Not all campsites have identical amenities. Read the campsite information on the reservations website to see photos of campsites; check availability and fees; find out whether a specific site is wheelchair accessible, has access to water, bathouses or pit toilets, or has electric hookup; and learn other important information.

 Tent, trailer and RV camping
The park's family campground is located in a wooded area near Snow's Cut.

There are 69 campsites with no hook-ups, including two wheelchair-accessible sites. Ten campsites have full hookups (water, electric and sewer), including one wheelchair-accessible site.

Each site is equipped with a picnic table and grill or fire ring. Drinking water and restrooms with hot showers are located nearby.

 Camper cabins
In addition to the 79 campsites, the park has four camper cabins located in the family campground. These camping cabins sleep six people in two rooms, one with a double bed and one with two sets of bunk beds. Each cabin has electrical outlets and a heating and air-conditioning unit. Outside each cabin, there is a picnic table, charcoal grill and a fire ring. Drinking water and restrooms with hot showers are located nearby.

Group camping
There are also two camping areas for organized groups located along Swamp Trail and are available by reservation only. Site #1 accommodates up to 26 people; site #2 accommodates up to 40 people. These areas include two picnic tables, grills/fire rings and pit toilets. Water and shower facilities are not available. This area is accessible only by foot and is located approximately 400 yards from the Flytrap Trail parking area. Reservations can be made by contacting the park marina office.

With a marina providing access to some of North Carolina's best fishing spots, a secluded camping area beneath towering trees, and miles of hiking trails that traverse a variety of distinct habitats—not to mention the presence of the Venus flytrap, one of the world's most unique carnivorous plants—it's no wonder Carolina Beach State Park is a popular coastal attraction. Beach Camping NC is located in an area steeped in both history and natural diversity, the park includes a visitor's center with exhibits depicting the wonders of its environment.

Carolina Beach State Park Campground

Carolina Beach State park has an awesome location if you’re looking for an inexpensive place to stay at the beach. It’s a short drive to Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Fort Fisher. There is no swimming area at this park. There is a marina and some great hiking though! We took a day trip to Bald Head Island as well!
The campsites are large and well secluded from each other. The restroom and showers are centrally located, and clean enough.
One thing I will mention is the pack of gigantic raccoons that kept us up all night while we were there. We accidentally left some food out one night and they were bothering us all weekend, even during the day! Some of the biggest raccoons I’ve ever seen. Don’t be like us and leave food out, lol!

Beware of raccoons 

Carolina Beach State Park is a great place to visit!  You can drive out on the beach for the day and it is never crowded.  The weather is usually nice and the beach is clean.  It is great for those who own 4wd vehicles.

Carolina Beach State Park

This campground is right by the water, inlet of the Cape Fear River. It's about a 5 min drive to Carolina Beach. The area is intertwined with a few short 1-2 mile trails. There's a small marina and it's very popular during the weekend for boaters. Kayaking is also available. One of the trails has a small beach access, great area to take your dog or fish. Swimming is not allowed. 

There's a Food Lion grocery store nearby. Amazing place called Wake N Bake donuts. Also, if you enjoy beer, Good Hops Brewery, who also has a disc gold course in the backyard. Kure Beach also has a good size course.  

Highly recommended! 

Great Place by the Beach!

I love the Carolina state beach park, one of my favorite places to go. It's relaxing and inviting and have wonderful memories from my childhood. I can't wait to bring my children so they can cherish the same memories. Campgrounds were so nice, and I we always found green tree frogs every where, even in the showers. I love how close it is to the beach. 

My favorite spot

My first visit to Carolina Beach State Park was an excellent one. It was May a few years ago, and even though the water wasn't quite warm enough to swim in yet, the trip was still an awesome one. The ocean beach isn't actually in the park, but there is access to Cape Fear River. I didn't have a boat (and I still don't), but people keep there boats at the marina and they make strolls through the park a bit more exciting. Campground had nice bathrooms and showers. There was plenty of space to stretch out and throw the frisbee around our campground.

I would recommend walking by the marina around sunset for cool views of the water with the sun setting in the west.

