Oregon Inlet Campground, near Nags Head, North Carolina, is a fantastic spot for those looking to soak up the sun and enjoy the beach life. With easy access to the beautiful shores of [Cape Hatteras National Seashore](https://thedyrt.com/camping/north-carolina/near/cape-hatteras-national-seashore), it’s a prime location for beach lovers and outdoor adventurers alike.

The campground offers basic amenities like clean bathrooms and warm showers, which visitors appreciate after a long day in the sun. Many campers have noted the friendly atmosphere, with one saying, “The management around Oregon Inlet is fantastic and overall people are very friendly.” You’ll find picnic tables at each site, making it easy to enjoy meals outdoors.

While the sites are close together and privacy can be limited, the open layout is typical for beach campgrounds. The beach is just a short walk away, though be prepared for a bit of a trek over the dunes. Keep an eye out for those pesky sand spurs that can be a nuisance for pets and bare feet.

For those looking to explore, the nearby Bodie Island Lighthouse and the scenic trails of the national seashore offer plenty of opportunities for sightseeing and photography. Whether you’re fishing, kayaking, or just lounging on the beach, Oregon Inlet Campground is a solid choice for a laid-back camping experience.

## Overview

 Oregon Inlet Campground is the northernmost campground on Cape Hatteras National Seashore. When camping here, you are within a short distance of the full service town of Nags Head to the north, and the world class fishing at Oregon Inlet to the south.
## Recreation

 The beach adjacent to the campground can be reached by foot from your campsite as well as by vehicle with a Cape Hatteras Off-Road Vehicle Permit. Popular activities include fishing, swimming, surfing, birding, and shell hunting. The calmer waters of the sound to the west of the campground can be accessed at the public boat launch at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Popular sound side opportunities include crabbing, clamming, paddle-boarding, boating, and fishing. 
## Facilities

 Each of the three loops in the campground have a bath house with flush toilets, potable water, and outdoor unheated/cold showers. Each campsite has a paved parking pad, picnic table, and charcoal grill. There are limited sites with RV hook-ups. A dump and water fill station are located directly across Highway 12 at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center and are free of charge for campers.
## Natural Features

 The campground is located on the east side of the barrier island, just a short walk through the dunes to the expansive waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Sea Oats and other native flowering plants blanket the dunes providing a picturesque backdrop for your camping experience. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The historic Bodie Island Lighthouse is approximately four miles north of Oregon Inlet Campground on NC Highway 12. The Bodie Island Lighthouse is open seasonally for self-guided climbs. Climb tickets are available on a first come, first served basis and can only be purchased from www.recreation.gov. Tickets go on sale at 7am for that day's climbs only. Tickets may only be purchased on the same day of your intended climb. Coquina Beach Day Use Area is located directly across HWY 12 from the Bodie Island Lighthouse access road. The day use area provides a vehicle free beach perfect for families. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, Coquina Beach is staffed with lifeguards to ensure the safety of visitors. Other amenities at Coquina Beach include a bathhouse with outdoor cold showers, flush toilet restrooms, water fountains, and a boardwalk to the beach. 
## Contact Info

 For facility specific information, please call (252) 475-9054.
## Charges & Cancellations

 Change Fee: A service fee may be charged at the time a modification is made depending on the changes. Cancellation Fee: A service fee will be withheld from any refunds for a cancelled reservation.

Oregon Inlet Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Join the fun near Nags Head. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Nags Head campgrounds just for you. Discover great camping spots near Nags Head, reviewed by campers like you.

Nags Head

The Best Camping Near Nags Head, North Carolina

I'm torn because I want to give this place 3 stars because come on... we've all camped in better spots than open fields with parking slots every ten feet and multiple identical loops to park in. 

Sooo... the ground and the layout is typical. And it takes away because you can't actually SEE the beach. There isn't a view. See from my photos that the beach is a short hill walk BUT then it's all UPSIDE...  

You are on an amazing beach that only people from the campground explore!! So it's pretty private unlike the parking lots that feed into the beach. AND the positive of that "non-view" is that little null of a hill that blocks your view actually shelters you from some fierce winds that would wear you out if cooking or trying to hang out at your site. So those are all great things. This place just lacks the wow factor or the primitive privacy of other campgrounds but it is an EXCELLENT location on the outer banks because you are the closest legit campground to the open 4x4 beaches of Corolla island and easy access to all the surf and fishing. 



Great Location!!! Typical State Park. 

When making my reservation, I did not have enough information, however, our family (mom, dad, boy-12, boy-8, boy-6) had an amazing time.

Pros: walked from campsite to ocean, many sites and they are able to be reserved, town is very close, cool evenings, lighthouses in driving and ferry ride distance, kitty hawk close and great morning trip with kids (my kids loved it), great place for shell collecting, watching dolphins, playing in surf. Lifeguarded beach very close,

Cons: have to trek through and over man made sand dunes to get to ocean, NO SHADE...ANYWHERE, can't see ocean from road or campsite but you can hear it, can hear passing cars if camping on road side of campground.

Our first family "beach" camping

A sweet little campground right among the dunes. There is one loop just for tent camping and 2 loops for RVs and campers. All sites are all well within view of others campers. It is a short walk from your site to the beach but the ocean is not visible from any sites. There is no shade and sites are fairly exposed to the wind which makes sand stakes absolutely necessary. Bathrooms are basic but lack soap dispensers so bring your own. Showers are cold. Watch out for small cactus and sand spurs. Don’t miss the Bodie lighthouse (about a 3 min drive). The campground is also within about 15 mins of restaurants, gas stations, a full grocery store, Jennette’s Pier, and attractions in Nags Head. Overall there is nothing particularly special about this campground but the location and quiet beaches are a definite plus.

