Looking to go camping at one of beach camp sites in OBX. Seeing if anyone had a favorite spot. Thanks in advanced
Cheers!
Cheers!
Best beach camp sites in OBX
- Thread starter notrailsinvirginia
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is this for tent or RV camping? I have not stayed at but have seen the one down in oregon inlet. It's just over the dunes from the beach and there is probably about 50/50 rv and tents. I think that is because I've heard there is no hookups. There is a nice bathhouse nearby.
Oh and the bad, you can drive on the beach there but it is by permit only and the price is pretty steep.
Oh and the bad, you can drive on the beach there but it is by permit only and the price is pretty steep.
- Thread starter
- #3
Any places that you know of that you can drive on the beach without a permit and tent camp? What all entails getting a permit to drive on the beach?
I'm pretty sure the only place you can drive on the beach free is corolla and corova which is the same place. No camping at all there(no tents or campers allowed). Corolla/Corova is the most northern beach in NC. Everything below that point is either no driving or permit only. Nags head you can't just free camp on the beach either. I've heard more south there or locations you can camp on the beach, but not sure.
There are stations that sell the permit and I've heard it's not hard. From what I remember you can buy a week or a year pass and I've heard the week pass is about half of the year pass on price.
There are stations that sell the permit and I've heard it's not hard. From what I remember you can buy a week or a year pass and I've heard the week pass is about half of the year pass on price.
Freeman beach is the only NC beach I know of that allow driving/camping in the same place.
Its down at Carolina Beach, south of Wilmington.
There was a charge to enter and facilities were porta-Johns I believe.
After night driving in Corova, I understand why they don't allow it. Some nights you couldn't see 40 ft in the mist/fog. Be easy to run someone over.
Its down at Carolina Beach, south of Wilmington.
There was a charge to enter and facilities were porta-Johns I believe.
After night driving in Corova, I understand why they don't allow it. Some nights you couldn't see 40 ft in the mist/fog. Be easy to run someone over.
If that's the case, high tide would be a little hairy as there is not much beach in some spots there.
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- #7
Freeman beach huh, i might need to check into that. I really wanted to stay in the northern side of obx, easier drive from vabeach. Ill call around this weekend and let you guys know what i find. Thanks again for the info.
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- #8
looks like the national seashore park in cape hatteras is going to be my best bet. I checked out their website, beach driving and camping. Beach fires are permitted. No permit required to drive on the beach either.
A couple times at high tide you had to snug up against that big house just north of Pennys Hill.
Hey I'm not finding that on the internet. Do you have a source? From what I've read it's permit only, for the fire and driving.
http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/off-road-vehicle-use.htm
25. Can I have a fire on the beach? Yes,
beach fires are allowed year-round, but a
free annual Beach Fire Permit is required.
From May 1-Nov 15 fires are allowed only
on the ocean beaches in front of Coquina
Beach; the villages of Rodanthe, Waves,
Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras;
and the Ocracoke Day Use Area. Fires
are prohibited from 10 pm to 6 am yearround.
You can get a Beach Fire Permit at
ORV permit offices, park campgrounds,
and visitor centers.
the driving permit can be done online. For week it's $50. for a year it's $120.
I'm kind of PO about having one per vehicle. My thought is you can only drive one car at a time, and there is no purpose to that except greed.
The National Park Service (NPS) has
developed an off-road vehicle (ORV)
management plan and special regulation
to preserve the unique plants and wildlife
of this dynamic barrier island ecosystem
while permitting the use of vehicles on
designated ORV routes. The ORV management
plan and special regulation went
into effect on February 15, 2012.
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- #11
http://www.nps.gov/calo/planyourvisit/camping.htm
this was my source,
"All camping within the park is primitive beach camping: there are no designated campgrounds. Permits are not generally required for camping, but overnight groups of 25 or more are required to obtain a Special Use Permit. Permit applications can be downloaded from the Camping Permits webpage. Camping is limited to 14 consecutive days.Tent and vehicle campsites must be at least 100 feet from wells, shade shelters, bulletin boards, docks or other structures and at least 100 yards from any cabin or house. Camping is not permitted in long term parking areas, at the Harkers Island Administrative Site, in Portsmouth Village, in the Cape Lookout Light Station complex, in the Cape Village (including the Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station), or on property held under private lease. Because it disturbs vegetation, do not camp on top of the dunes.
