## Overview

 Located in the famous Outer Banks area of the stunning North Carolina coast, this campground is perfect for a beach getaway trip. 
## Recreation

 The seashore provides a place for active recreation or for quiet reflection. Campers can visit a lighthouse, look for seashells, go fishing and clamming or just sit back and enjoy the peace and beauty of the white sandy beaches. More active recreational activities include swimming, kayaking and windsurfing. Bird and wildlife viewing is also a popular pastime for campers. The seashore provides a home and habitat for creatures large and small, on land and in the water.
## Facilities

 Ocracoke Campground is only accessible by ferry or aircraft. Campsites are located on sandy soil, so campers are encouraged to bring extra long tent stakes. Flush toilets, drinking water, cold showers and grills are all provided for a more comfortable beach camping experience. The campground is conveniently located on the ocean side, separated from the beach by barrier dunes.
## Natural Features

 Ocracoke Campground sits on a barrier island along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The shore a recreational oasis for beach lovers. This ribbon of sand provides some of the most dazzling scenery that the Atlantic coast has to offer. 
## contact\_info

 For facility specific information, please call (252) 475-9018. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Nearby Ocracoke Village offers restaurants, gift shops, grocery stores, a gas station and tackle shop.

Ocracoke Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

I camped two nights at Ocracoke in a corner spot tucked in between the sand dunes. It was absolute heaven on earth. I could walk over one small dune and be on the beach. The showers do NOT have hot water, so be prepared for that. It wasn’t a big deal for me, but if you’re traveling with kids it could be difficult. My favorite thing about this campground was the layout of the sites – many of them were very private with small dunes separating them, so you don’t feel like you’re just camped out in a field surrounded by other people. All in all, it was an ideal camping experience and the short drive into the town of Ocracoke is totally worth it. So many great things to see in do in a picturesque little Outer Banks town.

Peaceful and gorgeous

My favorite memory of this place is falling asleep in my tent listening to the surf break. Nothing like it. Still miss it. It's been 20+ years since then. Time to go back! 

Can't beat falling asleep to the sound of the waves

It was easy to get from here to any of the good surf spots in ocracoke. you can hear the ocean so clearly at night. During the day it was easy to take the tent to the beach to shield us from the sun. 

Definitely reserve, because you cannot camp on the beach.

While all the RV's are at the HUGE KOA village the national seashore parks are filled with tents and a respite from generators. 

Although there are moments when the wind hits that you might wish you were in a hard shelled tent. 

You can make reservations in advance but with over 100 sites and multiple loops of sites you will be sure to find a spot. 

This place has amazing access to surf but if you're not a surfer the next best thing to do is walk to the lighthouse from your campsite. 

Sleep to the sound of Crashing Waves 

This is a beautiful campground and we had a site with it’s own path to the beach which was very convenient. The bathhouse was clean but got VERY hot during the day. The campground Is very close to the pony pens and Is a quick drive to Ocracoke village. The biggest con of this campground is the lack of shade and the fact that the manmade dune blocks most of the wind. In the summer heat, it was stifling for tent camping. It was too hot for my northern blood. If I come back here, It would have to be earlier in the season or I would bring an air conditioner. 

Beautiful but HOT

campground is great right next to the beach, nice bathrooms, good showers (cold h2o only). Rangers are great about advising spots based on the weather so you don’t wind up in a flooded area. Mosquitoes are wicked, but a small price to pay. 


idyllic unspoiled beach haven

This is a park wit no power or shade. Sand flees and bugs are plentiful. Cooler seasons are perfect and this is right on the ocean. Bath houses are adequate

Rustic beautiful site on the ocean

This is a favorite spot - among the dunes and in a tent. The basic sites are clean and the facilities are fine - cold shower only.

But....the key is the location. You are right next to the ocean and it's not overrun with people.

Go here and don't tell anyone!!!

Let the dark skies and sounds of the waves take you away!

It't beautiful and has a bathhouse. Sleeping on the beach sand is so comfortable. Fall or spring is are great times to go. There is a very short walk over the dunes to get to the most beautiful beach in the whole world! There is the really sweet town of Ocracoke to visit just a very short drive from the campground. Ocracoke is were Blackbeard was captured which is also a fun draw to the island.

Fantastic for beach lovers

Ocracoke was wonderful in so many ways. Huge sites, only sand dunes separating you from the beach. Each night, the crashing surf lulled us to sleep.

