This one you can't beat for family fun and ocean access. Just over the dune and they supply the stairs so you don't trudge thru the sand trying to peak the dune. Everything you could want except for shade, but with the true beach life you cant have everything. A solid ten. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This was our first trip to this campground and found it to be an excellent vacation stay. The staff really is a top notch group of people that help make this place rate a "10". We stayed in Premium Pull Thru section and sites were fairly large and level. Being able to be on the beach in just a few minutes walk makes this place a great vacation spot. We will definitely be returning. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is our third trip to the Hatteras KOA. The campground is very clean and the staff is exceptionally friendly. We loved the fact that the campground no longer charges for the kids train and the moonbounce pillow. The campground has a nice camp store and two decent size pools. Two waterslides were added to one of the pools this year. This is one of our all time favorite campgrounds and is a great place to take the kids. We highly recommend the Hatteras KOA. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We made another annual trip to this KOA again. Once again, the campground was great. They got pretty busy over mother's day weekend, but the restrooms and showers were very clean. The staff was great. We had reservations and I hardly had time to get out of the truck when someone pulled up in a golf cart and said "follow me". They took us strait to our site (#66 on the dune), and did a great job backing us in. The staff was working very hard making sure campers got to the sites in a timely manner. This campground is great for the kids, and it was obvious not only from watching our own, but the others in the park as well. Many things to do, and great planned activities. The beach is only a short walk over the dune. We will continue to make this trek every year. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We always camp here when we are in the Outer Banks. The ocean front sites are big enough that we can back-in our 30' motorhome and still have room for our 10' motorcycle trailer. It's great to go to sleep at night and hear the waves crashing on the dune. There is a fenced dog play yard, my dogs love it. The store is well-stocked and the staff are very nice. We've had many nice chats with the manager. The only problem I've noticed is that sometimes the sites have a bit of debris (cigarette butts or can tabs) from the previous occupant, but the sites are sandy, so it can be difficult for the camp staff to get all of it cleaned up. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very nice place with a very helpful and friendly staff. Right on the dunes with a real short walk to the Atlantic Ocean. Just watch the wind. The Outer Banks is very windy from fall to spring. Gusts of 30 mph is common from what I have been told by the locals. We had to relocate to another site where the showers partially blocked the wind. The office staff went out of their way to make it happen and they sent a worker over with a pickup to help us. Good people! We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Stayed here in the off season. Looks like a great place to stay during the summer months. They have a lot to do and you can walk to the beach from the campground. All that seperates you are the sand dunes. Would like to come back again in the summer months We camped here in a Campground Cabin.
Positives: Bathrooms were clean and the pool was still available. The lots were fairly flat and we were able to get a pull-through. Negatives: We chose this campground because of all the amenities it offered for children. We arrived on a Monday and stayed until Wednesday. The "fun train" never went through the campground, the jump pillow remained flat as a pancake, and there were no movies at night. Only half of the showers were available at the seaside bath house, so we had to wait in line once or twice. (There were 15 showers available, but only 7 were open). The ones that were open had no ventilation, so it got unbearable hot and humid. We were there in October and I can't imagine how unbearably hot it would be during the summer months. The women's bathroom was very narrow and hard to move around in. The other bath house had fewer showers, but they were all open. Unfortunately, none of the outlets in the women's bathroom worked so we had to hike over to another bathhouse to use our hairdryer. We drove through a few of the other campgrounds in the area and discovered that this KOA is by far the highest priced although it doesn't offer any extra amenities during the off-season. The others all had concrete pads, which the KOA does not. We found a very nice campground about a mile south that had comparable amenities and views for $34 a night. The bottom line -- there are equally nice campgrounds in the area that charge a lot less. This was not a good value and they did not deliver what they advertised. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Beautiful area, campground is nice, clean restrooms staff is friendly and helpful. Had a great time, kids love the beach. We will definitively camp here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Nice campground and friendly people. Sites were right across from the dunes and the ocean access. Sandy sites with sparse grass. Cable had a good variety of channels. Only problem was that access into the campground was a challenge during heavy traffic periods. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This campground is the "standard" beach campground - a large parking lot with narrow sites, no shade, and lots of sand. But, we go to these type of places for the close access to the beach and that is exactly what you will find here - lots of beautiful, uncrowded beach a two minute walk from your site. Overall, the staff was friendly and very responsive to our needs. We had a few complaints however. First, the smell of sewage was overwhelming when we got there. Every time a southerly breeze would blow, we'd almost gag. Finally, we figured out it was coming from a large sewage vent in the southeast corner of the park, at the end of our row. We asked management if they could do anything about it, and the vent was covered within 10 minutes. No problems after that. Also, most of the dumpsters were overflowing and smelled horrible. Management came by and told us it was the refuse company's fault for not emptying it on time and that they were working to get it solved. Within a day it was remedied. Finally, and this may be out of the staff's control, but this is the worst place we have ever been when it comes to dog owners not cleaning up after their pets. We love dogs and take our two mutts with us everywhere we camp, but always clean up after them. The KOA has ample walking areas and plenty of bags, but for some reason people choose to be inconsiderate about cleaning up. I think the management needs to be more aggressive about enforcing the rules and ask the offenders to leave if necessary. Overall, this is a great place if you are looking for a place to park your camper while you enjoy some of the greatest beaches on the East Coast. There are enough activities to entertain the kids, the beach is awesome, and best of all - no golf carts!! Final note - do bring awning tie downs, bug spray for the evenings, large/several mats to cover the sand at your site, and keep an eye on your kids in the water because there are no lifeguards and there is a fairly rough shore break at all times. