OBX Campfires

I have gone to Camp Hatteras several times. I use a table top charcoal grill for cooking (yes I protect the table top) When I get done cooking, I stick the grill on the concrete pad and throw some wood in the coals. I use common sense enough for it to be a small fire, but yet enjoyable. I put the lid on it when I am done and bag the cold ashes the next day. No mess, I am happy and CG management is happy.

DutchmenSport, I do live 'there' and you've got the above/below high tide line thing figured out correctly. Fires above the high tide line pose a problem for visitors, drivers and turtle hatchllings. Also agree with you on the incomplete/inadequate info problem.

As to wood fires in the Outer Banks campgrounds, we bought a CampFire in a Can a few years back because of the restrictions there (and in many other areas we visit). Another plus for these propane powered fire pits comes about when camping in areas that require firewood to be purchased locally i.e. Great Smoky Mountain NP. In addition to the expense, I've usually found the local product to be of poor quality.

The CampFire in a Can folks are no longer in business but there are numerous similar products out there. I still prefer a wood fire but these are better than nothing.

The OP seemed to be speaking of the OBX campgrounds specifically so if you didn't know what OBX was you really couldn't offer any advice.

Kind of a campground specific advice filter. :)

We don't do campfires so it wasn't an issue for us when we were there.

bucky wrote:
Don't you mean beach fires ok ABOVE the high tide line?

It only took me a few years to figure out OBX meant Outer Banks of North Carolina. Sometimes, when talking about specific location items or regional items, folks don't seem to realize not everyone in the country lives where you do, and local terms don't mean a thing to anyone else. What's really challenging is when someone makes a reference to a specific campground and no identification where it's located, what state or anything. Kind of like advertising a phone number without the area code.

But about fires on the beach? It makes sense that fires would be allowed "below" high tide level. How many clean up their ashes and left over unburned wood? Probably not too many. When high tide comes in, it would wash the beach, removing any unburned wood and clean the sand, removing the ashes too. Makes sense to me.

But, I don't live there either, so I'm just guessing (my personal disclaimer there!)

Don't you mean beach fires ok ABOVE the high tide line?

Dick A wrote:
OBX = North Carolina Outer Banks

Who da thunk :h Not me..LOL

OBX = North Carolina Outer Banks

At least someone knows what OBX is

We also use a propane firepit. No sparks and no smoke. Keep it going and the ceramic logs glow red. Never had a park manager tell us we couldn't keep it going.

Wind often makes it tough at OBX to have a fire near all the closely parked campers.. Unless there has been a change recently you can have wood burning campfire on the beach below hide tide line? Done it many times.