  

The toilets and sinks are in nice, new buildings. Great facilities. The shower stalls, on the other hand, were by themselves, in the middle of each loop. The stalls are not housed in a building, just open in the middle of the field. (Felt like Petticoat Junction, if anyone else is an old time like us.) Water is only cold, we knew that ahead of time. Doors on shower stalls would not lock, and there's nowhere to put your dry clothes, etc.

  

No shade in the campground,  so prepare to create your own.

  

We loved it and look forward to returning. 

  

Several ferries service the island. On the south side, two paid ones, on the north side, the ferry is free.

Can I live there?

The campground is wonderful. There were plenty of spaces available during my stay (6/6-6/9), especially the field lots. If you would like a dunes site, get there just before or at checkout. Also, check the winds before setting up a tent (15mph winds added an hour to set up).

The campsite is very dark and quiet after 10p, which makes it very peaceful. Make sure you have a small flashlight ready for the late night run to the restroom, otherwise you may run into one of the grills.

The park ranger I checked in with was very friendly and informative, letting me know all the rules, including the wood fire ban during my stay. You will be asked to choose a few spots before you set up, so I would suggest looking at the map posted in the photos for possible locations.

The village of Ocracoke is two miles from the campground, about seven from the Hatteras ferry. If you forgot or don’t have room to bring your bike, many places in town have bikes for rent by the day, and many told me I could ride and keep the bike out at the campground. 

If you are looking for a getaway from everyday chaos, definitely stay on the island and at this campground.

Peaceful getaway

Drove down from our 4 night stay in Kitty Hawk, took the ferry over to Ocracoke. Tent camped for the night. Our little spot (D25) had a paved drive that I could back into, a grill and a picnic table. So everything you need really. It dog legged off to the right into to smaller trees witch we took advantage of as a wind break.

  

We walked over the dunes to the beach, water was warm but the surf was a bit rough so I only went out about waste deep (Rip current). Wind was up that day too, a lot of sea shells on the beach if your into that.

  

Grounds had shower stalls with cold water, no problem for us and they had men's and women's restrooms that were clean and well lit.

  

We would defiantly recommend this campground and I hope to stay there again some day!

Great Beach Camping

You sleep to the sound of the waves crashing

See it before it’s underwater

A great National Park Service Campground! If you are lucky you can get a site with private access to the beach. You can't reserve a specific site online so you have to choose it when you get there. We camped here in October, so we had tons to choose from! 

  

The campsite was multi-tiered with a flat grassy area with a picnic table at the bottom, a path to another flat sandy area where we put our tent, and then a path over the dune to the beach. The bathrooms have cold showers and are pretty basic. No fires at this campground but you can have a fire in the grill.

  

Ocracoke is such a special place with lots of fun things to do and see in town or just spend the whole time at the beach!

Awesome beach camping!

This place is such a hidden gem, on such a remote island!  Though we did hit some snags - We tent camped and unfortunately there was a horrific thunder storm one of the nights. The campground is right next to the beach on low ground so does flood easily. We stayed in B010 and our tent ground did not flood, but the parking spot did (no big deal) but sites around the back half of the campground further from the beach were completely flooded. It is also terrifying to tent camp during a lightning storm here because your tent is the tallest thing around. Also the mosquitos are AWFUL. But with the negative experiences aside, we would absolutely stay here again (perhaps with an RV instead...).  The campground is located a bit down the main highway, so you are still a short 5-10 minute right to town if you so please, or you can escape into the coast for a truly remote experience. All sites are separated from the beach by the sand dunes, and it's a short walk up/down the dunes to the beach. The beach itself is very private - we went during Fourth of July weekend and still only saw a few others on the beach (I imagine because it's a bit further away/ hard to get to for non campers.) There are amenities (bathroom, and a separate shower stall) but the showers were cold and mosquito-infested (they bite you as you are trying to shower - another reason I think I'd come back with an RV... lol!)  There was also no water source here  - I believe NPS turned off all water fountains due to covid, and water is hard to come by / expensive on the island, so bring your own jugs!! The campground itself is a mix of more shaded, secluded spots, and wide open grassy field sites. It's a mix of RV, pop ups, and tents. There are no fires allowed but each site comes with a picnic table and charcoal grill. The campground is very quiet and dark after dusk so you truly feel like you're remote, and you can even hear the sound of the ocean crashing beyond the dunes as you sleep! Definitely bring LOTS of bug spray and citronella candles, I lived in Florida so am no stranger to mosquitos, but the bugs here are no joke. I also suggest bringing a screenroom with fine netting for your site - I never believed in these screen canopies before but I am now converted. It was a life saver!

Remote, Bring your bug spray! 

