Camping near Manteo, NC

38 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.

Search destinations
    Add dates
    SUMMARY PRESENTED BYT-Mobile

    Manteo, North Carolina serves as a gateway to diverse coastal camping experiences along the Outer Banks. The area features several established campgrounds including Beechland Campground within walking distance of downtown Manteo and The Refuge on Roanoke Island, which offers waterfront sites for fishing and crabbing. Within a short drive, campers can access Oregon Inlet Campground in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, providing both tent and RV sites near ocean beaches. Accommodations range from basic tent sites with no hookups to full-service RV resorts with amenities like swimming pools, dog parks, and recreation facilities. Most campgrounds in the region maintain clean facilities with bathhouses, though amenity levels vary significantly between national seashore sites and private operations.

    Reservations are essential during the peak season from late spring through early fall, with many campgrounds operating on a March to November schedule. Weather conditions present significant planning considerations, as coastal storms can bring strong winds and rain. As one camper noted, "Though we were caught camping in what seemed to be a very dramatic North Carolina storm, we made the best of it." Highway noise affects some campgrounds, particularly those near NC Highway 12. Sites closer to the dunes or water typically offer better protection from road noise. Cell service is generally reliable throughout the area with 2-3 bars reported at most locations. Many campgrounds lack natural shade, making summer camping particularly hot without additional shelter.

    Beach access represents the primary draw for most visitors, though the walking distance varies considerably between campgrounds. At Oregon Inlet, campers report "a short walk through the sand dunes to the beach," while others mention the trek can be challenging with gear. Nighttime stargazing receives high marks, with one visitor describing "amazing stars" and memorable meteor shower viewing. Wind conditions frequently impact the camping experience, sometimes negatively for beach comfort but positively for insect control. Site privacy varies widely, with national seashore campgrounds generally offering less separation between sites. As one reviewer summarized, "The campsites themselves are fairly basic but clean and well-maintained. They are a little tight, so don't expect a ton of privacy or room to spread out."

    Connectivity Maps

    Presented byT-MobileT-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoorsLearn More
    Map showing cell service coverage and campground pins
    Try Connectivity Maps

    Best Campgrounds near Manteo (38)

      1. Oregon Inlet Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

      4.2(87)10mi from Manteo245 sitesRVs, Tents

      "Though 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."

      "Oregon 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."

      from $28 - $70 / night

      Check Availability

      2. Camp Hatteras

      4.3(30)14mi from ManteoRVs, Tents, Cabins

      "Location, location, location! Wow! Right on the ocean, so if you want to be near a wonderful beach.....this is your place. Sites are right next to one another but you expect that."

      "Very beautiful campground,indoor pool and hot tube, golf carts allowed or rent from local place, Access to the beach or you can stay on the sound side."

      from $32 - $130 / night

      Check Availability

      3. OBX Campground

      4.0(10)8mi from ManteoRVs

      "OBX is very close driving to public beach accesses (2 miles), close to so much, around the corner from the Wright Memorial."

      "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"

      from $50 - $90 / night

      Check Availability

      4. The Refuge on Roanoke Island

      3.6(8)3mi from ManteoRVs, Tents

      "Located between Wanchese and Manteo, this little RV park is a quiet getaway. Turning into the property you will find all of the grounds very clean and well maintained."

      "Has a nice trail to walk around the pond. Sites are a bit small."

      5. Beechland Campground

      4.5(2)1mi from ManteoRVs

      "Beechland is conveniently located within walking distance to downtown Manteo and is only a 10- 15 minute drive to Nags Head Beach."

      from $60 - $80 / night

      Check Availability

      6. Cape Hatteras/Outer Banks KOA Resort

      4.4(29)25mi from ManteoRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "Off season and quiet, but very easy access in and out and a dune away from the Atlantic. The kids had plenty of room to ride their bikes and enjoyed the jump pillow."

      "Steps from beach. Beautiful pool and huge hit tub. Bar and cafe were closed for season. Great dog park. They were having problems with cable.went in and out."

      7. Kitty Hawk RV Park

      3.2(5)12mi from ManteoRVs

      "Good location. RV Park very well maintained and nice folk around."

      "This is a centrally located spot to be able to drive anywhere in a reasonable amount of time."

      from $55 - $70 / night

      Check Availability

      8. Camp Hatteras RV Resort and Campground

      4.7(12)25mi from ManteoRVs, Tents

      "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."

      "Easy access to beach, space for kids to play, bath houses and laundry are good (for a beach area) clean, quiet and inexpensive compared to surrounding campgrounds."

      from $64 - $90 / night

      Check Availability

      9. Outer Banks Beach Life

      5.0(2)18mi from ManteoRVs

      "Wonderful quiet neighborhood close to Atlantic Ocean with power, sewer , water and hot outdoor shower."