Great Group Camping-- super scenic views

I camped here with some friends late May. We had a wooded campground with plenty of space for multiple tents. We were just a short walk away from showers and bathrooms. The facilities were decently clean and nice. There was a beautiful inlet we could walk to and a marina that we enjoyed exploring. And just a few miles to the beach! 

Nice campground, good facilities, close to beach! 

Close to the beach, but lots of woods to give shade and privacy, plus hang your hammock. Enough trails to tire you out on as well. Very lovely.

Lots of privacy, beautiful location

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.

Love Carolina Beach State Park!

Love camping here in the late fall (November).  It's not crowded, there's no bugs.  The campsites are pleasant.  There is excellent Thai takeout from Ida Thai if you don't feel like cooking over the campfire.

Great in the off season.

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!! They will get close to you at nighttime.  Bathhouse was clean and close by. Picked a sight on the waterway side. Throughly enjoyed walking back behind my camp site to the water!!  Trails weren't as great as I'd expected. But still a nice day hiking around.  Can't wait to go back again!!!  

Two night stay

Love visiting this park. The rangers do such a great job with the sites! And the location is awesomeness. Tons to do! I try to get back as often as possible!

One of my favs!

I love staying at Carolina Beach State Park! Very close to the beach, you can drive it ride a bike there.

The hiking trails are well maintained and way to follow.

Great Location, Lots of shade

I stayed here on a whim. I was alone, but I felt safe. The park staff was friendly and very helpful. The trails were wonderful. Definitely bring the bug spray. They don't allow swimming at the beach, but there are some lovely, free beaches just a few miles down the coast as well as some adorable shops, amazing donuts and a boardwalk. I saw an amazing Pitcher plant while I was there. The landscape is very unique and there are miles of trails throughout. I highly recommend this place to anyone who will listen!

One of a kind

the campground was clean and staff is  vary nice .really close to the beach which was nice (fyi bring change for the parking meters at the beach) one thing I wish was that you could drive to the bathroom but all in all a vary nice place . unfortunately the whole time we were there it was storming and we couldn't really enjoy the hiking this campground had to offer. 

close to the beach

A great option if you’re looking for a campground near the beach. Clean bathrooms with showers, campsites aren’t too sandy. Some nice trails nearby. About a 5 minute drive to the beach. 

great camping close to the beach

i would go back again, the bathrooms were clean and had hot water. there was an option for a small cabin but we got a campsite instead. was quiet and being near the marina was a great view. large visitor center and not far from the beach was the perfect spot! will definitely be returning. 

great experience 

We stayed here one night before staying the second night at freeman park on the beach. I loved the location of the tent lot we were tucked back a little and it was quiet from other campers. The bath houses were near by only issue was all the mosquitos while trying to shower.

Very buggy but nice quiet stay 

I have camped at Carolina Beach State Park 1-2 times a year for the past five years. The campsites at this park are some of the cleanest sites I have camped at. We never see any trash on the ground or out on the trails. The bath house is always clean and stocked even in the winter. The bathhouse is also heated during the winter months and there are quit a few outlets available which we used to charge our phones. There lots of short trails to hike on where you can enjoy bird watching and viewing the Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants native to the area. There is also a marina which offers a public boat ramp. The marina also offers kayaks and SUP tours and rentals ranging from 2hrs to a full-day. This Campground is also located next to a food lion. It is also only 5 minutes from the beach and Freeman Park where you can drive directly onto the beach if you have 4WD. This campground is packed on holiday weekends. There were only 2 campsites available when we visited for memorial day weekend.

Favorite Campground Near the Beach

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.

Beautiful coastal forest on the banks of the Cape Fear River

We visited the campground last weekend. The park is really beautiful. Very nice trails and water access for the dogs. We even saw Venus Flytraps on our walk. The campground for me was just okay. It was described as one of the 21 most beautiful campgrounds nationwide. The sites were very roomy and there was a trail right behind us. The bathrooms were pretty run down and they had just one per loop. I'm not sure if I would camp here again but it's definitely worth it to visit the State Park to hike and explore the beautiful nature.

Nice campground!