Visitors are welcome to camp with their vehicles, but vehicles must be kept on the oceanside beach seaward of the primary dunes, not between or on top of dunes. Drivers must follow the regulations for off-road vehicles (ORVs) outlined on the Beach Driving section of the website. Vehicles are not permitted on Shackleford Banks. Parking permits are required for vehicles located in long-term parking lots. No vehicle may be left unattended for over 24 hours without a permit."
I might have taken what the website was saying wrong. If you going into the beach driving section doesnt say anything about driving permit, just states that a long term parking permit is required. I might be missing something though.
this was my source,
"All camping within the park is primitive beach camping: there are no designated campgrounds. Permits are not generally required for camping, but overnight groups of 25 or more are required to obtain a Special Use Permit. Permit applications can be downloaded from the Camping Permits webpage. Camping is limited to 14 consecutive days.Tent and vehicle campsites must be at least 100 feet from wells, shade shelters, bulletin boards, docks or other structures and at least 100 yards from any cabin or house. Camping is not permitted in long term parking areas, at the Harkers Island Administrative Site, in Portsmouth Village, in the Cape Lookout Light Station complex, in the Cape Village (including the Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station), or on property held under private lease. Because it disturbs vegetation, do not camp on top of the dunes.
Visitors are welcome to camp with their vehicles, but vehicles must be kept on the oceanside beach seaward of the primary dunes, not between or on top of dunes. Drivers must follow the regulations for off-road vehicles (ORVs) outlined on the Beach Driving section of the website. Vehicles are not permitted on Shackleford Banks. Parking permits are required for vehicles located in long-term parking lots. No vehicle may be left unattended for over 24 hours without a permit."
I might have taken what the website was saying wrong. If you going into the beach driving section doesnt say anything about driving permit, just states that a long term parking permit is required. I might be missing something though.
I did not know this. It's a little vague on the part about ORVs. I can interrupt it as, following the regulations for ORVs and you pay the permit. I'm going down there in about a 2 weeks maybe i'll check it out.
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- #13
WES, let me know how it is. I was planning on the first weekend in August to shoot out there.
Corolla is the last town that you hit before the road ends....Then you drive up to Carova. Not the same thing. No fires and no tent camping there, but beach driving is free.
In the Nags Head beaches, you can drive on the beach for free, but only in the fall/winter. No camping though.
Once you enter the "Cape Hatteras Nat'l Seashore", this includes Ocroaoke as well, there is permit/fee based beach driving, access at designated ramps, and hours to drive vary for each season. No tent camping/staying overnight on the beach, most of the year. There are some times where you are permitted to stay on the beach later/overnight. That is outlined on the internet, and changes every year. $50/week pass, or $125/yr (calendar year, it's retarded)
Cape Lookout Nat'l seashore is Portsmouth Island and Cape Lookout Island. Only accessible by private ferry or private boat. You can drive and camp anywhere for free (signs permitting) and the Nat'l park service operates electrified cabins on each island. You can look that up online for more info. No permanent residents on these islands.
Then you have Freeman park and Carolina beach. These are usually pretty busy (easy to access from all main roads) at the southern end of the state. You pay something like $20 a day to be out there, can tent camp, and they have porta johns.
In the Nags Head beaches, you can drive on the beach for free, but only in the fall/winter. No camping though.
Once you enter the "Cape Hatteras Nat'l Seashore", this includes Ocroaoke as well, there is permit/fee based beach driving, access at designated ramps, and hours to drive vary for each season. No tent camping/staying overnight on the beach, most of the year. There are some times where you are permitted to stay on the beach later/overnight. That is outlined on the internet, and changes every year. $50/week pass, or $125/yr (calendar year, it's retarded)
Cape Lookout Nat'l seashore is Portsmouth Island and Cape Lookout Island. Only accessible by private ferry or private boat. You can drive and camp anywhere for free (signs permitting) and the Nat'l park service operates electrified cabins on each island. You can look that up online for more info. No permanent residents on these islands.
Then you have Freeman park and Carolina beach. These are usually pretty busy (easy to access from all main roads) at the southern end of the state. You pay something like $20 a day to be out there, can tent camp, and they have porta johns.
- Thread starter
- #15
Thanks for the info onemanarmy
Oh, I'm not going to be able to check it out. For some reason I thought this was in Hatteras. I'm not going that far down. That would require ferries from there. A guy at my work said It would probably be better to go the inland way to get there.
