Oregon Inlet Campground — Cape Hatteras National Seashore

 Cool campground within the Cape Hatteras Nat’l Seashore, beachy vibe, sites are open and no privacy whatsoever, and you’re pretty close to your neighbor, but it is what we expect from most beach campgrounds. 

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. 

Bathrooms are nice, flush toilets. Showers are available for free, but they are a bit exposed, like an outhouse type set up and the doors are short. We didn’t take showers here but another camper told us the water is warm. 

Beach is right behind the campground, easy access with several trails leading right from the campsites. Wifi is available per sign on office door, but you probably need to be at the office to use it, as we didn’t see it pop us as an available wifi source. Good cell reception for Verizon and ATT. 

All reservations must be made via recreation.gov. We came in without reservations, drove through the loops, picked an open site, and made our reservation. Recreation.gov is nice in that there are no processing fees. 

Campground was about 1/2 full on a Sunday in early November. We paid $28 for a no-hookup site, water/power sites are available for a bit more. There’s a dump station available across the street but we didn’t use it since we were just heading south to the next campground with a dump and fill station there as well.

Oregon Inlet in Hatteras NSS, NC.: Great beach and Kitty Hawk nearby. We like this campground even though sites are pretty tight. We have been here later in November in the past. The weather was much cooler, but this campground is pretty empty then.
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy. Overall Rating: 3.5 Price 2023: $ 14 w interagency pass for non electric sites Usage during visit: 95% full. Site Privacy: Not good Site Spacing: Sites along the dunes are pretty close. Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Required Campground Noise: Quiet Road Noise: Noticeable throughout B and C loops. I’ll leave Loop A to be evaluated by tent campers. Homey, I will say to choose a site away from Hwy 12.
Through Traffic in campground: None Electric Hookup: Some sites. See my map in pictures Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes. It is across the highway to the south of the campground. Potable Water Available: At the dump station and near the restrooms. Generators: Allowed.
Bathroom: Clean flush toilets. Showers: Yes, but a gap between the roof and walls makes for a cold experience this time of year with the wind. Pull Throughs: No Cell Service (AT&T): 2 to 3 bars. Setting: A pretty area between Highway 12 and the dunes. Weather: Highs in upper 60s. Lows are in mid 50s Bugs: A couple mosquitoes. Wind has probably kept them at bay. Solar: Great when not too cloudy.
Host: They are super.
Rig size: Large rigs can fit in many spots. Sites: See my map in my attached pictures: Circled sites B2 - 20 back right up to the dunes. C1 -21 have a broader view of the beautiful dunes with 5 - 21 in this group a bit larger sites. B 22 and24 are getting closer to the dunes. I like all these sites in comparison to the others. However, I appreciate being backed right up to the dunes. Site B4 is the best site, in my opinion. Rig size is limited for this site. It’s not deep, Punic table is near campground road, but isolated from B2 on the picnic side by a dune . B2 is a good site. Picnic area is private from adjacent site, but not from vehicles driving by.

Camped at Oregon Inlet for its location near Alligator River NWR, and Bodies Lighthouse.

The PROS:

• Great location - plenty of beach access
• Warm water in the showers. However, I did wish they had an attached dressing area that was dry. 
• Quiet and respectful 'neighbors'

The CONS:

• Mid-September was hot, muggy and buggy. Also afternoon heavy rain showers.
• Hard to enjoy the campground during the day due to the heat, and at night due to the bugs. I took a Tent with bug screens that covered the picnic table, so that helped but bugs still got in. Used Thermocells to help create a bug free zone relatively. Next time I will waterproof the tent cover for rain showers and it dripped a bit.
• Bathroom doors left wide open and poorly ventilated, so they were hot and buggy, even at night. I discovered air conditioned bathrooms at Bodie's lighthouse and at the visitors center at the beginning of Route 12.
• Yes, there are sand spurs at the campsites. I wore shoes so didn't have a problem.
• It is true that you hear road noise through out the night. I found that week nights were notably quieter than weekend nights, including Sunday night.
• The campsites are small and closely together with no sun protection.
• Beach access involves walking over two high sand dunes on soft sand. Not terribly difficult, but hard for me with bad knees.
• No area for washing dishes. I take a portable wash bucket. Took my dishes up and showered and washed them in the shower room.
• One water spigot near the shower areas. I wasn't sure which was potable. Red and blue water spigots unmarked.

