Outer Banks

The KOA is very tight, more like a parking lot. Camp Hatteras is better spaced and there is a choice of sites, either ocean side or on the sound side.
Oregon Inlet campground has no hookups but there are restrooms and showers. A free dump station and fresh water are available at the Oregon Inlet Marina less than 1/2 mile.
The fishing at the Oregon Inlet bridge can be fantastic.

We did the KOA. Although right on the ocean, there is no view because of the large dune between the CG and the water. Here are a number of threads on OBX from the last year or so.

thread 1

thread 2

thread 3

thread 4

The KOA has an "interesting" policy. If you want to request a site that is available, when you make the registration, the only way they will guarantee the site is for you to pay an extra $20 fee. Moreover, if two or three RVs are traveling together and reserve adjacent sites (available when registrations were made) the only way they will guarantee you will have adjacent sites when you arrive, is for all parties to pay an additional $20 fee. At least that was their policy last April. They told me it was a benefit they were providing.

Tom

pulsar wrote:
The KOA has an "interesting" policy. If you want to request a site that is available, when you make the registration, the only way they will guarantee the site is for you to pay an extra $20 fee. Moreover, if two or three RVs are traveling together and reserve adjacent sites (available when registrations were made) the only way they will guarantee you will have adjacent sites when you arrive, is for all parties to pay an additional $20 fee. At least that was their policy last April. They told me it was a benefit they were providing.

Tom

Wow. They are wanting to make camping unaffordable anymore. I am kinda leaning towards Camp Hatteras but haven't made up my mind as of yet.

As others have noted, all campgrounds on the northern Outer Banks (Ocracoke north to VA state line) have a row of dunes between the ocean and nearest campsites which limit direct views of the water. I also think you'll find the 'tight' site size applicable to any of the commercial offerings and this closeness will be exacerbated due to your visit being in prime season.

If a water view is important, some campgrounds offer sound side sites that are directly on the water - Camp Hatteras in Rodanthe and Frisco Woods in Frisco are two that come to mind. Another option is the National Park Service Campground in Frisco. A few of the upper sites there afford a good view of the ocean albeit from a distance of a quarter mile or so.

There are no state parks on the Outer Banks; all public campgrounds are Federal. Cape Hatteras National Seashore extends from Nags Head to Ocracoke with several breaks for small towns or villages and offers four campgrounds. From north to south - Oregon Inlet, Cape Point, Frisco and Ocracoke. Friso is located within wooded rolling dunes and has many large sites with a good bit of privacy. The other three have fairly large sites but are located in open 'fields' with no vegetation separating them. Google Earth should give you a fairly good idea of their layouts. NPS Frisco Campground

We now often stay for a week or more at one of the NPS campgrounds with Frisco being our favorite but, when our daughter was young, we used one of the commercial facilities (KOA, Camp Hatteras or Frisco Woods) for their hookups (AC can be nice) and activities for kids.

Drop me a PM with the types of activities you enjoy and I may be able to make some useful suggestions. Whatever you do, be sure to take the Hatteras to Ocracoke ferry - it's free and a unique experience.

Al

We stayed at the KOA this past summer (2016). It is expensive and we were not that impressed. Sites were tight and the dunes kept you from having any "view" of the water at all.

If we were to go back we said we were going to stay at Camp Hatteras.

Great feedback! The NPS campgrounds seems most appealing however kids that are 8 and 12 may become bored after 7 nights. I have a generator albeit a noisy champion generator that my neighbors most likely would not appreciate!

Have done the Camp Hatteras once and Ocean Waves CG ever since. I use the KOA for propane refill. All three are within a mile of each other.

We stayed at Oregon Inlet NPS campground this past June. It was at the beach. There are dunes between you and the water though. No hookups. The mosquitos are bad during the summer. You will need to stay in the wind or have a breeze blowing on you when outside. Go around a corner out of the breeze and you will be attacked. The wind can get pretty heavy too. We thought our 14000 lb Class C was going to tip over. Can't run the generator and AC at night, so we had to open the windows and run the fans. We were supposed to stay a week, but left after about 4 nights because of the wind. We didn't care for the hatteras area personally. But if you are looking for FHU, that's about the best place , but yes, you are gonna pay for it.

Hi Brad! I am originally from Mooresville Indiana too! What a small world! We spent 2 weeks at OBX two years ago. If I were you, with kids, I'd do half the week at Oregon Inlet and half the week on Ocracoke Island. Here's more info ...

Our favorite was Ocracoke Island Campground NPS ... The kids will love the ferry ride (with the trailer in tow). Here are a couple links from my blog on the possibilities. Bike rides into the village, visiting the wild pony pens, hiking, kayaking, ranger talks ... all was great on Okrakoke.

Ocracoke: My "Crabby" Campsite

10 Fun Free Things to Do on Ocracoke Island

We also camped at Oregon Inlet NPS for a week. We toured the lighthouses, the Wright Bros First Flight museum -- the kids would likely LOVE Jockey's Ridge State Park - sandboard or whatever down the huge sand dunes! Link below.

Oregon Inlet Campground. OBX

Sandboarding at Jockey's Ridge State Park Dunes

If you're/they're into fishing, fishing seems to be a popular activity during the day. If I had still been a kid, I'd have had a flashlight out at night chasing the beach crabs - some in our campsite!

Enjoy!