A Perfect Camping Trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks (OBX)

December 21, 2024

The Outer Banks in North Carolina promise miles of pristine coastline, oceanfront camping and sleepy fishing villages. Plan a perfect off-the-grid stay in OBX with this travel guide to the best activities and campgrounds by the beach.

Getting There

The Outer Banks are a string of barrier islands off the North Carolina coast, running south for 120 miles from the border with Virginia. Commonly referred to as OBX, they are made up of four islands: Roanoke Island, Bodie Island, Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. Where the first three are connected by one and the same road, the latter can only be reached by ferry.

What makes the Outer Banks unique is how incredibly narrow the strip of land is: you can actually see the water on both sides most of the time. From the dunes, you can watch the sunrise over the ocean and the sunset over the bay.

The Outer Banks can only be accessed through North Carolina, as there is no road or beach access from the Virginia border. After crossing one of two bridges, you’ll arrive at Bodie Island. From Nags Head to the north are a series of small resort towns, lined with large beach house rentals. We prefer going south, where Cape Hatteras National Seashore ensures miles of untouched beaches and stunning campgrounds.

Where to Stay

Camping at Outer Banks only adds to the adventure, close to nature and far away from it all. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is managed by the National Park System and houses four distinct campgrounds. We stayed at three out of four on multiple occasions and picked our favorite for every season.

Oregon Inlet Campground: Summer

Oregon Inlet is the first campground you’ll reach after entering the Outer Banks. In summer, the ocean breeze tends to loose the battle against humidity and mosquitos. At this time, we found A/C to be the only remedy for sleeping comfortably. Oregon Inlet is the only campground on Ocracoke that offers electrical hookups. It also has fantastic outdoor heated showers.

Frisco Campground: Spring or Fall

Driving further south, Frisco Campground is located where Hatteras island turns to the west. As the campground is set on a bluff, select spots on the P-loop come with scenic ocean views. The beach is a 15-minute walk from most sites, which are secluded compared to the other OBX campgrounds. There are no hookups and the showers are very refreshing (read: the water is ice-cold).

Ocracoke Campground: Winter or Spring

Ocracoke Campground stays open year-round. We had to flee the island in summer as mosquitos were eating us alive, but winter and spring offer a unique stay. After the summer season ends, Ocracoke Island restaurants and shops shut down until March. If you come prepared, you’ll have close to private access to some of the best shelling beaches in the world.

For those not willing to brave the cool winter nights from a campground, the Pony Island Inn remains open year-round and offers reduced rates in the off-season. The inn has been hosting visitors to Ocracoke for the past 65 years.

Top Activities in OBX

Explore Cape Hatteras National Seashore

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore stretches for 70 miles of untouched shoreline from Nags Head to Ocracoke Island. Entrance to this NPS-managed area is free, but fees are charged for activities and campgrounds within its borders. The best way to enjoy these pristine landscapes from dusk till dawn is to stay at one of the campgrounds near the ocean. You can go fishing, spend a day shelling, take a road trip or get an off-road vehicle permit to drive out on the beach.

Board the ferry to Ocracoke Island

It almost sounds too good to be true, but the vehicle ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke is completely free. The 90-minute ferry ride is an experience in its own right. In summer, you can enjoy scenic views with a breeze from the upper deck. We even spotted pods of dolphins in the blue waters of Palmico Sound.

Comb the beach for North Carolina’s state shell

If you head to Ocracoke in winter, chances are high you’ll share the ferry with locals only. As the town closes down in winter months, there is little to no shelling competition. We found the beaches scattered with beautiful and rare shells, including North Carolina’s prized state shell, the Scotch Bonnet. The shelling is still great in spring, but rare shells are harder to find. Ocracoke Island made it to our list of best shelling destinations on the East Coast.

North Carolina’s state shell, the Scotch Bonnet

Grill a true catch of the day

Proximity to the ocean does not guarantee access to fresh fish. When a restaurant’s catch of the day is Mahi, it might as well have been caught across the country. Ocracoke Seafood Company offers the fresh fish and seafood you would hope to find on a barrier island. This is the definition of farm-to-table – or in this case, ocean-to-table – as local waterman unload the fish straight onto the shop’s dock. There are usually about a dozen varieties on sale, which sell out in the early afternoon.

Visit the scenic lighthouses

As one would expect on a narrow barrier island, the Outer Banks house several lighthouses. Of the five lighthouses to visit on OBX, Bodie and Hatteras Island’s black-and-white versions are definitely the most striking. The Bodie Island Lighthouse is scenically located in marshland.

Measuring almost 200 feet tall, Cape Hatteras Light Station is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States. In 1999, it had to be moved 2900 feet due to erosion of the coast. The adjacent Museum of the Sea documents the impressive move as well as the natural history of Outer Banks.

Drive on Corolla Beach in search of wild horses

The Outer Banks are a prime destination for beach off-roading enthusiasts. Many towns on OBX allow driving on the beach with a permit. Even though beautiful beaches and vehicles don’t go well together in our opinion, we still wanted to try it out. Corolla Beach does not require a permit to drive, only to park. It’s also the home of Outer Banks’ mysterious wild horses. Not unsurprisingly, the horses were nowhere to be seen while the beach was scattered with cars. If overnighting in Corolla, you can spot them at quiet moments close to dusk or dawn.

Wild horses roam on the car-free beach of Shackleford Banks, NC

Peel happy hour shrimp at the pier

We stumbled upon Fish Heads Bar & Grill on our first trip to Outer Banks. It became an indispensable stop on each in-season visit, to start or end our trip OBX-style. The colorful shack is located on the pier in Nags Head, right after entering Outer Banks. During daily shrimp happy hour from 4 to 6 PM, they serve delicious peel-and-eat shrimp at just 20 cents a piece.