Carolina Beach State Park RV & Campground Guide
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Carolina Beach State Park is located in a coastal area of North Carolina by the Cape Fear River and the Intracoastal Waterway. The park features unique geological features, such as Sugarloaf Dune and limesink ponds. Sugarloaf Dune is a 50-foot sand dune that serves as a navigational marker for river pilots. A limesink pond is a sinkhole where limestone deposits have dissolved over an extended period. During your stay at Carolina Beach State Park, you may be able to catch an interpretive program or other park-hosted events to learn more about the area.
Nearby Cities:
Wilmington, North Carolina
Sea Breeze, North Carolina
Myrtle Grove, North Carolina
Southport, North Carolina
Spring 45-79 F
Summer 71-88 F
Fall 46-84 F
Winter 37-60 F
RV Resorts & Campsites in Carolina Beach State Park
Campground Accommodations
Carolina Beach State Park Campground
Water hookup: Yes
Electrical hookup: Yes
Sewer hookup: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
Pet-friendly: Yes
Max RV length: 95 feet
Other amenities: Flush toilets, showers, trash and recycling, dump station, water spigots, accessible campsites available, boat launch ramp, coin-operated laundry, fire rings, picnic tables, firewood
Winner’s RV Park
Winner’s RV Park in Carolina Beach is the only dedicated RV park on the island, with full hookups and within walking distance of the beach, dining, and nightlife.
Water hookup: yes
Electrical hookup: yes
Sewer hookup: yes
Wi-Fi: yes
Pet friendly: yes
Other amenities: walking distance to beach, other attractions
Carolina Beach Family Campground
With the ocean on one side and the river on the other, the Carolina Beach Family Campground is just a few steps away from water sports, fishing, swimming, or just sunbathing and relaxing on the beach.
Water hookup: yes
Electrical hookup: yes
Sewer hookup: yes
Wi-Fi: yes
Pet friendly: n/a
Other amenities: pool, beach access, laundry, general store
What to Do at
Carolina Beach State Park
Boating is one of the most popular activities at the park because you have access to the Cape Fear River, the Myrtle Grove Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. A private concessionaire offers kayak, canoe and paddleboard rentals at the marina. At the campground, you can rent kayaks, paddleboards and bicycles. Carolina Beach State Park has 9 miles of hiking trails and a one-mile biking trail. It's also a suitable place for stargazing.
The adventurous can take on strong tidal waters on boats and explore several bodies of water that are accessible from Carolina Beach State Park. Fishing, swimming, hiking and picnicking are other enjoyable activities at the park.
Inside Carolina Beach State Park
There are lots of things to do at Carolina Beach State Park. Because it’s situated on the coast, you’re sure to find plenty of beachy things to do...as well as other fun activities:
Hiking: About 9 miles of trails go through a variety of different coastal habitats. The trails are fairly easy to walk, and you can observe the diverse plant and animal life (including bugs! Bring repellent).
Boating: You can boat along the Cape Fear River, the Myrtle Grove Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean. a 54-slip marina and two public boat ramps are available in the park, and a marina store sells fuel, snacks, fishing, and camping supplies. Restrooms, a laundry room, and showers are also available for boat slip renters.
Fishing: You can fish from the river bank, or from the accessible fishing deck, or you can launch your boat at the marina to fish. You may catch flounder, spot, sheepshead, and speckled trout.
Fishing
You can fish on the riverbank or launch your boat to fish from the river, estuary or ocean. Common catches at Carolina Beach State Park include speckled trout, flounder, sheepshead, drum and striped bass. Spring and fall are the best seasons for inshore fishing, although you can catch fish here any time of the year.
Nature Watching
Carolina Beach State Park is within a bird migration corridor, so you can see a variety of birds during any season. You can see prairie warblers, yellowthroats and painted buntings in the summer. Brown pelicans are often in the coastal area. Other wildlife to keep an eye out for are eastern spadefoot toads, eastern fox squirrels, gray squirrels, white-tailed deer, gray foxes and river otters. An alligator is sometimes spotted near the marina. If you venture into offshore waters, you might see a dolphin.
Stargazing
The park staff sometimes hosts an astronomy event at which you can look at the night sky through a telescope at the visitor center. It usually begins at sunset and ends 15 minutes before the park closes on days when the park has this event.
Flora and Fauna
You can see carnivorous plants, such as Venus flytraps, sundews, pitcher plants, butterworts and bladderworts, at Carolina Beach State Park. The forest consists of live oaks, turkey oaks and longleaf pines. A dwarf cypress swamp forest is by Cypress Pond, one of the limesink ponds at the park.
Hiking
All of the trails at Carolina Beach State Park are easy to hike and increase your chance of seeing wildlife. Flytrap Trail takes you through pocosin wetlands, wiregrass savanna and longleaf pine forest. You will see Venus flytraps on the sides of the trail. In the spring, wildflowers are in bloom. Sugarloaf Trail gives you a close view of Sugarloaf Dune and travels through coastal evergreen forest, coastal fringe sandhill forest, longleaf pine savanna and tidal cypress-gum swamp. Other trails to hike include Snow's Cut Trail, Sand Live Oak Trail and Campground Trail.
Boating
In addition to powerboats, you can experience the waters in a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard. A private rental company offers boating tours, and you can rent boats in the summer.
Biking
The only trail that allows biking at Carolina Beach State Park is Fitness Trail. It's a one-mile gravel loop trail.
How to Get to
Carolina Beach State Park
From Wilmington, travel south on US-117 S/College Road toward Oleander Drive. Continue onto NC-132 S/College Road, and stay right to continue on College Road. The road will turn into US-421 S/Carolina Beach Road. Turn right onto Dow Road N. and right again onto State Park Road.
Entering Carolina Beach State Park
It's free to enter the park, but additional costs might be associated with some of the facilities. It costs $7 to launch your own boat. There are several parking areas in the park: at the Carolina Beach Recreation Center near the Fitness Trail, by the park office, near the Sugarloaf Trail, next to the marina on the Cape Fear River, and by the picnic area and restrooms by Snow's Cut Trail.
There’s no better way to create memories with those you love than by heading out on a road trip! Renting an RV with RVshare makes the trip easy and stress-free. Whether you choose to rent an RV near your home and make the trek, or fly closer to your destination and rent an RV for camping, you’re sure to have an adventure you won’t soon forget! We would love to see pictures of your travels - be sure to send us photos of your trip to [email protected] and tag us on social media. Your memories could be featured on our blog, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter page!
Frequently Asked Questions About Carolina Beach State Park
Summer is the busiest season at Carolina Beach State Park as many people want to use the boat launch and enjoy the hot weather. Spring and fall are beautiful times to visit for the mild temperatures, wildflowers or changing leaves, and smaller crowds.
With a varied terrain of forests, wetlands and savannas, you can find plenty of wildlife and unique plants in the park. Your most likely sightings include white-tailed deer, brown pelicans, prairie warblers, eastern spadefoot toads and eastern fox squirrels.
Yes, Carolina Beach State Park offers RV camping spots with electrical, water and sewer hookups available at some sites. A dump station is also at the campground.
Although the park doesn't require reservations, you'll want to reserve a camping spot because of how popular the park is. You can make a reservation up to six months in advance. During the peak season, the average nightly cost is $33 for an electric site and $23 for a non-electric site.
Yes, but you can't leave them unattended or take them inside the park buildings or to the swimming beach. Pets also must be on a leash, and owners with pets on the trails must yield to others first, including bicyclists.
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