Ocracoke Campground – The Best Place for Your Camping in North Carolina | Video, Pictures, and Guide

Ocracoke Campground – The Best Place for Your Camping in North Carolina

Ocracoke Campground is located on the Outer Banks, which is a chain of barrier islands that extends for 200m/320km along the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. Ocracoke Island is famous for its untouched nature, wide sand beach, and incredible ocean views. So, it is not surprising that this place has become so popular among camping fans because the location is perfect to take a breath and a break from noisy cities.

However, the location allures camping lovers not just with an amazing environment but with comfortable camping conditions. Thus, the Ocracoke campground is just a wasteland favored by campers. This location offers specially prepared places for your shelters, completed trails to the beach, parking, restrooms, and showers. What is more, the campground provides 151 standard campsites. In addition, the location is popular among campers who prefer RVs.

One more secret of the popularity of Ocracoke Island is that it is an uncrowded place, since the camping village is quite difficult to reach.

So, if you are going to spend your holiday at Ocracoke campground, the information below would be useful for you. It is better to plan how you get to the place and what tour program you prefer to enjoy there. If you are prepared, you avoid the risk of complicating your trip and spoiling the holiday.

How to Get to Ocracoke Campground?

When you are already on the island, it is very easy to get to the famous campground. However, getting to Ocracoke Island could be a problem if you are not prepared for the trip. The point is that there are only three ways to reach the location:

• Ferry from the Mainland
• Ferry from Hatteras
• Plane flight 

It is important to consider these ways help you to get only to Ocracoke Village, which is about three miles from the camping location. So, plan how you are going to get to the campground if you do not have a car or travel with a mobile home.

Ferry from the Mainland

Of course, the obvious way to reach an island is to use water transport. When it comes to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, the ferry is the most popular local transport due to its speed, cheapness, and convenience.

The first option you can choose is a ferry from the Mainland. This water transport leaves two locations – Cedar Island and Swan Quarter – 3-4 times a day. The ferry trip takes 2 hours and 15 minutes if your point of departure is Cedar. If you depart from Swan Quarter, the ferry trip requires 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Although it is possible to get your place on the boat without booking, it is reasonable to make a reservation. Most vehicles are full, and there is a risk that you will need to wait for hours for your spot.

The price for a single car (up to 20 feet) is $15, and a double car (up to 40 feet) costs $30. It is allowed to leave the car during the ride. So, you can take a ferry, take your sit at tables inside the cabin for a lunch, and enjoy great views. There are not so many amenities provided on the vehicle due to the short ride time; so, it is better to prepare a snack, especially if you are traveling with kids.

After disembarking from the vehicle, stay on Highway 12 and follow this road through the town for about 5 minutes to reach the camping location. The campground is on the right, and visitors note that it is impossible to miss it. 

Ferry from Hatteras

If you are planning to go to Ocracoke campground from Hatteras, you have two options: a standard vehicle and an express passenger ferry.

Of course, it is highly recommended to make a reservation of the spot on both vehicles. However, if you did not book a place on a standard boat, it is possible to go to Nags Head (from Raleigh) and then follow the road to the Outer Banks to Hatteras. There, you can catch a free vehicle, which runs along the Hatteras-Ocracoke route.

Such a trip from Raleigh to Hatteras requires approximately the same amount of time, which is taken by the drive to Cedar or Swan Quarter. Though, the way, which leads to Hatteras, offers a lot of locations to stop to enjoy views of beautiful wild beaches. Additionally, the village itself is also is worth seeing.

However, if you choose this option, you need to spend more time driving than sailing  on the boat. But there is a great advantage – the vehicle is free.

The vehicle brings passengers to the location, which is 12 miles from the village and 9 miles from the camping station. So, it is necessary to think about transportation in advance. To reach the camping destination, you need to follow the highway for about 10 minutes, and you will see the camp station on the left. The village is 5 minutes down the road.

Another option offered is an express passenger ferry, which was opened only in 2019. The advantage of this vehicle is that it, unlike the standard boat, can drop you off right in the territory of the Ocracoke village. You can walk to the center or use a local tram stop.

149 passengers and 25 bikes can be carried by the express ferry. The vehicle is available three times a day in a season from May 20 to September 5. The price of a spot is $4.

In addition, the local terminal provides a lot of parking spots if you want to make a one-day trip to the village.

Plane Flight

If you want to choose the place of departure by yourself and are looking for the fastest way to reach the campground, you should get to the camping location by plane. Unfortunately, there is no airport on the island, but it is possible to use the service of local, not regular commercial charters. Of course, this service is quite expensive, but it provides a high level of comfort. It is possible to book a flight visiting the site of Outer Banks charters.

What to Do in the Area of the Ocracoke Campground?

The famous campground attracts visitors not only with an amazing ocean view, but also with the uncrowded beach, and comfortable accommodation conditions. The area around the camping station is also alluring.

Thus, if you are not used to sitting in one place and are already tired of beach walks, you can visit the sights of a local village. The location itself is quite small; so, you can park in the town and just have a walk. The walk  from the camp to the town takes about 5 minutes.

In addition, it is possible to use bikes, golf carts, and a tram to cruise the whole town.

The most popular local attractions are the  Lighthouse, the Preservation Society Museum, and The British Graveyard.