      "With full-hookups and a convenient location near shops and the beach, its the perfect stay for those who love the beach.  Make sure to leave a review and post some pictures of your stay!"

      from $49 / night

      10. Adventure Bound Campground

      2.0(1)12mi from ManteoRVs, Tents

    Drive Time



    Recent Reviews near Manteo, NC

    377 Reviews of 38 Manteo Campgrounds

    • A
      Aug. 25, 2026

      Outer Banks West - Currituck Sound KOA

      Holy DRAMA

      This is a long one! Here we go. My partner and I travel for work, we went out of our way to move to this location based on reviews saying this is a great place. We have paid in full for the whole stay which is about little over 2 months. We have been here approx 2 weeks give or take. We work night shift. No activity during the day. Simple easy. Not our first campground by any means. At first, we were excited to experience the amenities and such. Now we’re uncomfortable to try anything out. Why you ask? Situation: first day we move in, we end up next to what seems like the literal only other long term or possibly even permanent resident on the grounds. My service animal alerted me to a trigger, which she left the front door of the camper before we walked out. Recalled her to me once we saw that the perm resident (our neighbor) had what presented as an aggressive dog. (Husky maybe?). Within not EVEN 5 minutes of this event, someone was at our door- instead of asking what is going on we were immediately accused of her running around off leash I guess? We had just woken up from sleeping and it was evening time, time to go to work. Instead of arguing or even offering up ANY facts related to the situation I simply said got it thanks and the interaction ended. I’m thinking to myself well damn. Okay. A week or so maybe goes by? Leash in hand VISIBLE -at the door my dog steps out, I step out behind her- same time same situation. She walks ahead of me to where she will relieve herself, I ask for her to come back next to me, she recalls- neighbors dog loses its mind again. I look up at neighbor and say “just go ahead and call man, I get it”. She calls. This time THREE employees are driving on carts to our site, at this point we’re already leaving for work. I knew it was coming, figured they would for sure ask what’s going on this time. They don’t. The older woman accompanied by two men behind her- simply says “you have been told before you need to leash your dog”. We reply yes we understand. Nobody asks for a description of the events, what’s going on, or if this even happened. The female voice is raised and hostile presenting towards both of us. The man behind her approaches our car and peers into the vehicle I’m not sure if to intimidate or what, but that action was also very ineffective in diffusing the situation and instead very intimidating. And now making us both VERY late to work as this is an extra 15 minute drive to the hospital in which we work at. Seemingly, the word of this permanent resident is all they needed to full on accuse the two of us… of what? I am not sure. My animal has resided all over the country in countless locations, all while working and we have had no issues to date. At this point I am still remaining silent as the female worker continues to educate us on our alleged actions. My concern is that there has been ZERO questioning, only full on accusations. We’re highly uncomfortable at this point. They say “we will be speaking with the general manager tomorrow”, Which also felt threatening. I’d like to add that given the whole situation this wouldn’t matter but since this is happening: earlier that morning after work I had stopped by the front desk, to ask about a package I thought that I sent to the wrong place, but didn’t. The same female was there. I remember thinking wow she’s actually so rude. But I brushed it off. Now looking back she must have some kind of prejudice toward myself and my dog. I’ve never been threatened / accused so one-sidedly in my entire career such as what has been happening at this campground. Our resolution was to request moving sites, however nothing was asked of us WHATSOEVER. As stated we were not given any opportunity to speak on the situation. Will attempt to update review whenever we speak with management of this location. Warning is to be wary of implicit bias in staff, potential favoritism, and inconsistent / unfair conflict resolution, aggressive long term campers, and lack of communication from staff.

    • D
      Aug. 15, 2026

      Beechland Campground

      Most spots are permanent campers.

      Good place to tour the area from. Great wifi. Usually empty spots. They have a pool. Zero shade. Full hook up. Average spacing. Clean gravel camping spots.

    • cThe Dyrt Pro User
      Jul. 20, 2026

      Frisco Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

      Cape Hatteras National Seashore-Frisco

      Great campsite with lots of privacy. Very close to the beach access which is about a quarter mile to the beach. Most campers we saw brought 4 wheelers to camp here & spend day on beach. (We walked) Cell reception bad. Good in early am.

    • Bryan S.The Dyrt Pro User
      Jun. 22, 2026

      Ocean Waves Campground

      Great place!

      This was our second time staying here and we still loved it. We got a great spot with lots of shade and it has direct beach access. The only downside is the bathrooms and not great, the stalls are very small and the doors are left open so they are constantly filled with insects. Still, they have a store onsite and the staff are either very friendly or indifferent, depending on who you speak with.