Beaches and lighthouse

I love this campground! I‘ve been here twice now and plan on returning again when I can. 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 one the beach. I‘ve seen lots of cool wildlife on the beach and at the nearby Pea Island Wildlife Refuge. 

Definitely stay In the fall or early Spring as it can get very hot at the campground.

We drove to CoquIna Beach durIng the day for our regular beach time. It‘s just a 5 minute drive and has lifeguards, restrooms, etc.

It’s a short drive to Nag‘s Head where you can find restaurants and shops. I recommend Miller‘s for great seafood and a view of the sound. 

There is so much to do in this area, and I really enjoyed camping by the sea!

Beautiful

Beautiful campground on the beach. Close to the Kitty Hawk area and the Bodie Island Lighthouse. No shade and manmade dune makes for very hot camping. Bath house was clean and close by. We arrived right before a holiday weekend and it was gearing up to be kind of rowdy. Watch out for prickly pear cacti. I went walking through the dune in flip flops and came back with several stuck to my leg. It did not feel good for sure. 

Beautiful but hot

Loved camping here! The campground is a short walk over the dunes to the beach and close to other points of interest such as Wright Brothers National Memorial, Jockey’s Ridge State Park and the town of Nags Head. 
The bItIng  insects were vicious so don’t forget bug spray. But it was summer near the beach, so what do you expect? We treated our tent with permethrin after the first night which seemed to help a lot. 



Buggy but Beautiful

We arrived late (which we seem to do a lot!) Self check-in was easy.

Sites are nestled within the dunes. You can hear the waves from your spot. Bathrooms were fairly clean. Showers were a little tough to use. Not enough hooks and very small.

The beach is beautiful. Big waves and strong currents made it a little scary with our 7-year-old but we still had a great time. Only stayed one night and I wish we had at least 2 days or more.

Hard to beat camping on the beach

Great beach camping. Nice outside showers. Only disadvantage was no playground for the kids.

Great beach campground 

I camped here on the first night of my Outer Banks trip and it was a great place to stay. Just over the dunes from the beach, hot water in the showers, and close enough to Nags Head to check out some great seafood restaurants.

Great camping in the sand dunes

Wonderful site with nice showers, fishing access, swimming, hiking, breezy-ocean mist.

Beautiful campsite with beach and sunrises

There are only a few sites with electricity. The sites are spaced out next to dunes by the ocean. Very lovely when we were there in October with very few other people and very few bugs. . It can get very windy at times. The bathrooms were beautiful and the showers nice and warm. The campground is right next to the road and construction is constantly audible. But we didn’t hang out in the campground anyway.

Lovely

Pros: You'll hear the ocean waves pretty much all night from all or most sites, and the star viewing is also great here. Showers are free, although they are not heated. I visited in October, and found insects were not really a problem; in another national seashore campground the next night they were, but I think here the lack of grass really helps keep the mosquitoes down. I was able to sit outside at night for a few hours with very few bites. Most areas of the campground have a walk to the beach through the dunes that's less than 1/4 mile long, so you can definitely visit the beach easily while staying here. I was able to hike out to the beach one morning in less than 10 minutes to view the sunrise.

Cons: no real privacy between sites because there are no shade trees. The facilities are pretty outdated, especially the showers. That's it though - I'd camp here again for sure!

Camp among the dunes

Nice beach and dunes. Electric and water available on limited sites.

Fall / spring for us  

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\.

We prefer campgrounds like Oregon Inlet, because they are natural and have beautiful scenery. We love being within steps of the ocean and being able to stare at the tip of the lighthouse (Bodie Island - you can tell by the direction of the stripes!) through the dunes. The Outer Banks also has some amazing stars - we watched a meteor shower which was incredible!!

Oregon Inlet Campground has a loop (Loop A) which only allows tent camping. Most of the sites are pretty close together (many too close for our comfort) but there are a couple that are tucked back in the dunes and a bit further away from the rest.

This campground has free hot showers - just pull the ring and nice warm water runs for about 20 seconds before shutting off. Outside the bathhouse there is a water fountain that has a water bottle fill up station - which is SO nice at the beach!!! We were able to refill waterbottles easily - with water we felt good about drinking! It also did not have the salty taste that many beach water fountains do!

Great campground just steps from the ocean - with views of the Lighthouse! 

I have been here many times. The cold water showers sound horrible, but after a hot day on the beach they are fantastic. You are allowed to drive on the beach here. That is nice. Dogs are allowed. Last time I went my son caught a sea horse!! Amazing. 

One on my favorites in the Carolina’s 

Absolutely loved this campground. The facilities were great, the lots were of good size, not too close together and well groomed. It isn’t right on the beach, but the dunes are gorgeous and the walk over them is just a hop and a skip. I loved the breeze and the ocean waves at night, absolutely perfect. Will be back again soon!

Great beach camping

Its like running a hotel, on the website it says if your going to be later than 7 call, we were so we did they knew we were staying two days, they told us to pick any spot, don’t tell people to pick spots if other people have reserved spots. We were told to pick any spot we did then the next day they told us that people had reserves the spot we were in, (thats why we called to make sure) now I’m here moving all of my stuff i had set up because the ranger staff is incompetent. The spot is beautiful the ocean is amazing but I’m here in this amazing place in a pissy mood because of the staff. Get your stuff together please.