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Great campground with a ton of activities for kids. With the 2 pools, Fun Train, Jumping Pillow, Friday night movie night at the Outdoor Cinema, and the beach, you don't have to leave the campground if you don't want to. While the website mentions additional charges for activities such as the Fun Train and Jumping Pillow, we were not charged for them. Not sure if their policy has changed or if we just happened to be there at the right time. As mentioned on the website, cable is an additional fee and that fee was $3.00 per night. The following comments are out of the campgrounds control but should be noted. There are absolutely no trees so shade is non-existent with the exception of an awning. Due to the strong winds at the beach, I would highly recommend awning tie-downs so that you can use yours. Also, no campfires are allowed on the island with the exception of on the beach below the high tide mark. And finally, Pear Cactus grow on the dunes. I mention this for those that reserve the "ocean front" sites at the base of the dunes because these cactus are literally 5 feet from your campsite and can grow up to 2" thorns. These things will hurt and can even blow into the campsite once the break off. Again, these things are out of the campgrounds control but should be noted. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This place was fun! Our 4 yr. old and dog loved it. Great access to the beach, and plenty of kids activities. The staff was friendly, and our site was a good size. We will be staying here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Nice park, very clean bathrooms and laundry. Can not reserve a specific site, but we got the one we wanted. Sites very close together. We liked the "sound" side better than the seaside. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We really enjoy this place. Two years straight, now booked for Jul-Aug 2007. Only beef was the little "sand-spurs". We didn't really have them the first year, but last year they ticked me off bad. This year specifically, we asked not to go to the same area,and they were great. We meet great family people here, nice experience. Staff can't be better, always someone to help if needed. Small thing, but the owner ran out of cigarettes, this guy actually offered me his own, and kept saying sorry for store running out. it's pricey here, but the guy is doing his best to provide a good service in a dog eat dog world. we will go here every year, no second thought. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 9 / 10 ]
August 2006
$59
This is a great park. Great staff. Great facilities. We had a great time. If you have kids this is the outer banks campground for you. Absolute only negative is for all intents and purposes they have no wireless internet. If they only added a relay antenna / router the problem would be fixed. I enjoyed a chuckle over some of the previous reviews. Hint; KOA does not control the weather or people age 21 or over from drinking. You can not go to the beach and expect to see no sand in showers. Beach equals soft ground; KOA can not control this. No shade? Is there natural shade at any beach? At home I empty my trash can when it is full, not when it is half full, I hope this doesn't mean I am a dirty person. We camped here in a Motorhome.
There was a lot of standing water in the campground from the heavy rains. The staff were doing there best to get it drained. The rest rooms and bathhouses were spotless. Well stocked store and friendly staff. We camped here in a .
Stay away from road AA if it rains. This whole row is lower than the rest of the campground. We were swimming in our site. Other than the rude lady at the front when we were flooded the staff was friendly and ample. The owner "comped" us three large pizzas for the conduct of his employee. The rest rooms were maintained well. Bugs weren't too bad, and weather was great 75% of the time. It was very crowded over the 4th of July, of course. I've been to this KOA 3 times in 4 years. They are steadily making improvements every time I have been there. On this trip there was a new big inflatable movie screen they would set out on the beach, and a big sand trampoline apparatus for the kids. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
We continued on our summer vacation from New Bern, NC to Cape Hatteras, NC. The two camp grounds could not be more different. We went from a quiet value for your money New Bern KOA to this fun, busy, noisy, crowded, expensive campground. When we checked in with the weather being humid and in the 90’s, we were shocked to find the cabins had no air conditioning. Also the bugs were bad especially at night—bug spray is a must. The beach is accessed via short walk over a huge sand dune. This is not a true campground on the ocean location—can not see the ocean over the sand dunes. Campground is busy with two pools, hot tub and sauna, putt putt golf (fee), basketball court, playground, game room, and kid activities every night. The beach is excellent with nice sand as the main attraction. Cabins were weathered and small for 6 people and a pet. Cabins were spaced on top of each other next to the main noisy thoroughfare. Forget staying inside the cabin during the day due to no air, but was livable at night with the fans on. Camp store is large and well stocked. Found several bath houses acceptable. Snack bar food was excellent and reasonably priced. Daily rate based on a party of six (four kids 13-4) plus a pet with cable. Very expensive considering the condition of the cabin with no air although we love the campground location. We now own a travel trailer so we would come again if in the area. We camped in a campground cabin. We camped here in a Campground Cabin.