We fully enjoyed the beach. Kids were able to surf with program at the local surf shop. Village is recovering from a Hurricane but it had some nice restaurants. The high temperatures would probably keep us from camping in July again. 

Incredible beach access 

If you love the beach you will love it here! Go to sleep hearing the ocean, wake up early to go over the sand dunes to see a beautiful sunrise. There is no electric or hot water in the showers, but that hasn’t stopped us in three years! 

Our Favorite Place

Fabulous location! Getting there is half the fun. Take a 2 hour ferry ride to the island. Drive through the quaint town to get to the secluded campground. Huge dunes between campground and beach. Sites are well spaced. Hardly any shade so take your own, if you can. Just across the street, on the other side of the island, is the bay. Water is less than knee deep for as far as you can see....a fun place to play! No hookups and only cold water, primitive style showers.

Simple, oceanfront

I had a wonderful late November five night, tent camping, surf fishing week at a wonderful, clean, quiet campground. I stayed in site D-17 and recommend any of those sites on the outer perimeter of D loop. 

The bath houses were always clean.  The park hosts were friendly and accessible. The town of Ocracoke is only a five minute drive yet a world away from this peaceful place. 

Absolute joy!

Quiet, low key place to stay! They don’t have power and water at site, but you can run your generator from 7-10. There’s no hot water in the shower houses, but they are clean and well maintained. Overall great place to stay. Right in the middle of the town of Ocracoke and the ferry. 

Great campground

This is a very unique and well maintained campground.  Literally on the dunes and beach, nice camp sites, basic facilities. No hot water...but beyond that, a great place to camp.

Exceptional!

Ocracoke Campground

The basics: the campground is clean, bathrooms are clean, the sites and roads look newly paved with asphalt, the grass is pretty and the campground is on the other side of the dune from the beach. Also, the campsites are level.

What does the campground have? Cooking grills at each site, picnic tables at each site, recycling and garbage, outdoor showers with cold water (outdoor exposed like a beach shower and outdoor sheltered private shower with a locking door). The campground doesn’t have water, sewer or power hookups in the campground. There’s a hand fill water station somewhere I saw people filing their jugs up at. You can, however, get potable water and use the dump station for your rig outside the campground across the street just past the nature trail parking. Pull up satellite view on a map and you’ll find it.

Prepare for your trip. If it’s cold, consider how you’ll manage hygiene for few days if you can’t stand the water temperature. If it’s hot, consider how you’ll keep cool and have shade. I’ve read that mosquitos are bad in the warm months. The sites are exposed with no tree coverage. I didn’t mind this part at all. I usually want more privacy at campgrounds with large RVs because of their blinding outdoor white lights and imposing nature that make me feel less like I’m camping. But this campground has a ton of tent campers and people with small camping rigs. Like people are outside doing normal camping things like cooking, eating, sitting in their chairs talking. And it’s been cold!

The sites are smaller than you might expect. Our 22 feet camper van fit just fine. I mention this as I saw another reviewer complain that the sites aren’t long enough to accommodate a 35 feet Class A. This campground simply isn’t for you. Your car and rig must fit in your spot on the asphalt. If your car can’t fit, you have to park it at the campground parking. Tents are all setup in the grass. DO NOT PARK IN THE GRASS. The grass is so pretty. Why would you do that??? And it’s not allowed anyway. Don’t be “that” camper.

How did we keep clean during our three days in the cold? We showered in the van. This did require us to drive to the fill/dump station everyday. Which is just fine since we aren’t hooked up to anything or on leveling blocks.

Late check-in? We arrived at around 7:30pm. You don’t call for a key code or anything. Each reservation is posted at each campsite. Just park in your spot and check-in the next day at normal check-in time. There’s no central office. The camp host will greet you as you drive into the campground.

I give this campground an easy 5 stars.

Internet. T-Mobile doesn’t have service on Ocracoke. At the campground for Verizon on my iPhone 12, my connection was pretty okay: 7 mbps down, 0.7 mbps up and 205 ms ping. I connected my cell booster for a stronger connection. 

You couldn’t ask for a better location

While we only stayed in this spot for a night, the place was absolutely amazing. We tent camped in section D and had direct access to the beach with our tent tucked behind the sand dunes. My only actual issue with the campground itself was our site had some residual trash left over from people before which is quite disappointing as we always pack out. Also, the bathrooms were kinda meh. 

Do be prepared to have a way to keep nats away as our tent was filled in the morning.

