Beach Camping on the Outer Banks

Spending a weekend in the Outer Banks has been on our list for some time now.

Finally, we ventured to the North Carolina coast where we experienced beach camping for the first time and enjoyed a long weekend of relaxation.

Outer Banks

With any camping trip, it is crucial to plan according to the weather. When camping directly on the beach and relying on a small ferry to make it to your destination, it is even more imperative. 

During spring, good weather in the Outer Banks can be hard to come by. Between the wind and the rain, it seemed that finding a few calm days back-to-back was nearly impossible to predict. After a year of postponing, we found a window of no rain with light and variable winds. We knew we couldn’t pass it up. Within 24 hours of making the decision, we loaded the camper, packed our bags and headed out the door. 

We chose to take this trip during a shoulder month to avoid the crowds and looking back, this decision is what made the trip so successful. In order to get to our camp spot, we had to reserve a ferry. Even in the off-season, the 6-vehicle ferry was carrying a full load to and from the island. 

This was a first for both of us and the ride itself was an experience we won’t forget. 

Once the ferry landed, we drove down the coastline for roughly 12 miles before stopping at our ideal campsite. Camping in this area is 100% primitive meaning there were no designated campsites. This was perfect and allowed us to have an area of the beach all to ourselves. 

We spent the next two days relaxing on the beach. There were no trips into town, crowds of people, or loud noises. It was simply the two of us, ocean waves, the occasional sound of birds off in the distance, and pods of dolphins making their way up and down the coastline.

Pure bliss. 

The first evening called for a sunset hike. We were camped roughly one mile from a lighthouse so an hour before sunset we made our way over on foot. The view was beautiful and a great way to end our first night on the beach.

The second day was full of reading, painting, collecting seashells…

Enjoying each others company…

And an evening campfire.

Overall, we were blessed with good weather. We experienced one night where there was an extended period of extremely high winds. Neither of us got much sleep due to the stress of the wind and the sand blowing everywhere, but we both agree that it didn’t make this trip any less enjoyable considering we could have had much worse weather to deal with. 

We’re already looking forward to our next beach camping trip.

After leaving the island, we spent an entire day making our way further up the coast. We didn’t get very far having to take three separate ferries to get back to the mainland, two requiring reservations, one being a first come first serve ride. The first ferry off the island was short and sweet, taking just over 40 minutes. We made our way to our second stop, a two hour and fifteen minute ride. This one turned out to be a highlight. The ferry for this commute was much larger, carrying up to 50 vehicles and 300 passengers. We spent the time taking photos, playing games, and enjoying the view. 

The third ferry wasn’t quite as fun. We arrived thinking we would be waiting for about half an hour, jumping on the next boat across the sound. After all, we were visiting in the off-season. That was not the case. We arrived and were welcomed by a long line of other vehicles waiting for their turn and we quickly realized that we had a wait ahead of us. We can only imagine the chaos during peak season. We made dinner while parked in line on the road and (impatiently) waited our turn and later arrived at camp close to 11:00pm.

The next morning we woke well before the sun and drove over an hour to get to our planned sunrise location.

We stayed just long enough for the sun to kiss the lighthouse…

…before heading out to grab breakfast at Stack’em High Pancakes in Kill Devil Hills. Which was a 10/10 by the way. 

The last stop was a State Park nearby before heading in the direction of home.

We had initially planned to continue north and see more of the Outer Banks but we both realized that we cared less about the tourist towns and more about the secluded areas full of wildlife. We had seen everything we cared to see, so we called it a success and headed home.

That’s it for now!

Catch ya next time.

Taylor and Seth

Hello…

Seth and Taylor here sharing all things related to outdoor adventure! Welcome to Dropped Pins, we are so glad you’re here!

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