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Best Campgrounds near Castle Hayne, NC

278 Reviews

Castle Hayne, North Carolina serves as a gateway to diverse camping experiences along the southeastern coast. Wilmington KOA Holiday provides 97 sites with full hookups for RVs and tent campers, while Carolina Beach State Park Campground offers a mix of tent sites, RV hookups, and cabins within a natural setting. The camping landscape ranges from beachfront options at Freeman Park to more secluded inland experiences at Castle Hayne Farm Park, accommodating everything from primitive tent camping to full-service RV sites with amenities like showers, electric hookups, and picnic areas.

Access to campgrounds varies seasonally, with many coastal sites requiring advance reservations during summer months. Carolina Beach State Park maintains year-round availability but fills quickly between Memorial Day and Labor Day. As one camper noted, "Carolina Beach State Park is one of my favorite places to go in North Carolina. The sites are nice and secluded, just how I like them." Road conditions generally remain good throughout the year, though beach camping areas like Freeman Park require four-wheel drive vehicles and proper sand driving techniques. Most developed campgrounds in the region offer water and electric hookups, while primitive sites typically provide fire rings and picnic tables. Cell service is generally reliable near established campgrounds but may be limited at more remote locations.

Waterfront access represents a significant draw for campers in the Castle Hayne area. Several visitors highlighted the proximity to both beach and inland water features. Carolina Beach State Park provides hiking trails through diverse ecosystems including Venus flytrap habitats, while offering convenient access to nearby beaches. A visitor commented, "There is a marina where you can dock or launch boats. I've used this area for small crafts as well, such as a kayak. It's a beautiful area for a paddle." Mixed-use campgrounds like The Inlet Campground (formerly Laniers Campground) feature walking paths along the sound and swimming pools. Most developed campgrounds in the region maintain clean facilities with hot showers, though campers should be prepared for seasonal mosquitoes, particularly in wooded areas during warmer months.

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Best Camping Sites Near Castle Hayne, North Carolina (62)

    1. Wilmington KOA

    21 Reviews
    Wrightsville Beach, NC
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 686-7705

    "The pool was big and warm, easy for swimming while maintaining social distancing."

    "It’s clean, it’s close to downtown Wilmington and there is SO much to do there. There is an RV wash right next door! There are a lot of gray farmer’s stands and fresh seafood stands nearby too!"

    2. Carolina Beach State Park Campground

    73 Reviews
    Carolina Beach, NC
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 458-7770

    $27 - $75 / night

    "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."

    "Had a great time camping and hiking around with my dog jinx. It was his first camping trip he seems to like it here as much as I did. be aware of the raccoons!!"

    3. Castle Hayne Farm Park

    1 Review
    Wilmington, NC
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (984) 289-6250

    $40 - $85 / night

    4. Freeman Park

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

    $20 - $90 / night

    "First and foremost, make sure you know how to drive in the sand and what to do when your car gets stuck."

    "With no more Beach than that we are allowed to drive on now the longer it happens the more of the beach will diminish. There should be no day passes only yearly."

    5. The Inlet Campground (Formerly Laniers Campground)

    6 Reviews
    Holly Ridge, NC
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 328-9431

    "Nice pool and walking path around the edge of the sound."

    "Most incredible views with easy access to beaches, restaurants and groceries. Pier for fishing and water access for canoeing or kayaking! Beautiful sunsets!"

    6. Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area

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

    "No shade in this campground, but the location is everything! Basically a manicured field with cement pads and hookup poles."

    "Very close to the beach. Great view of the river. Has shop, rental center, and fishing pier within walking distance of the camping area."

    7. Surf City Family Campground

    7 Reviews
    Holly Ridge, NC
    24 miles
    +1 (910) 328-4281

    "The owners are very nice and very helpful we campground was well in a good location right next to the beach literally walk 20 yards to go to the beach would definitely recommend"

    "Its quiet and easy access to beach. Owners are very nice and accommodating."

    8. Lake Linda

    1 Review
    Holly Ridge, NC
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 279-3892

    $50 - $60 / night

    "Offering 2 sites that are located on the lake, this property  is a great place to birdwatch. Check them out and leave them some love."