Overall, this visit was spectacular and we will definitely be back 

Incredible  

The beach access is super convenient and the beach is absolutely perfect. The stargazing at night is exceptional. Camping is pretty tight as spots are close together but it gets the job done. Beware of bugs, biting flys were quite the nuisance. But overall a great stay and the nighttime stargazing here is something that is just hard to find anymore.

Beautiful beach and stargazing galore

Ocracoke is a great place to “recharge” the batteries of life pure and simple! Falling asleep listening to the sounds of the ocean; to look up at night and see our galaxy the Milky Way and all the stars revolving around Polaris is simply awe inspiring and a slice of heaven! We tent camped D-28. The steady breeze kept the bugs away all 3 nights. 4x4 to the many beach gates is a definite must. Lower tire pressure to 15-20 psi is highly recommended 


Invigorating 

Stayed here for a night, loved it, it was a minute walk to the beach through some beautiful sand dunes and then you had pretty much the place to yourself. I will say how I was camping the lack of shade made it frustrating to stay at my campsite. (I was on a motorcycle, so no shade was available for me) 

Tent

Its not a bad spot, but $28 is a little high when you're just using a tent. you can't see the ocean from your camping area, but its a 3 minute walk there. When I came here I thought we'd be allowed to tent camp (without having a fire) anywhere on the beach, so the need to pay a fee was a let down. 

T-Mobile DOES have service on most of this island, as I am writing this review from the camping area. 

Bugs were not an issue.

$28 for tent camping

We just returned from 5 days at Okracoke. Our first few days we experienced high winds, gusting to 30 mph. We spent the first night worried our tent would blow down and the following day reinforcing our guy lines and stakes. Our sight, D5, was on the dunes making sand screws a necessity.  The sand spurs in the dunes proved frustrating, especially for our dog Max. The bathrooms were very clean and the water deliciously potable. At night, the absence of ambient light made star gazing a breathtaking experience. There are no fires allowed at the campsite nor are they allowed on the beach In October. Camping just seems better with a campfire and it is an element of camping I sorely missed. The town was a few short miles away with a well stocked grocery and hardware store. The Pony Island Restaurant served fabulous takeout breakfast from a walk up window and lunch at the Okracoke Oyster Company was divine. (The Reuben was one of the best I ever had)
 The hosts, including their dog, were lovely and helpful. 
If I were to return, I'd definitely choose a grassy site instead of the dunes and the sand spurs and be prepared for high winds.

Camping under the stars

This was a very pleasant campground in November when it was 80% empty. A short walk over the dune to miles of empty beach. No hookups and cold showers, but the natural beauty and sound of the surf at night made it perfect. The pads are short and sites are close with no privacy. Can't say how it would rate when full.

Mostly empty in November

My wife and I love to tent camp, and this is our second visit here.  Here is the breakdown:

• $28/night

• Showers are cold water only, but they do have great pressure

• No matter where your site is located, there is easy, easy, so much easy access to the beach

• Park Rangers seem attentive, as we have seen her/him patrol each day of our visit

• Dogs and cats and I imagine other animals are welcome

• Cell Service is spotty for both Verizon and T-Mobile

• No shade

No complaints with this campground, but I do want to elaborate on cellular coverage.  I think The Dyrt mentions that T-Mobile has availability.  This is kind of true.  It comes and it goes depending on your location at the campground.  I am a T-Mobile customer and I have been connecting to U.S Cellular towers during my trip🤷‍♂️.  I am on. the sound side of the campground (west side), and last year, we were closer to the ocean and our coverage was "better".  Point is, your mileage my vary.

Don't hesitate, put your phone away, bring a sunshade, and relax.  You will not regret it.

Phenomenal Camping Experience

We stayed here on memorial day weekend. The park was at capacity but there was plenty of room for everyone. 

The spaces are really far apart and from what I can tell they are all pretty level. The campground is super convenient to the beach but you cannot drive on the beach in front of the campground during the summer. 

The camp hosts did a good job of maintaining quiet hours and helping campers when needed.

My only complaints are that there is absolutely no shade on any of the spaces and that the bathhouses and showers are pretty gross. I've been to NPS campgrounds before and they were all much cleaner than this. 

Great place on the beach with okay amenities 

We spontaneously added two days onto our beach camping vacation at Bear Island and took the Cedar Island Ferry to Ocracoke after being away from the island for 7 years. 

Ocracoke in itself is a gem. But it is hard to find traditional lodging in town unless you book months in advance. 
We booked our site three days before our arrival and there were multiple spots open. We arrived after check in and our packet was conveniently tacked on our site marker. 