The beauty of the camping area is outweighed by the incompetence of the park staff

Husband and I and 2 dogs stayed July 14-20th. The campsites are well maintained. They have bathrooms and outside showers with warmish water. The ocean is just a few minutes walk over the dunes. Campground was quiet even though it was full. We did have to be careful of sand burrs/prickles. And bugs/mosquitoes.  We were prepared for this so we had no issues. We had a fantastic time.

Perfect location

Let's cover the negatives first- The "tent pads" are small. The sites are exposed. The bugs are vicious.

  

Now, the good stuff- This place is right in Nags Head, which is a gorgeous little town. It's basically on the beach (short walk through the dunes). Nice, hot showers. Not far from Bodie Island lighthouse. Near some great fishing. Close to the pier. Probably 20 minutes from the Write Brothers Memorial. I could go on and on.

  

If you stay here, do yourself a favor and bring a big beach umbrella. There are no trees. Also, be aware, you'll need bug spray especially right when you get out of the shower. The mosquitoes can be horrific.

Excellent Location

We loved our time here and we plan to stay longer next year. I caught a 30” Red Drum our first night. Night fishing is incredible. We were in an RV electric site. Water and electric hookups are state of the art and the nicest I’ve ever seen. They light up at night to make a pleasant glow all throughout the area. Just enough to walk to the bathroom. A couple things I wish we’d known:

-don’t walk anywhere but on the sand and the grass. There are prickly pear cactus and some kind of horrible terror thorn on the areas of the dunes that have tall flowers and grasses that are the bane of my 2 year old’s existence. 

-get there earlier to get the best sites. Sites are assigned at check in, first come first serve, although you can reserve hookup sites so you’re guaranteed one of those. The rangers will let you drive around, look at sites, park in the one you want, then come back to finish your check in. 

-there are some bugs at night. Not bad but they do exist

-there is no shade. Zero. We would have roasted in a tent. 

Awesome place with lots of freedom, no one bothered us at all. Swimming is at your own risk so there aren’t power hungry lifeguards blowing whistles every 5 seconds. Beach wasn’t crowded, even on Labor Day weekend. 

Great little campground with easy beach access

Just over the sand dunes is the Atlantic Ocean. They have tent sites, non-electric sites and full hook up sites.  There are bathroom facilities and showers.  Bring your bug, probably gonna need it. 

Right on The Beach

An enjoyable site near the unincorporated portions of the Outer Banks. We ran late on arrival due to a serious comedy of errors. The campground office reserved and assigned an electric site with water for us since we had paid months in advance. Unfortunately, a self centered traveler had taken our site before we arrived! We spent the night sleeping in front of the office upon our very late arrival. The office got everything straightened out and the rest of our stay was pleasant. 

Pleasant get away

This campground is part of the National Parks so the price is great. Its close to the beach, just a short walk over a sand dune and close to the harbor as well...walk or less than a mile drive. The ranger is very nice and the park is kept perfect. Restrooms and showers are clean and work great. Electricity and water were added in the past few years. It just doesn't get better for beach camping. 

I love it here

We did a quick weekend trip and it was a very relaxed time. Very peaceful. We could hear the ocean at night. We were able to go four wheel driving on the beach. We were warning of biting bugs and flies during the summer, we really didn’t have a problem off season. They were still present but not a bother, if we stayed longer we would have put our screened dinette up. Already planning next year. 

Great ocean front camping 

Great location, easy for access and small hike to beach.  Sunrise was great.

Great Campground

I’ve been here a few times, peaceful campgrounds next to beach. Clean facilities and friendly staff. I would definitely recommend this place as a quick getaway. 

Great site 

We absolutely love it here! The hosts are so friendly and informative! We were warmly welcomed and our campsite felt isolated even for how closely the layout is. The walk through the dunes to the beach is negligible but be careful with kids and pets as it is accessable to vehicles and moderately trafficked. If you are able, don't worry about hookups as the marina across the street has potable water and a dump...FREE! Wahoo! :) Ocean breezes all day long! Just watch for the sand spurs and some sneaky catus! Our pups loved it here but got stuck by those guys a few times! 

Friendly, Safe and Dog Friendly steps from the beach!

Facilities were clean, showers were warm, sites were spacious! The walk to the beach was a little longer longer than expected but not terrible (took 10-15 minutes carrying a 25 lb toddler). Had a great ocean breeze. Can hear traffic from the highway but it’s not obtrusive (our site was on the highway side). Will definitely be back!

Clean facilities & spacious sites

It’s the beach, I get it, there are no trees. HOT! Surrounded by beautiful sand dunes. Basic facilities, well-kept. We just couldn’t take the no shade in the heat. Maybe in cooler weather...￼

The campground's location is awesome, it's right in the middle of the Outer Banks, close to Bodie Island Lighthouse,  Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Jockey Ridge State Park, Wright Brothers National Memorial, etc.

  

We stayed at the group site, which is basically just a patch of grass with a few picnic tables. We visited on Memorial Day 2018, and the first night was very pleasant, with nice cool breeze from the ocean. The second night though was hot, humid and brought an army of mosquitoes. The campground has no shade, so I wouldn't go there during the summer months. If you do, bring your own shelter or beach umbrella.

  

You can walk to the beach through the dunes, it's a very short walk. The bathrooms and showers are clean and nice.

  

When we stayed there in 2018, we could hear some noise from the bridge construction nearby. I'm assuming it's done by now, and even back then it wasn't too bad.

