National Park Service · Cape Lookout National Seashore · NC
South Core Banks -- Beach camping
Photo · NPS photo/Jan TugwellNot publishedStatus
First-comeAccess
The place
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. Practice Leave No Trace principles.
SRC · Recreation.gov RIDB full extract · 2026-08-23
No reservation needed
First come,
first servedArrive early — popular areas fill by afternoon
first servedArrive early — popular areas fill by afternoon
SRC · Rules verified against recreation.gov · 2026-08-24
Your representative
This campground sits in NC-03. This member’s public-lands record →
SRC · U.S. Census TIGER · MTJP Scorecard