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.

beach + camping = awesome 

This park has a few different sections to it that should be mentioned. 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. There are also picnic areas and miles of hiking trails. There are multiple trails that will lead you to lakes, marsh, sand dunes, Venus flytrap gardens, and beautiful views across the water (see image below). There is an information office at the entrance, but the camping check-in is by the marina. There is also a general store with all sorts of things you may need for an overnight adventure. The campsites offer bathhouses (toilets and showers) for the tent and RV camping. There are also primitive sites for group camping. While all of this is located within walking distance of each other, the park itself is located right around the corner from a grocery store and other convenient amenities of civilization. It is a short drive (maybe 5-10 minutes) from the beach, and maybe 20 from the NC Aquarium. Check this place out, it's a great spot for a weekend get-away!

This place is amazing, which is why it is popular and peopley.

Very popular 

This campground is well worth the visit!  Nicely wooded campsites that are very large and private!  The park has numerous hiking trails, a marina and a beach nearby!  Carolina Beach area has many things to offer; they have a boardwalk that in the summertime has bands playing free of charge, amazing restaurants, fun carnival type activities for the kids, and fireworks every Friday!  Weather you want to relax in seclusion in the forest atmosphere of the park or go to the beach and party the night away, Carolina Beach has it all!  From the state park the beach is only a 5 min drive, less than 7 miles!  You could almost walk there if you didn't have all that beach gear!  But you could certainly ride your bike!

Amazing and Fun Campground

Are you on the sand beside the ocean? No, but this is a great campground with in the state park that has secluded campsites in the woods.   This is a rare find this close to the beach/ocean.  There are sites that you can not even notice you have neighbors.  It is located in the town of Carolina Beach and is along the intercostal waterways.  It has some nice trails for light hiking and is just down the road from the ocean.   Being in town it is close to grocery stores, places to eat, and shopping.  That being said once in the park you feel like you are far from the crowds of town.   I like to use this campground/park as a landing spot.   Hiking in the park but also adventuring out to the different beach things around.   

Secluded (kind of) beach camping

Campground Review:

  

Carolina Beach State Park is located just over the bridge in Carolina Beach NC.  It is close to many restaurants and grocery stores, but offers a bit of seclusion with the large trees and overgrown shrubbery between sites.  

  

We enjoy the short hikes at Carolina Beach State Park, and the visitor center!  The visitor center has fantastic exhibits of venus fly traps with hands-on activities for the kids, explaining about the different kinds of carnivorous plants that live in the park.  We found both pitcher plants and venus fly traps on one of our hikes!  

  

This campground has 2 large loops - with affordable cabins scattered throughout.  It is a fairly large campground - almost 100 sites, with bathhouses, showers, spigots and trash through the park.  Camping costs around $26 a night for a tent site, or you could reserve one of their cabins (double bed and desk in the front room and bunks, or 2 bunk beds) for $58 - what a steal!!  

  

One of our favorite sites is number 45 - it backs right up to the river - and is slightly elevated, allowing beautiful views (while it isn't raining!).  This campground also has a marina - where boats can be rented as well as put in.  There are hiking trails, both short and long - the shortest being the venus fly trap trail - where you can see both venus fly traps and pitcher plants.  We hiked Sugarloaf - down to the private beach -  and hung out for several hours.  It was wonderful!  

  

Product review:

  

As a ranger for The Dyrt, I get to review items.  I reviewed the morsel spork XL while at Carolina Beach with my family. https://morselspork.com/products/morsel-spork

  I have had several sporks while hiking the Appalachian Trail, yet this spork exceeds expectations.  

  

First of all, the spork itself is sturdy, but pliable.  Secondly, the spatula feature on the side makes it easy to scrape every last bit of food out of your container or food pouch - and on a long hike - we don't want to leave one bite behind!  I have used this spork both with standard tupperware containers and also in dehydrated food pouches - and the XL is perfect! Lastly,  I dislike getting food on my hand when reaching in a pouch and the length of the spork is perfect! I can get a bite (with either the fork end, or the spoon end) and remove the utensil without getting slimy/sticky food on my hands.  I would highly recommend this spork for hiking/camping and my family is planning to use these in our lunches for the upcoming school year!

Ranger Review:  Morsel Spork XL at Carolina Beach State Park 

I stayed at the Carolina Beach State Park Campground a few times and enjoyed every moment. First of all, it provides an affordable option for those who want to be close to the beach but also enjoy camping, woods, and hiking trails. It's also a nice campground with clean nice bathrooms and showers with hot water. 

