Carolina Beach State Park

We got a “rv/tent” site, the drive pad was maybe a foot wider than our van so we didn’t really get to use the site. Called to see if we could park in the “tent” area by the fire pit, they obviously said no. So we paid for a parking spot essentially.

Staff isn’t the nicest to deal with. We didn’t get campground rules or anything to know what was allowed. Feels poorly run for all the state parks we’ve stayed in across the country.

We’ll do a parking lot somewhere next time and save the money...

We had a great time here!! Everything about camping here was easy. Reservations, check in, check out etc... The park rangers were great. They patrol the campgrounds- which made me feel very safe. The park was clean, even on a busy weekend.

The sites have a good measure of privacy. Lots of lovely trees and wildlife. We saw deer, egrets, pelicans, etc

Lots to do here! Tons of trails, kayaking, the beach is just a few miles away, and the marina is very close by.

We are looking forward to coming back again!

This place is beautiful! Quiet, secluded sites. Walking trails. Know these few things though! 1) The gates are locked overnight. No ins or outs, no exceptions ( unless 911 involved). Late arrival? You are sleeping at the gate. 2) Very few electric sites. Like to boondock? Great BUT you better check on the size n width! I have a teardrop camper, I can fit just about anywhere. These campsites are carved out between trees n stumps. You better be okay with backing in with no error and inches to spare. Friends in an Imagine specifically asked. We’re told they’d be fine. They did it but no fires to be had at their site as they are literally parked over the pit. Other friends in Minnie Winnie had same issue. Not on it but too close to light one. Know before you go! 😉

As for not staying again that is only out of personal preference. We wanted to trail ride on bikes, not allowed. Wanted to paddle board but the currents are CRAZY STRONG. No direct access to water except at marina. Nearby towns are cool but very covidy right now! 😷

A natural type campground with only a few campsites offering hook-ups (15/30/50A, H20, Sewer), but most all of them offering decent, natural spacing from your neighbor. All sites have a fire pit and picnic table.

The roads are more narrow than we prefer in a big rig - but completely accessible.

While we were here (January 2021), the campground was undergoing some construction - adding several cabins - and about half of the campsites were closed. Being here in January also meant that the gates to the park were locked from 6pm until 8am - no exceptions and no code provided. This was a bit of a pain in the behind, but manageable with planning.

The campground was surprisingly loud - lots of leaf blowing - and garbage receptacles are strewn throughout the loops in front of every few campsites, creating 'trash receptacle' noise. Each morning, we were awakened by volleys of gunshots (?) from nearby.

Nice trails winding throughout the park. A .5mile walk/bike down some trails and a greenway path leads you to a local brewery. A bit longer walk in the other direction will get you to a grocery store. The beach is 1.5 miles away. You can walk the park's trails to viewing points of the river/inlet area.

Verizon offered 5G data with download speeds near 100Mbps. Verizon's 4G/LTE data was a bit unstable - but was usable most of the time. AT&T 4G/LTE provided a much more stable/usable experience.

Paid $30 per night for 2 nights (although we were evacuated the 2nd day because of Coronavirus shutdowns). Full hoopkups (50amp, water, sewer). Stayed in site 5.

There aren't very many RV sites in the campground (most are tent or cabin), but the RV sites are enormous. You could fit a couple rigs per site and still have room leftover. And the campground access road is wide and easy to maneuver.

The water pressure was on the low side but still adequate.

The gates close at 9pm (although I noticed some months have different hours, so be sure to check). That means after 9am you can't leave the park or get back into the park if you're not back in time. There's a CVS within reasonable walking distance if you really need something, but be sure to plan ahead.

Unlucky for us, North Carolina state parks decided to close all state park camping so we were given 2 hours to evacuate on our 2nd day. Too bad because the campground was nice and quiet.

Overall it’s a nice place to stay if you don’t have physical issues. The pictures of the trails misrepresented the accessibility for wheelchair users. The handicapped shower is an afterthought to a regular stall. Same size as other stalls with the addition of a fold down seat zip tied to the support bracket and a shower head on a hose that didn’t work. Ranger Davis was very nice and tried to accommodate my needs. The handicapped accessible campsites are booked months in advance and a handicapped placard/plate is not required to occupy those sites. Nice campsite, quiet and more privacy than you would expect.

This is a great park to camp in. Except for one thing-the mosquitos. They are awful. Bring plenty of full strength bug spray and be prepared to stay in your tent or RV at all times. Showers were good. We arrived at 7:30pm on a Tuesday and there were still some spots available. Very quiet no noise at night.
Once you leave the park though it is a nice town with lots of beaches, places to eat and shop. Quiet and sleepy area without lots of tourists.
Fort Fisher beach was our fave-10 mins away and dogs are allowed on beach (leashed).
We felt like we were in Florida-fun area.

We made reservations last fall and we were able to nab a full hook up site. Our site was #10, it is a long and private site. We really enjoyed Wilmington and Fort Fisher Historic site. As of May 2019 the water pressure was so low at our site that we had to fill our tank and use the water pump. Also the sewer hook up was sluggish, if you don't pay attention while dumping you will get a "poop geyser". The quiet hours don't start until 11:00 pm and one site diagonally across from us ran a generator. Open frame construction style generators are allowed here, so the noise can be deafening if you are camping next to them. Verizon cell signal was strong at our site. If you get a chance go see the sunset at the marina. We will come back again. We are also writing a letter to the N.C. State Park system to ask them to adopt the generator rules that the National Park has (limited hours and a 60Db sound limit). Only inverter generators should be allowed... Loud construction generators should be banned in any campground. Campground rate includes North Carolina senior discount.