Outer Banks camping option

Multiple different sites for tents and campers. It’s right next to a drive on beach access plus there are paths to walk to the beach. Each site has plenty of space between them and all are fairly close to bathroom and showers. 

Great little place

We camped in Loop A with two tents for four nights in July 2020, and were impressed by the proximity to the beach (five minutes through the dunes, even with kids who whine about carrying things and a small puppy who needs to stop and smell everything) and general organization and cleanliness of facilities.

But the campsites are not very big and hardly separated from each other, especially those on inside of the loop (even numbers). Campsites on the side of the loop closest to the road are really close to the road and there is a lot of road noise (a dune in the middle of the loop helps dampen the sound on the lower-numbered side).

Official access to the bathhouse is only from the side nearest the office, so it’s a ways to go if you’re on the other end of the loop. Official access to the beach is between sites 9 &amp; 11 and 19 &amp; 21, but all the odd-numbered tent sites on that side of the loop have their own little paths.

Showers are cool/ambient temperature water only and unlit. 

I would not advise camping here in summer without some sort of shade shelter. They are not joking when they say it’s exposed and there’s no tree cover.

Staff was helpful, friendly, and demonstrated good social distancing.

Local/federal regulations permit driving on the beach, and we had a weekend afternoon hemmed in by pickup trucks, even being honked at for “crossing the road” on foot, but weekdays were not so busy or rude. 

We’ll go back if we can get an odd-numbered site below about 21 in A Loop.

Close to the beach, clean, but cramped 

Great campground if you want to be on the beach at the Outer Banks. 4 stars rather than 5 because of road noise and cars on the beach which I personally do not like. We have a camper van, did not use hook ups. It’s a wide open campground close to the road so there’s car noise during the day but not so much after dark. Bathrooms are clean. Showers are separate—basically an outdoor shower building. It’s a short walk through the sand dunes to the beach—beware of lots of vehicles lining up to fish. When we were there, it was very windy which is not good for sitting on the beach but it kept the insects away. It’s a quick drive to restaurants, shopping, lighthouses, Jockey Ridge (go for the sunset!) We chose this campground for its proximity (half hour) to the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge which is fantastic for kayaking and bear spotting. 

Location location location!

The lull of the ocean just over the dunes is the best reason to stay here. Very peaceful to fall asleep to. Definitely one of my favorite spots. 

Second Visit Just As Good as the First 

This campground was nice. But the road noise was terrible. The first night we were in one of the sites right next to the road and there was traffic all night long. The second night we stayed at one of the sites over closer to the beach and it was a little better. FYI it is a longer walk than you think to the beach. We weren’t carrying any beach supplies but I can imagine with chairs, cooler etc. it could be￼ qu a chore. The warm showers were awesome! Outside the noise the campsite was nice. Very convenient to a lot of things to see and do in the Outer Banks.

Road noise

Spent 4 days here in our rooftop tent and really enjoyed ourselves. Warm outdoor showers are provided. The bathrooms are some of the cleanest I’ve seen. Campsites on the outer edges (odd numbers) are more spread apart. They also back up into dunes or brush which give you somewhat of a “woodsy” feel, which I appreciated. We had the beach access pass and drove on during the days to hang out which was great. Also, conveniently located to town so you don’t feel too far removed. Please note, they DO NOT allow wood burning fires, however they provide grills on each site for charcoal burning fires only. This app led us to believe they did allow campfires so it was a bummer to find out otherwise. Overall a good spot. Definitely worth a trip. 

Great Campsite Close to Beach

This is a tough place. Big winds and lots of rain. Trucks on the beach everywhere.

Town to get fish a long way away.

Grilling tough in the wind.

Get long tent stakes.

Windy

Great place!
Walking distance to the beach. Clean bathrooms 
Close to Nags Head where you can buy groceries or go to local restaurants 
Beach is wide, nice daily walks, birds watching at Pea Island just 8 miles from campground.
Yes, the road is there but at night is not busy. 
I added a map as a picture... if you go to sites B’s and C’s east side... those are great!
Stayed at C15 and C21 ... sunrise from your camper bedroom! 
Just perfect!

Super Campground!!!

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. 
Showers could use some updating but I guess that’s what we get for winter camping on the coast! 
Also another down side... close to the highway so it was a bit loud at night 

The Windy Campground 

Just like the other campgrounds in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Oregon Inlet is such great campground. The bathrooms and campground are clean. And so are the showers! Recreation.gov states that this campground has “heated showers.” I checked the water temperature in the shower by B28 and the water sure as heck is...lukewarm. I’ll take it!  The outside temperature is mid-60s in the mornings 
right now (April) so the lukewarm water isn’t a shock to the system! We didn’t have to shower in the van at this campground! Also a change to this campground from the others is the availability of water and power hookups at certain sites. Ours was not one of them. Although to dump you still need to go to the dump station across the street from the campground. The official map actually tells you where to find it this time. The beach is near the campground on the other side of the dune but it’s a longer walk than you might think. Also beware of sand spurs. They aren’t as bad as they were at Frisco but still present. 

Internet. For those who work and travel like us, at 7pm on a Thursday: Verizon via iPhone 12 - 47 mbps down, 2.9 mbps up and 51 ping; T-Mobile via Nighthawk MR1100 - 10 mbps down, 39 mbps up and 69 ping. 

They have hot water! Sort of.

Had some great luck securing a site last minute to test out our RTT during peak season July. As a typical forest camper, this campground was a bit of a change due to how open and exposed you are to the other sites. But, that's the beach for ya - no vegetation or other foliage to separate you from the other campers!