It was a great visit on a hot and tad rainy day. The management around Oregon Inlet is fantastic and overall people are very friendly. Feels quite safe. Bathrooms are relatively clean and accessible. Ocean can be reached via slightly difficult to navigate sand dune trails. Only negative I encountered is the tent sites (both A stand-alone and B & C RV/tent combos) are quite small and are tough to break ground. The site I stayed at was not overly difficult as it had a somewhat grassy-sand hybrid area to the side that housed a Wawoona 6 tent with vestibule. Had to be pretty compact with the neighbor but no issue. OBX sand is also a bit easier to clean!

Had a great stay, definitely would come again

Went in May 2023 and it was so windy! No fires is a bummer. Sites are close together and small. Great location and amazing price though.

Enjoyed our spot close to the dunes. You can walk to the beach. Rest Rooms and showers are clean and adequate. Despite the Dyrt test no WiFi but good cell reception. Sites without hookups close to the dunes are great if you can boondock.

We didn’t experience it much, because we got in late. It was full and the sites are close together. Fairly quiet, though. Nothing between the sites to minimize sight lines. Bathhouse was clean. It’s a fairly long walk to the beach. It has a LOT of traffic noise from the highway.

Oregon Inlet is a flat, right on the beach, great place to stay the night and have access to bathroom. No frills but nice, clean and safe.

Right there on the beach and loved it! We didn’t want to leave!

Level, paved campsites, many with water and electric, at National Park prices is hard to beat. Only dunes between the campground and ocean. Hear the surf from the camper.

Camping in the outerbanks for cheap! We like this campground because it’s still near nags head and that area of the obx before the long bridge to hatteras. Camping with a jeep or truck is the way to go because you can drive on the beach. The campground is nice with restrooms and trails that lead to the beach.

Went beach camping here a few years ago and had a pleasant experience. Campsite has picnic tables, communal bathrooms and showers. Quick access to the beach for those sunrise views!

We camped at Oregon Inlet from April 11-April 17, 2022. We stayed in loop B, site 6, which is dune-side. The dune-side sites do not have electricity or water hookups, but are much better for privacy and location. The sites that have electric are on the grassy area next to the highway, and the road noise is an issue if you have a soft-sided camper. The road noise was not audible from our dune side location.

April was windy, so we didn't use the awning on our pop-up. There is no shade at this campground, so consider bringing something for shade if camping here in the summer months. There was a grill and a picnic table at our site, but campfires are not allowed.

The bathrooms have flushing toilets and sinks. There are "warm" showers that operate from a pull-ring system. The water is cold on the initial pull but does warm up to lukewarm/slightly warm. 

There is no location to wash dishes at all at the campground. There is no dishwashing station or grey water dumping station. We didn't realize this when we went, so we ended up wiping everything out with a lot of paper towels and a little rinse of water. 

The location on Nag's Head was perfect, almost at the mid-point of the outer banks. It was very convenient to reach Kitty Hawk, Nag's Head village, and even Cape Hatteras from the campground.

Great beach, great camping, nice area boating across the way. Plenty of fish.

It's very close to the water and clean, but only one working bathroom for both loops and no trash cans except for the dumpster at the entrance make this campground less than stellar. Plus side, warm showers.

This is generally a nice place but if you're hoping for privacy there is none at all. It can be crazy windy as well with little coverage. You also can not have campfires here even though the description says you can. That said... it's a nice location basically right on the beach. Clean bathrooms and showers. Nice to hear the ocean.

We spent Thanksgiving here and had a great time. Our spot (B6) backed up to the sand dunes which gave us a greater sense of privacy but the sites are all pretty close to each other. We had no hookups at our site and still managed to make a pretty awesome Thanksgiving dinner. Campground has nice bathrooms and outdoor showers. I didn't try the showers but they looked like they might not have hot water. The ocean is a minute or 2 walk over the sand dunes - you can't see it from the sites but can still hear it, at least from our site.

This was a great base to explore the area - drove up to Corolla (cutest town ever) and drove on the beach where the horses are although we didn't see any.

Overall, average, kind of crowded campground but an excellent location with ocean access.