  

Sites 71 and 73 are connected and provide plenty of space for a larger group with several cars. The site doesn't have tent pads, it's basically just some gravel, pretty level and with a lot of space for tents.

  

The park has about 5 miles worth of trails. My favorite is the Flytrap trail, which leads to swampy areas with Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants. They are small and easy to find if you know where to look. Ask a ranger for specifics. 

  

BTW, if you're in Wilmington area, check out https://www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/listing/stanley-rehder-carnivorous-plant-garden/901/ - this is a cure little destination for kids and adults.

  

The weather can be hot and humid during the summer months. Bring a lot of bug spray!!!

Discover the swamp and the beach

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.

Great place, mosquitos are brutal

This campground is located between the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean. Nice primitive type of feel to this place. There is tent camping, RV sites, and even about 4 cabins (with more under construction) available at this site. Electrical hookups available for most of the RV sites. There are water pumps throughout the grounds and the bathroom facilities are new and clean with private showers. There are plenty of trash/recycling containers which the staff empty a few times a day, and a dump site for RV's.

There is a supermarket just a few miles away, and a brewery right outside of the campsite. 

The staff is excellent and always available, and do a great job.

Nice primitive type campground

We only stayed here for one night but from what we saw it was a great location to town and had its own marina. 
We hadn’t made a reservation ahead of time but the very friendly park ranger just had us make a reservation on the website as we found a spot close to the bath house that was available. 
Clean and friendly, would recommend! 

Cozy & Woodsy Campground

We camped here in February, so only certain sites were open - those for Rvs which had water and electricity and to our surprise sewer hookups, Which is a good thing because the bathhouse in our section was under renovation and only a port-a-potty available (this was not mentioned on the website or in any of our reservation emails). Despite that, it’s a very nice, wooded area with very spacious sites. Lots of hiking options and trails in the area, and a small marina to put in. We were there in February so didn’t avail ourselves to the beach area. Level gravel/stone  pad with a nice picnic table and fire ring. We bought firewood from the store at the marina when we checked in, but were greatly disappointed to find out it was too wet or unseasoned to burn. We tried, even used lighter fluid, and no go. A waste of $8.00. Buyer beware! Buy your wood someplace else before you arrive.

Nice campground

Loved this campground. Easy to drive to and navigate and each campsite has their own path to the restrooms. There was plenty of space between other campsites, but there were no rowdy groups so wouldn’t have mattered. The sugar loaf trail is our favorite! Dog friendly too!!

Easy Retreat

Great space between sites.....we can not see our neighbors!  Bathrooms are semi modern....and plenty of hot water!  And level.....we have been on the road for a couple weeks and this wins the level site award.  

Easy bike ride to get to the beach!  

Carolina in June

Absolutely stunning nature, nice trails, well maintained bathrooms

Amazing park to stay!

You have to enjoy campgrounds - meaning neighbors, bathhouses, and lots of rules. But it is very well maintained, lots of trees and shade, and decent enough space that you feel some sense of privacy. Not many options in this area so I’m pleased with what we got. 

Nice spot

On the inlet not the beach. 

Good shaded spots but nothing close to the water. You need a bike or scooter to get around walking isn't enough. 

Bathrooms; 4/5 clean but not AC

Waterfront : 0/5

Food delivery: 5/5

No beachfront but nice shaded

Here you will find alot to do. A marina if you want to boat, places for your campee/motor home, primitive camping sites, and beautiful nature trails. The park rangers were very nice and informative too 😎

Gorgeous Little Campsite 

This campground has about 10 sites with electric and water. The rest are dry camping with a lot of shade. Sites are large and separated by plenty of greenery. Showers are clean and hot. 

Nice hiking trails from the campground

Just recently got back from a trip here and let me tell you the bugs were vicious! couldn’t walk away from our Thermacell Mosquito Repeller without getting attacked. the bathrooms are very recently re tiled but lost out on benches in the bathroom which makes it a bit inconvenient for changing after showers. the RV run the park and are bothersome at night. will still be going back been camping there since childhood.  