  

We scored great weather all day - brisk southerly winds with sunny skies, but about an hour after sunset after we snuggled up in our tent the winds turned light/variable and a wild squall line rolled through absolutely dumping on the coast. You could hear the screams and shrieks from children for miles, as they tried to find cover. 

  

The facilities were in good shape. Just about as clean as you get at a communal site shared by 100s of people, on the beach. But the walk over the dunes to the water was clutch, super convenient. 

  

Easy to access, right off the main road. Just secure your site early!

Great Location - OBX!

Beautiful site, nice amenities, a quick walk over the dunes and you’re on the beach.

Great Campsite

Enjoyed a short walk to the beach for a longer walk down the beach to an old boat. Great night sky views and quiet campground. Lukewarm but nice free showers with is somewhat rare for national sites. 

great national seashore beach experience

Great place to camp. Had water and electric at our campsite. 

Great place

Perfect beach camping for tents ! This was our first experience camping at the beach and it was great. It was a hot July day , 90 degrees but we cooled off in the water during the day and by evening the cool breeze was perfect !! The only downfall is the traffic from the highway is loud and never stops. Also you are very close to your neighbor. Besides that this is a great site. The staff are really sweet and helpful. The bathrooms are clean, easily accessible and there is a filtered watered fountain. The showers are also clean !!! 

Great beach camping !!

Camped here while exploring the NPS sites of NC. Could hear the calming waves from the tent site, and just a few short minutes of walking to get to the beach, and we even saw a deer on the dunes! Sand fleas were absolutely terrible at night, bring mosquito netting to hang inside your tent! There’s also no shade here, so get ready to be hot as soon as the sun comes up!

Beware of Sand Fleas!

This is our second trip to Oregon Inlet; this time we stayed in the non-electric mixed-use section of B Loop in two tents.
The even-numbered sites are closer to the dunes/beach, odd numbers in this section are very small.
B and C loop bathrooms are accessible from multiple points around the loops.
There is road noise during the day.
It’s not perfect (bugs, no shade, traffic noise, neighbors right on top of each other), but we love the short walk to the beach and will probably be back again.
We did notice fewer burrs around B loop than A loop.

Nice proximity to beach; cramped w/ road noise

We had a really tough visit for a family camping trip! we purchased these amazing attached camping tents that you can put a pop-up in between. We assembled our super tent and quickly realized that the wind was not going to allow us to do anything that we had planned. We then proceeded to have the wind rip apart our central canopy and completely destroy it and forcing us to try to drive the hour and 15 minutes back into Kitty Hawk to try to find a replacement for The center part of our tent. This pretty much ruined the first day of camping. Throughout the rest of the time we ended up having three tents attached to the middle piece that was sunken into sand buckets and then the sand was filled with water to further anchor the legs of the pop-up canopy. This is the only way to have a pop-up canopy at any of these sites. We experienced a full body exfoliationFrom the consistent winds that picked up ridiculous amounts of sand so that all of our kids were sandblasted bright red. Be aware that their showers will not have sufficient light to take a shower after dark. The park rangers are very cool and try to be as helpful as possible. We did not have a pleasant experience. We also experienced a thunderstorm and a sighting of a shark less than 4 feet away from my husband while he was fishing along the shore. I would recommend however staying at another campground and getting a pass to drive along the beach, that is always fun.

Cat 3 winds all the time 

Stayed in A loop, site A1. Very short walk to the beach and listening to the calming ocean waves at night was very relaxing. Neither wind or bugs were an issue during my stay in mid September. Lots of fishing opportunities nearby, especially if you get a beach driving permit and have a capable 4x4. The facilities were very clean and the staff was helpful.

Relaxing stay

Right in the dunes on the Outerbanks.
Easy access and great to explore the OBX from there.

The location is amazing and the beach at the campground is beautiful. It was such a treat to hear the ocean from our camp site. The showers and bath house are nice and kept clean.
The sites are very close to each other without much privacy. We had some terrible weather come in while we were there. There is no cover or shelter from the wind. We ended up leaving a day early because of the weather.  We would certainly try again and hope for better weather. 

Beautiful Beach, But Small Sites

I’ve camped at OIC before but it has been years. This time around was just as enjoyable as the last. My dog Wyatt and I came for 4 days to rest, enjoy the beautiful weather and, explore the beach. 

Reserving my site was incredibly easy through recreation.gov and when I arrived, the check in process was super easy.

My site was clean, offered ample room for my car, tent, and ample gear that I brought.

The restroom and shower facilities were immaculate and were very easy to access from my site.

**note** there is a water filling station that can be used to fill Nalgene bottles as well as larger holding containers. I was unaware of this before I arrived and made good use of this service.

Access to the beach is easy with well marked trails and no shortage of views.

Access to shopping and restaurants is only 15 minutes up the beach, ORV access is also just on the other side of the campground if you plan to drive on the beach. 

*note* driving on the beach will require a permit, which can be easily purchased at the Bodie Island Lighthouse just up the road from the campground or online at recreation.gov 

4 days of rest and relaxation 

I’ve stayed here a few times each of the last 3  years and it’s by far one of the best campgrounds I’ve stayed at

The perfect location for OBX

Fantastic campground perfectly located halfway between Corolla and Frisco! Extremely clean bathrooms and great beach access! Not all sites have hookups so double check what you’re getting when you book! 
If you’re looking for a quiet campground outside of the hustle and bustle but within reach of everything Outer Banks, the Oregon Inlet is for you! 