    9. Wilmington KOA Holiday

    Be the first to review!
    Wrightsville Beach, NC
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 686-7705

    10. Holden Beach RV Campground

    26 Reviews
    Supply, NC
    36 miles
    Website
    +1 (910) 842-1809

    "Decent size sites, water, 30Amp, sewer, great WiFi (repeaters positioned at every other site, especially in the new section)."

    "Close to the beach and easy to find backside parking. Do not let the drive deter you, it was an easy daily drive. Had a site next to “permanent bathroom” and trash area."

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Recent Camping Photos near Castle Hayne, NC

87 Photos of 62 Castle Hayne Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near Castle Hayne, NC

278 Reviews of 62 Castle Hayne Campgrounds

  • Werner S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 1, 2025

    Wilmington KOA

    Family campground near the beach and Wilmington

    Our kids where very happy with the little pool and we found good facilities to do the laundry. There are some nice shady spots and some are a bit crowded. But good full hook ups.

  • J
    Sep. 1, 2025

    CarrollWoods RV Park at Grapefull Sisters Vineyard

    Lovely campground

    We stayed here on Labor Day weekend 2025. The staff I spoke with were friendly and helpful. The grounds before you enter the campground area are beautiful and well kept. The campground itself has many spacious, full hook up sites with packed gravel foundation. There’s no grass due to the mature pine trees but the community areas have lush lawn and beautiful flowers especially around the pond. The bathhouse and laundry were sufficient. They had a nice pool, playground, volley ball court and horseshoe pits. They have a large dog park. We look forward to inviting some friends to join us for group camping here sometime soon. Their nightly rates were very reasonable.

  • Kristie B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 28, 2025

    In The Pines RV & Cabin Village

    Great place!

    New Park with all the amenities you need, clean well kept facilities and grounds. Dog Park and nice mowed lanes for walks. Owner super nice and helpful.

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 12, 2025

    Hawkins Creek Campground

    Avoid the drama!

    The last reviews of this campground were in 2021. A lot has changed since that time. This is a cheap place to stay. There are no background checks. All sorts of characters stay at this location. I had trouble after six months of staying at this campground. To avoid any trouble, I left halfway through my month of prepaid time. This worked out to approximately $302 or 16 days. They refused to give me a refund or even a pro rate from the owner. Instead, they gave it to a guy staying in a tent on the property. They are thieves!

    In my vicinity that I was staying, there were four known listed Illegal sex act males. Two left the site. One of the remaining males was hired by the management for maintenance.

    The property manager didn’t seem to care about a lot of things around the property. The property appearance was not taken care of. Signs, mailboxes, and other related objects were covered in mold and never cleaned or in need of repair (see pictures). Residence were cutting their own grass. Drainage ditches, and culvert areas had extremely high grass (see pictures). Perfect for snakes.

    The bathhouse was not properly maintained. A male person who lived there only cleaned the floors once or twice a week. That seemed about it. The showers were brown, and the bathrooms were not cleaned properly. I personally cleaned the male bathroom several times during my six months. The sink continually leaked underneath. When I discovered mold, I asked for a mold killer from the bathroom guy. He was having a bad day apparently and flipped out on me. I told him I would clean the mold if he had any chemicals. He cursed at me and walked inside to his residence. Management did nothing about this incident (see pictures).

    There was always trouble with dogs at the campground. Management never did anything about the dog issues. I was told to “shoot the dog if it bites you “. Unbelievable !

    There were no standards for the campsites. Anything went! Make shift structures could be put up with no problem (see pictures). Also a lot of trash and debris around the campground.

    I would not recommend this campground to anyone. Pay the extra money for a better place!

  • Greg T.
    Apr. 28, 2025

    Freeman Park

    Hit-or-miss camping expeirence

    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.

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 21, 2025

    Brunswick Beaches RV Resort

    Good, clean, quiet campground

    The campground is well located if you want to visit Ocean Isle, Sunset, or Calabash. It’s clean and reasonably well maintained.

  • R C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 18, 2025

    Cabin Lake County Park

    Nice campground but …

    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.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 5, 2025

    Jones Lake State Park Campground

    Campground near a lake but NOT on a lake

    General: Small campground (20 Sites) around a circle with the bathhouse in the center. Although you can walk to the lake (about a half mile away), the sites are not lakefront. There is also a group campground.

