Ocean Waves Campground, near Waves, North Carolina, is a cozy spot that brings you right to the heart of the Outer Banks experience. With direct access to the beach, it’s a prime location for those who want to soak up the sun and enjoy the ocean breeze.

This campground offers a mix of tent and RV sites, complete with picnic tables and concrete pads for RVs. Visitors often rave about the short walk over the dunes to the beach, making it easy to spend your days lounging by the water. One camper noted, “The treasure is a trail over the dunes to the ocean at the back of the campground,” highlighting the easy beach access.

Amenities include clean restrooms and hot showers, which are essential after a day of outdoor fun. Some guests appreciate the smaller size of the campground, noting that it creates a more intimate and family-friendly atmosphere. As one reviewer put it, “Ocean Waves is smaller than most of the other campgrounds on the Island, but they are not small on service!”

If you’re looking to explore, you’re just a stone’s throw from local attractions and the stunning natural beauty of the Outer Banks. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer stay, Ocean Waves Campground offers a laid-back vibe that’s perfect for making memories by the sea.

Ocean Waves Campground

Searching for the best camping near Rodanthe, NC? Rodanthe is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Rodanthe camping trip.

Rodanthe

The Best Camping Near Rodanthe, North Carolina

Ocean Waves is smaller than most of the other campgrounds on the Island, but they are not small on service! They offer everything the bigger campgrounds offer, but at about half the nightly fee. FHU sites include cable TV and free WiFi, 89 total campsites, 3 bath houses, and they even have a few sites with shade tree's (a difficult commodity for anyplace on the outerbanks), Family run, so you'll get some very personalized service too!! I've been coming to this campground for years, won't stay anywhere else on OBX.

Best campground on the Island...

Ocean Waves Campground is located on the Outer Banks of NC.   The campsites are slightly larger than some of the other sites we looked at around the area - and this campground is smaller, and family run, which we liked better!  

  

Ocean Waves has some nice shady spots and picnic tables at each site.  There is a small swimming pool, a bathhouse with hot showers (exposed plumbing, but it worked all the same!) and a camp store on site.  

  

There is also a small gated dog run, which is nice, because we haven't seen another one while being at the Outer Banks!!  There is also a swingset - perfect for younger kids - to be able to play on just a walk away from our site!  

  

I would recommend one of the perimeter spots for sure - they seem a bit shadier and quieter.  They back up to houses immediately behind, but for the beach - this campground will do perfectly!

Close to the beach, smaller, family friendly campground!  

Great place to visit. Can walk to beach. First time camping on beach, what to go back. The only thing is the sand Spurs.

Outer bank, NC

Best campground on highway 12. Concrete pad for rev and nice grassy area to relax.  Short walk over the dune to beautiful beach. Dog area to let you pets run. All the amenities that you could want. Can’t wait to go back next year. 

We rolled in today for a four night stay at Ocean waves Campground. Based on the reviews we thought it would be great place. Everything went fine in check in. However when drove in, it was the tightest, most crowded campsite we’d ever seen. When we got to our site we saw that it was incredibly cramped and was a 90° back in with too many cars at adjacent sides to make it even possible to make the turn. 

Additionally, our site (that was to accommodate our trailer and a tent) was a small concrete pad surrounded by grass that was under several inches of water. The electrical hook up post￼ was in a huge puddle unsafe to navigate. 

While the adjacent campers in full Trump regalia looked on, I booked a site at the adjacent KOA. Staff was grouchy at my insistence that the site would not do and was unsafe, but did refund all but one nights stay. 

Extremely cramped & unsafe  

Smaller campground which we liked, on the beach.  Restrooms older but clean.  Quiet at night, ocean breezes.  Owner allowed us to change check in date with no penalty.   Sunrise at Cape Hatteras the highlight!

Nice beach access

$67.00 per night full hookups 30-50 amps $50.00 tent 

Wifi, pool, cable tv, paved roads, concrete pads with single and double width, picnic table, swimming pool, flush toilet, hot shower (3 bath houses), shade and open sites, and even a game room. 

The treasure is a trail over the dunes to the ocean at the back of the campground. The stay here is like a family reunion, cozy and fun. 

No wood campfires, pets leashed and cleaned up after, speed limit of 5 MPH, no firearms or fireworks. 

LNT 

BTYFI 

Travel safe

Path to the Ocean

There are four tent-specific sites and I got the best one, right by the berm that separates the campground from the beach. The beach is the very best aspect of Ocean Waves, but the campground itself is jam-packed with RVs parked cheek to jowl, the bathrooms are serviceable but muggy and worn, and the staff aren’t particularly friendly. The neighboring 3-story houses towering over the campground keep their outdoor lights on late. There’s a little swimming pool and pool room and washer/dryer, none of which I made use of. One more thing: Ocean Waves is located on the south end of the OBX which is great if you’re like me and you prefer a less touristy area.

Great Beach But Eh

We have been here two times and cannot wait to return! Direct access to the beach and perfect location in Outer Banks! 

Photos of Ocean Waves Campground

Real photos from real campers