Campground is overpriced. Was quoted $50 to pitch a tent for the night. Bad weather was approaching so we went with a cabin. $81 for 1 room cabins with no AC. Honored no discounts. Ceiling fan/light was broken in cabin which made it extrememly hot. Cabin had ant infestation. When voiced our concerns and were ignored. No shade. Not a lot of nice places to eat that are close. My 5 year old son witnessed college kids doing "beer bongs" at nearby cabin. On a positive note it is a large campground, and facilities were clean. There is another large campground down the street that is also overpriced. There is another very small campground very close that is more reasonable but they were booked up when we were there. My recommendation is to stay at Hatteras National Seashore parks however they have cold showers and no hookups. More camping is available further south near Hatteras lighthouse. We found cabins at another outer banks camping area for $60(aaa discount) with AC. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
May 2006
$50
Nice area but the WiFi doesn't work at all sites. Overall it was a nice place to visit. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a fairly nice place to stay. We had a pull thru site and had no trouble getting into it and the site was fairly level. However when we left I had a hard time getting out because of the cars that were parked at other sites. There was an employee that was picking up trash and he stopped and helped me pull out of the site with out being asked and was very helpful. The staff was wonderful and very friendly from check in to check out. We did not use the showers since had out own, however the bathroom was clean when I used it right before we left. This campground is right next to the beach and access to it is by using a boardwalk and stairs over the dunes. I did think the beach had a lot of trash on it, mainly from fireworks that people set off every night. The weather there was extremely hot and thunderstorms would pop up rapidly so use caution if you leave the campground and leave your awning up. The staff did come around and let you know there was a storm comming and to put your awning down. But I did not see them put any down that were left up. My only complaint would be the trikes that they rent out. They are very hard to see even with the bike flags they have on them. And don't expect the children to move even when they are seen. The pool was very nice and clean and the jacuzzi was clean and very hot. All in all this is a wonderful campground. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Let us start by saying this is a very long review but with some unique circumstances. This is a popular campground and we knew it was going to be crowded during a holiday weekend and it was full with some tents in the overflow area. We found that the owners are new as of last year, but to their credit, they (and the staff) were very pleasant and trying very hard to please everybody. When we made reservations we were very careful to explain our motorhome is 40' with double slides. Arriving at the campground we were escorted to our site and told to pull thru from the back site to our site in the front. However, nobody told us that the sites had been regraveled as semi-permanent trailers had just recently been relocated off of these spots. In pulling thru the sites (as directed by the KOA employees) the middle ground between them still had very, very soft sand underneath and consequently we sunk half way up the wheels - the toad hitch flat into the ground. KOA management called (and paid for) a tow truck to pull us out. Sitting in the heat waiting for the tow truck the manager insisted this site fit a 40' motorhome. In our opinion it looked to be made for about 30' - we would never have been able to level on the soft sand and gravel even with leveling boards/pads underneath - they would have just kept sinking further down. The manager also indicated there were no other 50 amp sites available - all the other sites had been pre-requested. Going to the office we apprised the owner of our situation. She started looking for another site - even making calls to people who had requested specific sites that would fit 40' and take the weight of our motorhome asking them to swap sites. After some time she did find another site. We moved to that site - also being directed by KOA employees and...you guessed it...started sinking again due to more fresh, never packed down, gravel that had only recently been spread on this site. This time the owner with his backhoe was able to assist in pulling out our motorhome. By now we had become quite a spectical and had been at the campground nearly 4 hours - very long, hot hours - and patience was wearing thin. By some miracle the owner found another site on the end next to some of the more permanent trailers. This one worked and turned out to be very nice with some grass and a little fence around the area. Because of all the problems we were given a 50% discount {the nightly rate indicated is the full rate we were originally given). We were informed that this fall KOA intends to spend quite a bit of money adding cement RV pads and rebuilding some of the sites. Some long-term campers told us that last year 1/2 of the sites were underwater during stormy weather and it had happened again earlier this year - be forewarned if the weather is rainy! While we didn't think the facilities were bad, cement RV