    • EThe Dyrt Pro User
      Jun. 18, 2026

      Oregon Inlet Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

      Great camp spot

      We were able to get some last minute spots on recreation.gov

      There are showers and bathrooms. Some rustic sites and some RV hookup sites.

      Access to the ocean, but you cannot see the beach from the sites due to the dunes you have to walk through to get to the beach.

      You cannot drive onto the beach too if you trust your rig in the sand

    • S K.
      Jun. 16, 2026

      North Landing Beach Campground

      Will return for sure

      Very, very glad we found this location. Medium to larger campground. Quite spacious. You're not packed in like Oreos in a wrapper. Nice layout, and site sizes. Nice level pads. Very clean & well maintained, everything is. Plenty of amenities and weekly activities.On site pizza & ice cream shop, highly recommended. Great water access paddle boards & kayaks. Nice boat launch too. An absolute bargain for the price point. Killer sunsets too. Have paid more and gotten less, and disappointed. Repeating, very pleased staying here, soo much room. Thank you

    • Brittany Claire M.
      Jun. 6, 2026

      Oregon Inlet Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

      Horrible hosts

      Absolutely horrifying experience. It started with the camp hosts allowing primitive campers in when the bathrooms and showers were closed and even nailed shut with 2x4s. This promoted grown men(we'll say using the loo) in full view, just feet from our Airstream- which was facing the bath house. Knowing it would be pretty obvious who reported them, we remained silent, as we were supposwd to be there for a week. THEN,*supposedly" some male Karen(again, I say supposedly) claimed we put our trained K9 out at 6am(we don't even wake up until 9am-10am) and allowed him to bark for 2 hours(this never happened-again, trained K9 who was happily snoring in bed when this blatant lie was formulated). We then realised it was provably a lie, because we have security cameras(4) inside and out. Cameras showed we awoke and didn't open the doors the first time until 9.38am on the day in question(even later the previous morning). The ranger's wife was almost gleefully telling me that if the SUPPOSED Karen complained(lied) again, she would*have to* call the sheriff on us??? Oh, but we"should keep the camera footage", that she didn't want to see. Okaaay. We spent the remainder of our non-refundable week with the shades drawn- recording and saving every time we stepped out, with our innocent dog, should a false police report be filed by the ranger's wife. Absolute hellish week that we couldn't enjoy because of the grotesque campground hosts.

    • Michael H.The Dyrt Pro User
      Jun. 2, 2026

      Frisco Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

      Self Contained Four Night Stay

      Frisco Campground is a great no frills (no hookups and cold only campground showers) Cape Hatteras National Seashore Park.

      We spent four nights in our Opus OP-13 camper. The campground was quiet and just a short walk over the dunes to the ocean.

    Guide to Manteo

    Camping near Manteo, North Carolina provides access to both oceanfront and sound-side accommodations across the Outer Banks. Sites near town offer quick access to historical attractions including Roanoke Island's landmarks. Weather varies significantly throughout the camping season with April through October being most comfortable, though summer temperatures regularly reach the mid-80s with high humidity.

    What to do

    Beach access through dunes: Oregon Inlet Campground offers an easy walk to ocean beaches. "It's a short walk to the beach; I love waking up early and walking down to the beach to see the sunrise. Oftentimes I'll be the only one on the beach," explains one Oregon Inlet Campground visitor. Another camper notes, "Although it had not rained in several days, there must have been recent rains as several of these trails were flooded."

    Fishing spots: Access to both ocean and sound fishing draws many visitors to Roanoke Island. "The sites are full time sites. Only like 15 to rent. There is a decent bath house and decent pool. Has a nice trail to walk around the pond," mentions a camper who stayed at The Refuge on Roanoke Island. Another adds, "Each site has full connections along with a picnic table. A number of sites back up to the water where one can enjoy fishing for flounder or blue crab."

    Explore lighthouses: Multiple historic lighthouses are within driving distance. "We took a short drive to Bodie Island Lighthouse and also spent some time exploring the nearby marina and visitor center," notes a family who visited Oregon Inlet. Another camper suggests, "The ferryboat ride to ocracoke island is essential to a visit to the OBX very nice little town."

    What campers like

    Sunrise views: Morning views are frequently mentioned as trip highlights. A camper at Oregon Inlet Campground shared, "I was able to hike out to the beach one morning in less than 10 minutes to view the sunrise." Another noted, "The dunes are right next to the campsites and provided hours of fun—running, climbing, sliding, and just being wild and free."

    Night sky viewing: Limited light pollution makes the area ideal for stargazing. "One of the biggest wins for us was how quiet it was at night. Even with kids and families around, there was a calm and peaceful atmosphere that made it easy to relax," shared a visitor to Camp Hatteras RV Resort. Another camper observed, "Very surprised... Great spot especially on a clear night with a full sky of stars. Feels like you are far away from everything."

