Best Campgrounds near North Topsail Beach, NC

Short takes:

• Better to camp here during the cooler weather

• If you don’t have a yearly beach- access pass, it’s expensive

• Very crowded during warm weather

• Make sure to air-down.

• Don’t forget bug spray 

Camping here can be very hit-or-miss, depending on the time of year. I would recommend only during the cooler months. Feb-March, Sept-Nov. That’s about the only time you can hope to avoid a chaotic, party scene. 

I camped here in March and had a great time. Daytime beachgoers were mainly fishing, walking their dogs, shelling, etc. There were half a dozen other campers, everyone was friendly and quiet. 

My trip in late April didn’t go as well. The first morning I awoke to the sound of a dozen children from the site next to me playing in the surf, shrieking and screaming at 5:30 am. Saturday the beach was packed with day-trippers with a line of trucks parked at the crest of the beach from one end to the other. Constant vehicle traffic up and down the beach. Lots of young kids running around, not paying attention to their surroundings, people walking on the dunes. Many vehicles got stuck in the sand because they didn’t air down. Lots of competing, loud music. 

The next night, there was a family of 20+ people in the next site who warned us they were a loud group. At that point, we packed up and left. I wasn’t expecting that kind of scene until Memorial Day. 

Erosion continues to eat away at the beach and it probably won’t be long before camping is prohibited due to lack of room. The beach used to be much wider.

The campground is perfect for a family or if you’re older and in an RV. Lots to do. It’s a lake based CG so you can swim, kayak, hike around the lake, but especially fishing - that’s the main draw. Good shower/toilet facilities, water electric and all that RV stuff. If you’re an adventurous typically primitive camper (like me), it’s not for you. You’ll be near lots of other campers (mostly families from my brief experience) so not great on privacy. Location is good, 15 min fr Beulaville. Nice staff. I recommend if you want an easy camping experience. $25-40 night depending on how you camp.

The campground was fairly quiet. The few campers were very quiet and respectful to the other campers. I camped for 14 days at this location in January.

NOTE: There is no public Wi-Fi.

This location has a bathhouse. The bathrooms are separate from the showers. The bathrooms were slightly heated. The showers, on the other hand, were not heated. All the shower glass units were missing. The water was warm, but not hot. In other words, be prepared to take a warm shower in freezing weather. You’ll take a very short and quick shower under these conditions. But these conditions are better than no showers at all!

Overall, it is a good camping experience at this location. I will be back.