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OK so here's the deal ... july 1-4 my family is renting a house in Nags Head, but i would like to take my girlfriend down there a couple days before and camp on the beach. When i say camp on the beach, i mean ON THE BEACH i do not want to be on the sound side or "a short walk away from the ocean" or in some camp ground with crying babies and the disgruntled family who are fighting about making this trip fun for everyone. If anyone can help me, please let me know !!!
I don't think that will happen legally. A lot of the beach is open for vehicular traffic day and night and having a camp on the beach might be hazzardess.
i believe that the frisco site is among the sand dunes, and thus might be the closest to the ocean.
i know that some islands, like Harkers Island (Cape Lookout), allow people to pitch a tent anywhere above the tide line ((http://www.nps.gov/calo/planyourvisit/camping.htm)). However these islands are further south than the Hatteras campgrounds. They are also only accessible by ferry or boat, and there is pretty much nothing on the island except for the lighthouse, guard station, and a few pavilions and bathrooms. that said, they also have awesome shelling, sights, and there's hardly ever many people around.
Take your sleeping bags and sleep under one of the old fishing piers. Then be prepared to be rousted and to pay a fine. Camping on the beach is not legal.
As for the Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras Seashore, you'll see many signs posted that camping is prohibited on the beach.
This used to be a pretty open and pristine area for those that wanted to use it. That is until Defenders of the Wildlife and the Audobon Society figured out there was money to be made in suing the park service and local counties that they weren't controlling access to "sensitive areas". Today, the rules change everyday (where you can walk, where you can drive). And yes, sometimes you can only walk on 26 of the 65 miles of beaches, and drive on even less. For the latest updates, go here: Cape Hatteras National Seashore - Current Interactive Beach Access Map using Google Earth (U.S. National Park Service)
And, FWIW, please don't break the current access rules in effect. When the rules are broken, our punishment is more rules that are more strict (i.e. 500 foot closure turns into a 1 mile closure). You may just want to take your family and money somewhere else, instead of deal with the hassle.
The National Park Service campground on Ocracoke has sites that are on one side of a dune with the tide on the other. I've camped there around that time of year and if the breezes are right, it can be pleasant (just keep the DEET handy). If the winds die down, it can get miserable. But to be able to walk out of my tent 50 feet to the ocean is hard to beat.
Ocracoke is a great campground, I myself have checked everywhere for Beach front Camping but cant find it either. Ocracoke is as close as you are going to get, if you make it there definitely bring the DEET. (gallons)
if you make it there definitely bring the DEET. (gallons)
Where ever you end up, heed this warning. Get the good stuff, not the cheap crap. Yes, it's probably not good for you to use daily for extended periods, but it will make this camping trip bearable.
Ocracoke is a great campground, I myself have checked everywhere for Beach front Camping but cant find it either. Ocracoke is as close as you are going to get, if you make it there definitely bring the DEET. (gallons)
Thanks for the response, but the original post is from 2009, five years old.
Thanks for the response, but the original post is from 2009, five years old.
Maybe he's still lost on the beach...
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