    Wildlife encounters: Many campers report seeing local wildlife near their sites. "A small group of deer were hanging around our campsite when we drove up and zipped off into the tall sea grass. Once dusk fell and we were set up they came back out to graze," reported a visitor to OBX Campground. Another camper added, "Campground is well taken care of with wildlife all around. Level parking and full hookups made it a comfortable stay."

    What you should know

    Shower facilities vary: Quality and temperature of showers differs significantly between campgrounds. At Oregon Inlet, a camper reported, "The facilities are pretty outdated, especially the showers." In contrast, at another campground, "The bathhouse was a pleasant surprise. It was very clean during our stay, and the showers were consistently warm."

    Site privacy concerns: Many campgrounds feature close quarters between sites. "The sites are fairly tight, so don't expect a ton of privacy or room to spread out—but it worked fine for our camper and small family setup," noted one family. Another camper at Cape Hatteras KOA mentioned, "The camping cabin was basic one double bed one set of bunkbeds, there was air-conditioning and plenty of room... The cabins were very close together, but it wasn't an issue."

    Weather volatility: Coastal conditions can change quickly. "We just got back from a weekend at Oregon Inlet Campground, and it was such a memorable family experience!" shared a family, while another camper noted, "We lost power a couple of times during our stay, the day we left it was out for a few hours had to use the generator."

    Tips for camping with families

    Pool alternatives: When ocean conditions are rough, pools provide safe swimming options. "The pool area is really nice. Several laundry places and the shower facility was spotless," shared a visitor to Cape Hatteras KOA. Another mentioned, "The tennis, put put, shuffleboard, dog park, and playground were all fun."

    Beach gear planning: Beach access often requires carrying equipment over dunes. At Beechland Campground, a camper noted, "Beechland is conveniently located within walking distance to downtown Manteo and is only a 10-15 minute drive to Nags Head Beach." At another campground, a visitor shared, "The walk to the beach was a little longer longer than expected but not terrible (took 10-15 minutes carrying a 25 lb toddler)."

    Indoor activities: Weather changes may require backup plans. "Indoor pool was great for the kids on the cool and windy weekend. Would love to come back in warmer weather!" noted a spring visitor to Camp Hatteras RV Resort, while another camper added, "So many amenities and fun things planned for Easter weekend."

    Tips from RVers

    Concrete pads: Some campgrounds offer more level surfaces than others. "Our 36 ft pull behind fit perfectly on the concrete slab and was level without having to mess with anything," noted a visitor at Camp Hatteras. Another camper added, "Very quiet, we stayed on the sound side and could hear the waves crashing at night which was very relaxing."

    Power reliability: Outages can occur in severe weather. "Lost power a couple of times during our stay, the day we left it was out for a few hours had to use the generator, for what they charge for a site seems they could have a backup power source," reported one RVer. Another mentioned, "The internet is terrible so if you're working from home, have a hotspot. AT&T does much better in this area."

    Distance considerations: Supplies may require planning ahead. "Getting groceries is difficult. There aren't many options. Bring supplies if you can," advised a camper at Cape Hatteras KOA. Another visitor recommended, "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."

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What are the best campgrounds in Manteo, NC?

    The Outer Banks region near Manteo offers several excellent camping options. The Refuge on Roanoke Island stands out as a quiet getaway located between Wanchese and Manteo with full hookup sites, many backing up to water for fishing opportunities. The grounds are notably clean and well-maintained. For those seeking a natural setting with ocean access, Oregon Inlet Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a popular option with beach proximity, spacious sites, and beautiful scenery. Both campgrounds provide convenient access to Manteo's attractions while offering distinctive camping experiences.

    Is there camping available near downtown Manteo, NC?

    Yes, there are camping options close to downtown Manteo. Beechland Campground provides a no-frills camping experience with clean facilities and helpful hosts, making it convenient for exploring Manteo's downtown attractions. Another nearby option is Bells Island Campground, which offers coastal camping with good highway access. These locations provide a solid base for visiting downtown Manteo while enjoying the natural beauty of North Carolina's coast. Both are short drives from downtown, allowing easy access to Manteo's shops, restaurants, and historic sites.

    What amenities are offered at Beechland Campground in Manteo?

    Beechland Campground offers clean, well-maintained facilities with newly updated hookups. The campground stands out for its exceptional cleanliness, with attentive camp hosts like Glenn providing helpful service throughout your stay. While described as a no-frills campground, it delivers the essentials needed for a comfortable camping experience. Each site features utility connections that appear recently renovated. The campground maintains a simple but functional approach to camping, focusing on cleanliness and service rather than luxury amenities. It's an excellent option for campers who appreciate a tidy, straightforward camping experience with reliable basic services.