Oregon Inlet Campground 

Decent sized spots.  Very picturesque.  Great sunrise and sunsets.  Overall - great park 😁

Very nice and quiet place at the beach.

We spent Thanksgiving here and had a great time. Our spot (B6) backed up to the sand dunes which gave us a greater sense of privacy but the sites are all pretty close to each other. We had no hookups at our site and still managed to make a pretty awesome Thanksgiving dinner. Campground has nice bathrooms and outdoor showers. I didn't try the showers but they looked like they might not have hot water. The ocean is a minute or 2 walk over the sand dunes - you can't see it from the sites but can still hear it, at least from our site.

  

This was a great base to explore the area - drove up to Corolla (cutest town ever) and drove on the beach where the horses are although we didn't see any.

  

Overall, average, kind of crowded campground but an excellent location with ocean access.

Beautiful spot on the ocean

This is generally a nice place but if you're hoping for privacy there is none at all. It can be crazy windy as well with little coverage. You also can not have campfires here even though the description says you can. That said... it's a nice location basically right on the beach. Clean bathrooms and showers. Nice to hear the ocean.

Nice but...

It's very close to the water and clean, but only one working bathroom for both loops and no trash cans except for the dumpster at the entrance make this campground less than stellar. Plus side, warm showers. 

Nice campground could be great

Great beach, great camping, nice area boating across the way. Plenty of fish.


Beautiful place

We camped at Oregon Inlet from April 11-April 17, 2022. We stayed in loop B, site 6, which is dune-side. The dune-side sites do not have electricity or water hookups, but are much better for privacy and location. The sites that have electric are on the grassy area next to the highway, and the road noise is an issue if you have a soft-sided camper. The road noise was not audible from our dune side location.

  

April was windy, so we didn't use the awning on our pop-up. There is no shade at this campground, so consider bringing something for shade if camping here in the summer months. There was a grill and a picnic table at our site, but campfires are not allowed.

  

The bathrooms have flushing toilets and sinks. There are "warm" showers that operate from a pull-ring system. The water is cold on the initial pull but does warm up to lukewarm/slightly warm. 

  

There is no location to wash dishes at all at the campground. There is no dishwashing station or grey water dumping station. We didn't realize this when we went, so we ended up wiping everything out with a lot of paper towels and a little rinse of water. 

  

The location on Nag's Head was perfect, almost at the mid-point of the outer banks. It was very convenient to reach Kitty Hawk, Nag's Head village, and even Cape Hatteras from the campground.

Excellent Location in the Outer Banks

Went beach camping here a few years ago and had a pleasant experience. Campsite has picnic tables, communal bathrooms and showers. Quick access to the beach for those sunrise views!

Beach Camping

Camping in the outerbanks for cheap! We like this campground because it’s still near nags head and that area of the obx before the long bridge to hatteras. Camping with a jeep or truck is the way to go because you can drive on the beach. The campground is nice with restrooms and trails that lead to the beach.

Love it

Level, paved campsites, many with water and electric, at National Park prices is hard to beat. Only dunes between the campground and ocean. Hear the surf from the camper. 

Outer Banks Camping at its finest

Right there on the beach and loved it! We didn’t want to leave!

Loved the location

Oregon Inlet is a flat, right on the beach, great place to stay the night and have access to bathroom.  No frills but nice, clean and safe.

Great spot to stay the night

We didn’t experience it much, because we got in late. It was full and the sites are close together. Fairly quiet, though. Nothing between the sites to minimize sight lines. Bathhouse was clean. It’s a fairly long walk to the beach. It has a LOT of traffic noise from the highway.

It had what we needed… a site

Enjoyed our spot close to the dunes.  You can walk to the beach.  Rest Rooms and showers are clean and adequate.  Despite the Dyrt test no WiFi but good cell reception.  Sites without hookups close to the dunes are great if you can boondock.

Great Camping Off the Grid

Went in May 2023 and it was so windy! No fires is a bummer. Sites are close together and small. Great location and amazing price though. 

Prepare for high winds

Had a great stay, definitely would come again

Organ inlet camp ground

It was a great visit on a hot and tad rainy day. The management around Oregon Inlet is fantastic and overall people are very friendly. Feels quite safe. Bathrooms are relatively clean and accessible. Ocean can be reached via slightly difficult to navigate sand dune trails. Only negative I encountered is the tent sites (both A stand-alone and B &amp; C RV/tent combos) are quite small and are tough to break ground. The site I stayed at was not overly difficult as it had a somewhat grassy-sand hybrid area to the side that housed a Wawoona 6 tent with vestibule. Had to be pretty compact with the neighbor but no issue. OBX sand is also a bit easier to clean!

Good management, decent tent site

Camped at Oregon Inlet for its location near Alligator River NWR, and Bodies Lighthouse.

  

The PROS:

*   Great location - plenty of beach access
*   Warm water in the showers. However, I did wish they had an attached dressing area that was dry. 
*   Quiet and respectful 'neighbors'

The CONS:  

*   Mid-September was hot, muggy and buggy. Also afternoon heavy rain showers.
*   Hard to enjoy the campground during the day due to the heat, and at night due to the bugs. I took a Tent with bug screens that covered the picnic table, so that helped but bugs still got in. Used Thermocells to help create a bug free zone relatively. Next time I will waterproof the tent cover for rain showers and it dripped a bit.
*   Bathroom doors left wide open and poorly ventilated, so they were hot and buggy, even at night. I discovered air conditioned bathrooms at Bodie's lighthouse and at the visitors center at the beginning of Route 12.
*   Yes, there are sand spurs at the campsites. I wore shoes so didn't have a problem.
*   It is true that you hear road noise through out the night. I found that week nights were notably quieter than weekend nights, including Sunday night.
*   The campsites are small and closely together with no sun protection.
*   Beach access involves walking over two high sand dunes on soft sand. Not terribly difficult, but hard for me with bad knees.
*   No area for washing dishes. I take a portable wash bucket. Took my dishes up and showered and washed them in the shower room.
*   One water spigot near the shower areas. I wasn't sure which was potable. Red and blue water spigots unmarked.

