My campsite is shown just above the high tide line at Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The islands are only accessible via ferry. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.
Campgrounds in North Carolina’s Outer Banks are predominately for RVs. However, there are a few great spots to pitch a tent if you know where to look.
The Outer Banks on the U.S. East Coast are an iconic destination for road trips. Following North Carolina Highway 12 up or down the barrier islands will take you past one-of-a-kind attractions, like the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, the former site of the mysterious Lost Colony on Roanoke Island, and the final hideout of Blackbeard on Ocracoke.
Tent campers intending on making the journey should plan ahead; most campgrounds in the commonly abbreviated OBX are for recreational vehicles (RVs). Luckily, there are a few excellent options scattered through the islands. Here’s my list of the top places to camp in the Outer Banks:
1. Cape Lookout
If camping next to the Atlantic Ocean under starry skies on an undeveloped beachfront sounds like your kind of night, make sure to pencil in Cape Lookout near the top of your road trip itinerary. The other campgrounds on my list are solid locations, but the novelty and beauty of Cape Lookout National Seashore make it an easy choice as my top spot. The video above shows my tent site, which was just above the high tide line.
The set of islands that make up Cape Lookout National Seashore are on the southern end of OBX, and they’re only accessible by a short ferry ride from either Atlantic, Davis, or Harkers Island (shown on my map below). I chose to go over via the Harkers Island passenger ferry, which drops you off at the Light Station Visitor’s Center. Once I landed on Cape Lookout, I followed the boardwalk a short distance east to the oceanfront. Cape Lookout has restroom facilities but no trash receptacles; you should be prepared to pack out any waste that you generate.
Cost: $24 USD for my roundtrip ticket for the Harkers Island passenger ferry
2. Ocracoke Campground
Much like Cape Lookout, you will have to use OBX’s ferry system to reach Ocracoke Island. The island’s village is on the southwest side; Ocracoke Campground, which is managed by the federal government, is around four miles up NC Highway 12 on the right.
Ocracoke Campground is similar in terms of facilities and amenities to Oregon Inlet and Cape Point Campground. I put it above those two due to the remoteness of the island: Aside from flying in on small aircraft, the ferries from Hatteras and Cedar Island are the only way on and off Ocracoke.
As I mentioned in the introduction, the island is the site of Blackbeard’s last hideout. For more information on Teach’s Hole, click to read my travel guide “Top Things to Do in the Outer Banks.”
Cost: $28 USD per night for my tent site
3. Oregon Inlet
Located less than 15 minutes south of Nags Head on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Oregon Inlet is the northernmost campground on my list. Like Ocracoke Campground, it’s operated by the federal government. Sand dunes separate the it from the oceanfront.
Oregon Inlet offers easy access to OBX attractions like Roanoke Island Festival Park and the Wright Brothers National Memorial, both of which are 20-minute drives to the north.
Cost: $28 USD per night for my tent site
4. Cape Hatteras/Outer Banks KOA Resort
Cape Hatteras/Outer Banks KOA Resort is the only privately-owned campground in my list. It’s in the unincorporated community of Rodanthe, which is around a 20-minute drive north on NC Highway 12 from Avon. The campground has private restrooms/showers, an amenity that differentiates it from the others.
Cost: $50 USD per night for my tent site
5. Cape Point Campground
Tucked away in Buxton just to the east of Hatteras is Cape Point Campground. It’s only opened seasonally (i.e., the warmer months) by the federal government, so make sure to check well ahead of your trip if you want to pitch your tent there. Its location near Hatteras puts it close to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum and the ferry terminal that connects to Ocracoke.
Cost: $28 USD per night for my tent site