenty of basic amenities includes super clean portable bathrooms, non-potable water pumps, picnic tables fishing pier, fire pits, and charcoal grills. There is a country store a 1/2 mile up the road that can provide food, fishing gear, etc and the nearest time town is about 10 minutes away which has a dollar store."

Tips from RVers

Hookup locations: Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area provides full hookups but has some layout challenges. One RVer observed: "The sites themselves are extremely long, but for some reason the hook-ups are all near the front of the site, so you can't take advantage of the length. They were in the process of repaving the sites during the stay, so there were some that were pristine and others with bits of rebar sticking out of them."

Site selection for convenience: RVers should consider facility proximity when selecting sites. An experienced camper recommended: "Recommend parking at your site, then going to check in. Not much space to turn around at the office. They also have boone dock and electric only spots."

Limited turning space: Fort Fisher has navigation challenges for larger vehicles. One RVer cautioned: "The sites are back-in only and arranged on either side of a road that ends in a cul-de-sac that is too small to turn around in. The check-in office is further down towards the river with no real place to turn-around, so I recommend calling ahead to know your site, unhook, then drive to check-in."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Kure Beach, NC?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Kure Beach, NC is Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area with a 4.1-star rating from 11 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Kure Beach, NC?

TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near Kure Beach, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.