pads will definitely add appeal for larger motorhome owners. Right now it's a great placed for travel trailers, tents and pop-ups but we would not call it "big rig" ready. Some shade trees be nice but considering where you are trees are hard to come by on Cape Hatteras. The showers, laundry and toilet facilities were clean except for some sand on the floors which is normal when everything around you is sandy. The grounds were clean and neat but by the middle of the weekend the dumpsters (of which there were at least three large ones) were beginning to smell ripe. But the management had them emptied and everything was fine. The beach was clean, many fishermen and people with pets. Unfortunatly due to the windy conditions not much time could be spent on the beach. Security in the campground is good - KOA employees frequently made rounds in their golf carts checking for pets left unattended or tied up outside, "stray" visitors, loud parties, trash, etc. While we didn't use the pool since it was overrun with families during the holiday weekend, we could see that it was kept very clean and pool rules were being enforced. We did not eat in the snack shop but the prices appeared reasonable. Many, many people had pets but we only saw one person not clean up after their pet and they were told to do so by the management. Grocery stores in the area are few and expensive. Outside of Nags Head 25 mi north, the only one is Food Lion about 20 min south in Avon. With the exception of visiting the light houses there is little to do except enjoy the ocean and beach. The one big annoyance was too many children riding "tricycles" - little three wheel, sling chair contraptions (rented for $3 per 1/2 hour). They were totally out of control and riding everywhere with little regard for small children, adults, pets or cars - a very dangerous situation. Even management had trouble keeping them half-way under control. It would also be nice if more accurate pictures of the park were posted on their website. We will consider going back but definitely not until after cement pads and other improvements are completed. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 4 / 10 ]
2003
$35
I booked a site in high season on short notice. I was only able to get a water/electic site for my motorhome. This is not a problem as I have ample holding tank capacity. My site, barely large enough for my RV can best be described as grass covered mud. My rig immediately sank several inches, to a point that I couldn't deploy my leveling jacks. After several failed attempts to put my RV on pads that I carry for just such occasions I parked the Unit at an odd angle on the driest part of the site. It didn't look good and I couldn't put my awning out. But at least I could get the levlers down and not sink up to my wheel wells. I did inquire about another site and was told they were full. Because the staff member I asked didn't bother to check her computer as she told me this I suspected I was being blown off. This was confirmed about an hour later I went back to the office to ask a question and a walk up (drive up/no reservation) camper was being given a full hook up site. Very aggravating! This campground is right on the beach and the beach is what this campground is all about. Unfortunately the beach was filthy. All kinds of trash, soda cans, beer bottles, food trash and spent fireworks. I couldn't find a clean space to put down my beach chair. Footwear for protection is necessary. This is not an exaggeration. I realize that KOA does not own the beach however, there is simply no excuse for this. The beach is this park's main asset. A camper on the next site told me that in the 20 plus years he's come to this campground he's never seen the beach in such poor condition. He was very unhappy. The two small pools were clean, but overrun by unsupervised chidren. The showers were dirty, but the restrooms were clean. The park itself wasn't as clean as it should be. I found food waste on my site. Beer bottles on other empty sites went uncollected for days and the trash dumpters were overflowing. The dump facility is very poorly located next to the main entrance. Campers registering used the site for parking, blocking access. On the positive side the small restaurant on site served a pretty good burger at a reasonable price. There isn't much close by in the way of shopping, eating or entertainment. But we don't come to the Outer Banks for those things anyway. In the future I would only use this park in a pinch. One block away is Camp Hatteras. A bike ride through this park showed it to be very clean with concrete pads at every site. Next time I'll stay there. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 6 / 10 ]
2002
$50
Sites were ok..... not many trees on Hatteras anyway. Bathhouses were clean, but HOT. Individual showers, but NO ventilation. 105 degreees and 105% humidity. Laundry was a joke... better figure on doing it someplace else. LOTS of kids..... lots of activities. Short walk over the dunes to the beach, and a beautiful beach it is. Tourist area and tourist prices. Go for the beach, not much else worth it. Maybe the food, but it's
$$$. We camped here in a camper.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
2002
$55
Nice park, with ocean breezes. Beautiful beaches, very private, and uncrowded. Camp ground is quite a distance from good dining spots, and grocery stores. Make sure you have plenty of gas in your vehicle. We would stay here again. We camped here in a camper.
We chose this campground, sight unseen, based on the recommendation of friends. If you love the water (this is on the "sound" side of the Outer Banks) and related water sports, this is a great place! They rent jet skis, kayaks, sailboats, surfboards, etc. The sites are extremely tight; the entrance driveway has many holes in it. To our amazement, there is no dumping station. We had the choice to: drive 15 miles one-way to a freebie at a marina or pay $15. to the KOA close-by. We couldn't get a waterfront site, but they were able to accommodate us for the Memorial Day week-end. Since we stayed 8 days, the owner/manager gave us one day free. We camped here in a Motorhome.