Great location with basic amenities

Oregon Inlet in Hatteras NSS, NC.: 
Great beach and Kitty Hawk nearby. 
We like this campground even though sites are pretty tight.  We have been here  later in November in the past.   The weather was much cooler, but this campground is pretty empty then.  
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy.
Overall Rating:  3.5
Price 2023: $  14 w interagency pass for non electric sites
Usage during visit: 95% full. 
Site Privacy:  Not good 
Site Spacing:  Sites along the dunes are pretty close. 
Site surface:  Blacktop 
Reservations:   Required 
Campground Noise:   Quiet 
Road Noise:   Noticeable throughout B and C loops.  I’ll leave Loop A to be evaluated by tent campers.   Homey, I will say to choose a site away from Hwy 12.  
Through Traffic in campground:    None
Electric Hookup:  Some sites.    See my map in pictures 
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station:  Yes.   It is across the highway to the south of the campground. 
Potable Water Available: At the dump station and near the restrooms. 
Generators:  Allowed.  
Bathroom:  Clean flush toilets. 
Showers:  Yes, but a gap between the roof and walls makes for a cold experience this time of year with the wind. 
Pull Throughs:   No
Cell Service (AT&amp;T): 2 to 3 bars.
Setting:  A pretty area between Highway 12 and the dunes. 
Weather:  Highs in upper 60s.  Lows are in mid 50s 
Bugs:  A couple mosquitoes.  Wind has probably kept them at bay. 
Solar:  Great when not too cloudy.  
Host:  They are super.  
Rig size:    Large rigs can fit in many spots. 
Sites:  See my map in my attached pictures:  Circled sites B2 - 20 back right up to the dunes.  C1 -21 have a broader view of the beautiful dunes with 5 - 21 in this group a bit larger sites.  B 22 and24 are getting closer to the dunes.   I like all these sites in comparison to the others.  However, I appreciate being backed right up to the dunes.  Site B4 is the best site, in my opinion.  Rig size is limited for this site.    It’s not deep, Punic table is near campground road, but isolated from B2 on the picnic side by a dune  . B2 is a good site.   Picnic area is private from adjacent site, but not from vehicles driving by.  


Location Is A Five

 Cool campground within the Cape Hatteras Nat’l Seashore, beachy vibe, sites are open and no privacy whatsoever, and you’re pretty close to your neighbor, but it is what we expect from most beach campgrounds. 

  

Watch out for spiny sand spurs(?) that stick in your dog’s paws and your socks- very painful and they’re all over the grassy areas. 

  

Bathrooms are nice, flush toilets. Showers are available for free, but they are a bit exposed, like an outhouse type set up and the doors are short. We didn’t take showers here but another camper told us the water is warm. 

  

Beach is right behind the campground, easy access with several trails leading right from the campsites. Wifi is available per sign on office door, but you probably need to be at the office to use it, as we didn’t see it pop us as an available wifi source. Good cell reception for Verizon and ATT. 

  

All reservations must be made via recreation.gov. We came in without reservations, drove through the loops, picked an open site, and made our reservation. Recreation.gov is nice in that there are no processing fees. 

  

Campground was about 1/2 full on a Sunday in early November. We paid $28 for a no-hookup site, water/power sites are available for a bit more. There’s a dump station available across the street but we didn’t use it since we were just heading south to the next campground with a dump and fill station there as well.

Cool Beachy Vibe

We stayed here for four days, and while the location is decent, the sites are terrible—no shade at all. The only good part about this place is the clean bathrooms and hot showers. The campground hosts are a nightmare. They've invented their own rules outside the official ones, and while some people get away with breaking rules, we were singled out. They became angry, rude, and defensive when we questioned them, even threatening to call the police on us because our son was flying a kite! As we waited for the police, we reread the rules for the fourth time and found no issue. The police never showed up, and now the campground host refuses to assist us or provide any information, ice, or anything else we need. They even spoke directly to our child instead of us, being incredibly rude to him. These hosts should be removed immediately—they've made our stay absolutely miserable. We will never return. This campground is not child-friendly, and the hosts clearly do not like children. Ocracoke Campground is way better—the hosts there are nice, informative, and genuinely helpful.

**Terrible Experience with Rude and Unhelpful Hosts

Excellent place all the way around, just make sure you take the amount of bugs seriously, even their website says so.  We used 40% deet, bug zappers and I even took a powerful fogger (I used to own a pest control company).  Then and only then was it manageable.  

Great place and price!

Nice quiet campground away from civilization but within a short 5min (not even) walk to the beach. Mostly a fishing spot (need a permit for that) and you can book this one online before visiting. Reasonable but there are some less expensive sites down the coast a bit I haven’t tried them though. 

Love this campground in spring and fall. 

**General:** One of four Cape Hatteras National Seashore Campgrounds. Campsites in three loops, A-C. A is for tents only, but with paved camper pads; there were several vans in these sites. No generators are allowed in this loop. There are no defined tent pads, and a few erected their tents directly on the camper pad. The B and C loops have a combination of W/E sites and sites with no hookups. The utility sites cost $7 more, which is very reasonable. There is one ADA-accessible site in the B loop next to a ramp to the restroom. You will hear road noise from nearly every site, but it is worse in the mornings. 