    Site Quality: Camper driveways are very generous in size and level. Sites are spaced far enough apart to provide reasonable privacy/separation. Sites vary. Two ADA-accessible sites have a concrete pad; most others have gravel pads, but two are just open grassy sites. Some are FHU, while some have no hookups. Some are pull-thru, and some are back-in. Each site has a fire ring, picnic table, and lantern hook. Most have a raised tent platform. 

    Bath/Shower house: Very clean. Three showers, including one ADA-accessible one. The spray was not very strong, but the water was warm. 

    Activities: In season, there is boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing, but we were there at the beginning of April, and the weather was in the 50s. We did the four-mile Bay Trail, which was really more of a walk and not a hike. The signage was good, and the trail weaved back and forth from the gravel road. We were disappointed that there were not many views of the lake (there are three overlooks, but access to them was restricted due to flooding). Due possibly to recent rains, the last mile of the trail (we went in a clockwise direction from the campground) was flooded in several places, making passage challenging. There is also a short one-mile Cedar Loop trail as well as a spur leading from the Bay Trail to Salters Lake. 

    We chose this campground primarily because of its location - it was a good stopping point for us. In early April, even during spring break, only a handful of sites were occupied. I imagine it would be a much different story in the summer months.

Guide to Castle Hayne

Camping near Castle Hayne, North Carolina, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a family-friendly spot or a peaceful retreat, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.

What to do:

  • Hiking and Nature Trails: Explore the scenic trails at Carolina Beach State Park Campground. One visitor mentioned, "We hiked a trail to see Venus flytraps in the wild," making it a great spot for nature lovers.
  • Beach Access: Many campgrounds, like Holden Beach RV Campground, are just a short drive from the beach. A reviewer said, "The campground is beautifully maintained... It’s in a perfect location too."
  • Fishing and Water Activities: At Cedar Point Campground, you can enjoy fishing and kayaking. One camper noted, "Great place to hang out and it’s near Emerald Isle and the Crystal Coast."

What campers like:

  • Clean Facilities: Campers appreciate the cleanliness of the bathrooms and showers. A visitor at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park Campground said, "Bathrooms were also very clean. Cleanest I might have ever seen at a camp."
  • Friendly Staff: Many reviews highlight the helpfulness of campground staff. At Wilmington KOA, one camper shared, "Easy check-in. Level spots. Convenient to everything."
  • Spacious Sites: Campers enjoy the roomy sites at places like Cedar Point Campground. A reviewer mentioned, "Lots of space and shade... We are sitting by the campfire watching the fireflies."

What you should know:

  • Mosquitoes: Be prepared for bugs, especially in the summer. One camper at Carolina Beach State Park Campground warned, "The biggest drawback here is the mosquitoes."
  • Limited Amenities: Some campgrounds, like Hammocks Beach State Park Campground, have fewer amenities. A visitor noted, "There are NO trash cans or trash collecting points, so you have to pack trash out."
  • RV Considerations: If you're bringing an RV, check site sizes. A camper at Holden Beach RV Campground mentioned, "Our site seemed to be one of the few that directly faced another site... which was a little uncomfortable."

Tips for camping with families:

  • Plan for Activities: Look for campgrounds with kid-friendly activities. At Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Daddy Joe's, one parent said, "3 beautiful pools, a splash pad, lots of activities for kids."
  • Pack Snacks: Bring plenty of snacks and drinks, especially if you're heading to remote spots like Hammocks Beach State Park Campground. A camper advised, "We took a lot! With food, coolers, camp stuff... it’s a long walk!"
  • Bring Bug Spray: Don’t forget bug spray to keep the mosquitoes at bay. A visitor at Cedar Point Campground reminded, "Remember to bring your bug spray."

Tips from RVers:

  • Check Site Sizes: Make sure your RV fits the site. A camper at Wilmington KOA mentioned, "The campground was ok, but our site sucked... it was under construction."
  • Use Leveling Blocks: Some sites can be uneven. A reviewer at Cedar Point Campground suggested, "Some sites are really huge! A fair amount of military activity in the area."
  • Plan for Noise: Be aware of potential noise from nearby activities. A camper at Onslow Beach Campsites noted, "The bridge that is right behind camp... Construction noise started a little before 0700 each day."

Camping near Castle Hayne, North Carolina, has something for everyone, whether you're a family looking for fun or an RV enthusiast seeking adventure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular campground near Castle Hayne, NC?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Castle Hayne, NC is Wilmington KOA with a 4.3-star rating from 21 reviews.

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