South Core Banks -- Beach Camping

National Park Service · North Carolina

South Core Banks -- Beach Camping in North Carolina. Ringed marker is this site; the other dots are the 117 public campsites we map in North Carolina.

Dispersed camping along the ocean beach of this 20 mile long barrier island -- this is backcountry-style camping -- all camping is done directly on the ocean beach, there are no camp sites. This area is reached only by ferry. Both tent camping and vehicle camping is allowed. Vehicles -- 4x4 highly recommended -- must be able to drive on the soft sand of the beach and the sand trail behind the dunes known as the "back road". There are no hard surfaces on the island.

What we know about it

Managed by

National Park Service

Fee

Not published (the agency does not list one)

Booking

first-come, first-served

Phone

(252) 728-2250

Coordinates

34.76056, -76.41222

Nearest sites we map

• Great Island Cabin Camp0 km · National Park Service
• North Core Banks - Beach Camping21 km · National Park Service
• Long Point Cabin Camp21 km · National Park Service
• Oyster Point Campground32 km · US Forest Service
• Flanners Beach Campground55 km · US Forest Service
• Fishers Landing58 km · US Forest Service

Source: Recreation.gov, dated 2026-02-25, fetched 2026-09-07. Official listing.

All camping in North Carolina