  

**Site Quality:** Some camper pads are very short, while others are more generous in size; all are paved and mostly level. We had reserved B4 but switched to B16 upon arrival (this had to be done online with Recreation.gov). B16 was a little longer and closer to the restrooms, but neither had hookups. There is little to no privacy/separation between sites. 

  

**Bath/Shower House:** As with the other Cape Hatteras National Seashore NPS campgrounds, the restrooms are basic but clean. This one had a weird red light inside. More than enough hooks for toiletries. Although the website says the showers have hot water, they are not indoor showers, and it was cold and windy when we were there, so I did not use them. 

  

**Activities/Amenities:** Several trails have good signage, but access is not well defined (you have to cut between campsites to access them). Although it had not rained in several days, there must have been recent rains as several of these trails were flooded. I did take the trail between Sites C13 and 15, which led to the road that accesses the beach. This beach is not as walkable as Ocracoke and is more suited for vehicles, and I saw several as I walked. The tire tracks made deep ruts, making walking a bit challenging. I am more a fan of kayaks and SUPS, so motorboats and driving on the beach are not my thing, but if it is yours, you will need a permit to do so. There is a dump station and a potable water fill station, but they are outside the campground and easy to miss as there is no signage at the entrance. If you go over the bridge heading south, you have missed it. 

  

This was an overnight stop as we traveled north through the Outer Banks, but I liked the more walkable beach at Ocracoke better than this one.

Ocean access but not very walkable; a lot of road noise

We just got back from a weekend at Oregon Inlet Campground, and it was such a memorable family experience! If you’re looking for a place to truly enjoy the beauty of the Outer Banks while keeping things simple and family-friendly, this campground is a great option.

From the moment we arrived, the kids were thrilled. The dunes are right next to the campsites and provided hours of fun—running, climbing, sliding, and just being wild and free. It’s not every day your campsite is just steps away from natural sand playgrounds! Plus, the beach is a short walk over the dunes, which made it super easy to head over for sunrise walks, midday swims, and evening shell hunts.

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—but it worked fine for our camper and small family setup. You can definitely tell this campground is designed for folks who want to enjoy the natural surroundings rather than fancy amenities, which we appreciated.

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. We slept great with the sounds of the ocean in the background and woke up refreshed each morning. It didn’t feel like a packed, noisy campground at all—which we were a little worried about at first.

The bathhouse was a pleasant surprise. It was very clean during our stay, and the showers were consistently warm (which felt amazing after sandy beach adventures). Having a warm, clean shower available really made a difference, especially with little kids who don’t exactly love cold rinse-offs.

Another plus was how close we were to other parts of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. We took a short drive to Bodie Island Lighthouse and also spent some time exploring the nearby marina and visitor center. There’s a lot to do in the area, especially if you enjoy fishing, boating, or just soaking in the natural beauty of the OBX.

Overall, Oregon Inlet Campground gave us everything we wanted for a low-key, nature-filled family getaway. It’s not luxurious, but if you’re coming for the dunes, the beach, and some quality time outdoors, it checks all the boxes. Our kids are already asking when we can go back, and honestly—we’re asking ourselves the same thing!

Fun Family OBX Weekend

Sites are basic and close together (no wood fires allowed), you’re basically camping in the sand dunes. Short walk across the dunes to the beach. Showers and toilets are clean and good. I came in April and not sure if it’s like this all year round but my site was like a wind tunnel so be prepared for that. Location is good - close to the lighthouse and maybe 15 min south of busy commercialized Nags Head. Requires advance reservation through recreation dot gov.  Only thing I didn’t like was how close the sites were to each other but other than that all was good. 

Good camping in the sand dunes of the OBX

I like this campground. Very quiet and basic. Clean and easy to get to. But do your due diligence when reserving - the sites look bigger in the photos. We boondock a lot and didn’t even bother trying to compete for one of the few sites with hookups. Our 22k trailer fit in our spit but there was barely room for the truck - she’s parked at an angle. I got a little nervous getting backed in because the sites on this loop (B12) are a little tight. But if you like walking, and love to hear the waves outside your window when you sleep this is the place. Went across the street to the marina and had lunch at the Sea Chef. Sat out on the deck with our small 12lb dog and just had a wonderful time x the even brought her a doggy bowl with water. We will stay here again!

The area is great  

Tent camping was a little crowded but the location makes up for it. 5 min walk to the beach and clean and spacious bathhouse and restroom. 

Great location! 

Beautiful parking right next to the dunes! Sunrise is on this side too!

Right on the beach!

This is an beautiful setting between Nags Head and and the deeper portion of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It's rugged and windy with sand dunes inside the campground. The beach is just across the dunes and the Bodie Island Lighthouse is visible from the grounds. It's just north of Oregon Inlet, the Bonner Bridge Pier and Pea Island with its ever blowing dunes. 

**This is not for everyone.** There are no pools, playgrounds, or even shade. But, it has very nice bathrooms and you can experience the amazing harsh landscape of the area. To me, the lack of amenities make it special. That said, there is water and electric, and Nags Head is about 9 miles away with all the conveniences you could want. 

We used this as a starting point to explore from where the NC 12 pavement ends in Currituck to the southern end where the highway continues, but it's via ferry.

Photos of Oregon Inlet Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Real photos from real campers