Camping here makes it super affordable to enjoy everything Ocracoke has to offer while giving you direct access to the beach. 

Pro tips- 
•Get a dune side site- we’ve camped here a few times and found they have less mosquitoes than the grass spots and are a closer walk to the dunes. 

•For maximum privacy, look closely at the map and pick a spot where the community paths through the dunes for all campers are not right next to you. 

•Bring lots of bug repellent and tuck in early to avoid bites. Spray your gear with high grade permethrin before your trip and bring spray and candles also.

•Bring shade- there’s little to no tree coverage. 

•Don’t miss out of Ocracoke Coffee Co for coffee and baked goods and Dajio for lunch and/or dinner. Shrimp hour is 2-5! 

Bathrooms and showers do need updated and could definitely be in better shape but otherwise we had no issue. 

OINC with two kiddos in a tent

I stayed at Ocracoke Campground during a two day north-to-south traversal of the Outer Banks. This ended up being a perfect jumping off point for enjoying the town of Ocracoke in the evening and the following morning, then taking the afternoon ferry to Cedar Island. The beach is also just a few yards away.

The Outer Banks are about one foot above sea level, and it had just rained, so a lot of the campsites here were flooded. The sites along the dunes were high and dry, though, and I got one of those. There was plenty of room for my tent, and the stakes went into the sandy soil easily but held fast. For company, I had a small community of burrowing ghost crabs. These were very fun to watch, but also very shy, so good luck getting photos.

The bathrooms here were clean and modern. Showers are located in separate buildings.

Excellent beach camping 

Paved, level parking pad on sandy grass sites tucked between the dunes and vegetation in Cape Hatteras National Seashore in the outer banks by of North Carolina. No hookups, but water and dump are across the street, and generators are allowed. 

Big sites, some are pretty private

Ocracoke - National Park campground in Ocracoke, NC: We stayed here in November a couple years ago.   This time we drove through only for this review.   We remembered how our previous November visit was so delightful.  Crowds were absent at the campground, on the beach and in town.  Lovely.  
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer with a desire for a campsite that has at least some visual privacy offered - after the trailer is in the spot.)

Overall Rating:  3
Price 2023: $ 14 w interagency pass
Usage during visit: Light 
Site Privacy:  Mostly a very open park like campground surrounded by low growing shrubbery.
Site Spacing:  Moderate 
Site surface:  Blacktop
Reservations:   Required 
Campground Noise:   Quiet.  
Road Noise:   Not located near a highway.  
Through Traffic in campground:    No reason  for a drive through.  Best sites are on the outer loop, but there will be more traffic as campers come and go. 
Electric Hookup:  No
Sewer Hookup:  No
Dump Station:  Yes
Potable Water Available: Yes
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom:  Flush toilets 
Showers: Yes
Cell Service (AT&amp;T): Yes
Setting:  Very open park like bordered by sand dunes
Weather: High in Themis 60s when we drove through 
Bugs:  Not this time of year. 
Solar:  Very good solar
Host:   On duty.   Their sites are near the entry
Rig size:   Large rigs can find a spot 
Sites:  Most sites do not offer much if any visual privacy.  Among our favorites, that offer some visual privacy after the trailer is backed in the site are B1, D1, D3, D5, D23, D25, D37.   Other better sites: A1,7, B3,5,12, C1,3,5,7,  D7,9,13,15,17,19,27,30.   Some of these sites are pictured below.  

Beach to Ourselves in November 

 This was the third of the four Cape Hatteras Nat’l Seashore campgrounds we stayed in. It had a similar feel to the Oregon Inlet campground. It’s also $28/night, and like the others, you must reserve the site through recreation.gov. We pulled in without a reservation, picked a spot, then pulled up the app and reserved and paid. Recreation.gov doesn’t charge a service fee, which is nice. 

  

We liked it here so much we added a second day. Really easy access to the beach. Campground was quiet and peaceful. We stayed here during off season in early November so I’d imagine it’s probably a completely different vibe in the summer. 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. 

  

OK cell service, Verizon was a little slow but ATT was ok. Wide open sky for solar panels and starlink. Loop D does not allow generator use at any time. 

  

Dumpsters available, as well as plastic, glass, and aluminum recycling bins.

No wood fires allowed here.

  

Some sites have power and water for $35/night. There’s a dump station and water fill available. Like the other two campgrounds we stayed at, the showers are in this short door outhouse type setup, and our understanding is that the water is cold. We did not use the showers. 

  

We were traveling south along the Outer Banks and the ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke was very easy to ride with our 26ft class c RV, and it was free.