Decent sized spots. Very picturesque. Great sunrise and sunsets. Overall - great park 😁

Some room between campers, pretty quiet, $21 with national park pass water, electric, dumpsters, dump station ¼ mile across highway really enjoyed the remote area. Metro pcs signal fair

Fantastic campground perfectly located halfway between Corolla and Frisco! Extremely clean bathrooms and great beach access! Not all sites have hookups so double check what you’re getting when you book! If you’re looking for a quiet campground outside of the hustle and bustle but within reach of everything Outer Banks, the Oregon Inlet is for you!

I’ve stayed here a few times each of the last 3 years and it’s by far one of the best campgrounds I’ve stayed at

I’ve camped at OIC before but it has been years. This time around was just as enjoyable as the last. My dog Wyatt and I came for 4 days to rest, enjoy the beautiful weather and, explore the beach.

Reserving my site was incredibly easy through recreation.gov and when I arrived, the check in process was super easy.

My site was clean, offered ample room for my car, tent, and ample gear that I brought.

The restroom and shower facilities were immaculate and were very easy to access from my site.

note there is a water filling station that can be used to fill Nalgene bottles as well as larger holding containers. I was unaware of this before I arrived and made good use of this service.

Access to the beach is easy with well marked trails and no shortage of views.

Access to shopping and restaurants is only 15 minutes up the beach, ORV access is also just on the other side of the campground if you plan to drive on the beach.

note driving on the beach will require a permit, which can be easily purchased at the Bodie Island Lighthouse just up the road from the campground or online at recreation.gov

The location is amazing and the beach at the campground is beautiful. It was such a treat to hear the ocean from our camp site. The showers and bath house are nice and kept clean. The sites are very close to each other without much privacy. We had some terrible weather come in while we were there. There is no cover or shelter from the wind. We ended up leaving a day early because of the weather. We would certainly try again and hope for better weather.

Right in the dunes on the Outerbanks. Easy access and great to explore the OBX from there.

Stayed in A loop, site A1. Very short walk to the beach and listening to the calming ocean waves at night was very relaxing. Neither wind or bugs were an issue during my stay in mid September. Lots of fishing opportunities nearby, especially if you get a beach driving permit and have a capable 4x4. The facilities were very clean and the staff was helpful.

We had a really tough visit for a family camping trip! we purchased these amazing attached camping tents that you can put a pop-up in between. We assembled our super tent and quickly realized that the wind was not going to allow us to do anything that we had planned. We then proceeded to have the wind rip apart our central canopy and completely destroy it and forcing us to try to drive the hour and 15 minutes back into Kitty Hawk to try to find a replacement for The center part of our tent. This pretty much ruined the first day of camping. Throughout the rest of the time we ended up having three tents attached to the middle piece that was sunken into sand buckets and then the sand was filled with water to further anchor the legs of the pop-up canopy. This is the only way to have a pop-up canopy at any of these sites. We experienced a full body exfoliationFrom the consistent winds that picked up ridiculous amounts of sand so that all of our kids were sandblasted bright red. Be aware that their showers will not have sufficient light to take a shower after dark. The park rangers are very cool and try to be as helpful as possible. We did not have a pleasant experience. We also experienced a thunderstorm and a sighting of a shark less than 4 feet away from my husband while he was fishing along the shore. I would recommend however staying at another campground and getting a pass to drive along the beach, that is always fun.

This is our second trip to Oregon Inlet; this time we stayed in the non-electric mixed-use section of B Loop in two tents. The even-numbered sites are closer to the dunes/beach, odd numbers in this section are very small. B and C loop bathrooms are accessible from multiple points around the loops. There is road noise during the day. It’s not perfect (bugs, no shade, traffic noise, neighbors right on top of each other), but we love the short walk to the beach and will probably be back again. We did notice fewer burrs around B loop than A loop.

Camped here while exploring the NPS sites of NC. Could hear the calming waves from the tent site, and just a few short minutes of walking to get to the beach, and we even saw a deer on the dunes! Sand fleas were absolutely terrible at night, bring mosquito netting to hang inside your tent! There’s also no shade here, so get ready to be hot as soon as the sun comes up!

Perfect beach camping for tents ! This was our first experience camping at the beach and it was great. It was a hot July day , 90 degrees but we cooled off in the water during the day and by evening the cool breeze was perfect !! The only downfall is the traffic from the highway is loud and never stops. Also you are very close to your neighbor. Besides that this is a great site. The staff are really sweet and helpful. The bathrooms are clean, easily accessible and there is a filtered watered fountain. The showers are also clean !!!