Ocracoke My "Crabby" Campsite

Favorite . Campsite . Anywhere! Camping right on one of the widest, prettiest beaches I’ve enjoyed!

Campground/Park Map Ocracoke National Seashore Campground Map – note: we were in D3 and that’s the dunes side of the campground.

Reservations: Reservations available 6 months in advance via Recreation.gov, click here.

Local Park Telephone Number: No local number available, 1-877-444-6777 for reservations. Overall Cape Hatteras National Seashore Visitor’s Center phone number is: (252) 473-2111

The beaches on Ocracoke were stunning!

Showers: ** – they have to get points for having a shower. I’m sure the cold shower would feel good in the summer when it’s HOT, but not so much in October. Nonetheless, although we couldn’t face it every night, we took 4 cold showers and lived to tell the tale.

Laundry: At $11.50 a night, I don’t expect laundry and all the amenities.

The view from our front porch at Ocracoke campground.

Scenic Value: ***** Much Better than Average. Sixteen miles of pristine windswept beaches on this barrier island famous for sun, sand and serenity. Camp right on the dunes, next to the beach… it doesn’t get more scenic than this … as long as you like wide empty beaches, being lulled to sleep to the sound of the surf and waking to the sunrise over the Atlantic ocean dunes.

Surf, sun, sand and serenity … it doesn’t get better.

Mosquitos/Bugs: * Star – Buggier than most. OK, so the mosquitoes are an issue, but we had the trailer to escape. Lots of tent campers had screened in rooms around their picnic tables. Don’t forget the OFF and some citronella candles. The other challenge to be aware of is the incessant sand burrs. They will invade everywhere you let them. We were constantly picking them off everything, our shoes, our mats, etc. But small price to pay. We lived through the challenges and still loved it. So will you.

But don’t forget the citronella candles.

Noise Levels: **** Quieter Than Average. Quiet hours, no generators or noise from 9 PM to 7 AM helps. Unless you’re unlucky enough to have rude neighbors, the sound of the crashing surf may be the most noise you’ll hear. No road noise at Ocracoke. But it’s a large campground and if it’s full, it could be busier and noisier than mid-October just before closing for the season.

Our dueling Lance Campers in the Ocracoke Campground

Campsite: **** Better Than Average. Our site was D3 – perfect – absolutely beautiful campsite, our front porch was the dunes, there was a trail over the dunes directly from our campsite. We had a large grassy open area behind the trailer with a picnic table and view. Plus, a short walk across the road the other way brought us to flush restrooms and the enclosed cold water showers, allowing us to conserve water enough to camp for a week without having to visit the dump station/potable water fill across the road.

BIG holes everywhere left us wondering what kind of varmit inhabited our campsite, until we saw the ghost crabbies.

Claustrophobia Quotient: **** Better than Average. Very spacious and comfortable, no claustrophobia here for me.

Grilling on our front porch at Ocracoke

Access to Essentials: No chain anything on Ocracoke Island, but there are a couple small grocery stores, a hardware store and a gas station or two, mixed in with local restaurants, arts & crafts and typical t-shirt shops.

Ocracoke beaches at low tide = wide open spaces

Campsite Price: ***** – MUCH better than average! $11.50 a night … that’s our half price senior national parks pass price. Be aware, there are no refunds, so if you pay for a night and decide to leave early, you’ll forfeit your $11.50 — but the national parks system can put the money to good use, so no problem.