Cedar Island Ranch

Apparently this park has new owners, but they have a long ways to go to make a proper RV park. The "beachfront" sites were literally sand, with glass (barely missed my tire!) and no picnic tables or fire pits or, well, anything. No bathroom in this section, just a broken down old one that is closed so you have to walk 5 minutes to the other loop or across the street to the bar. There's not even a sign for where to check in (the RVs are on one side of the road, you check in at the bar on the other side of the road, but nowhere to park a big rig over there).

The people are nice, the bar serves good food, and there is a coin-op laundry at the end of the second motel row next to the bar. But that doesn't excuse charging $50 for a water/electric site that had literally nothing else there.

With a lot of work and time and money, this could be a great little spot. For now, though, unless you have an early morning ferry, you're better off picking a different spot.

This rustic campground is literally at the end of the road and the gateway to the OBX. Put your rig on the ferry to Ocracoke Island (we paid $45 for our 40’ motor coach + car) and transfer over to the Cape Hatteras ferry (FREE). Any size rig can board but don’t be too hasty in leaving. Spend a few days and enjoy the pristine beach (on the Core Sound, its shallow and warm, great for swimming with children); wander down the empty beaches to photograph the wild Spanish Horses; kayak the calm salt marshes searching for wildlife or simply sit and enjoy watching the ferry boats come and go and the anglers fishing for dinner.

On the down side, annual storms have taken a toll on this park, including the electrical systems. The new owners are committed to making your stay a positive experience. They are working with the electric company to bring the power up to standards. If you have a large motor home, be advised the voltage coming into the park was often below 104, well within the danger zone for most electronics (we lost an AC unit during our stay). They are hoping to get this fixed but, until then, note they warn you about power when you register and no refunds are offered.

Unless you want to want to drive an hour or better early in the morning to catch the ferry to ocracoke it is the only game in town.

The campground is remote and everything that entails. Our biggest complaint is the office is not marked and a crossed the street from the campground in the cedar island visitor center.......Not very well marked. Did not use the shower facilities as the exterior was in not great repair so we did not go in. Never did find the dumpster and ended up taking our trash with us.

Did not have any power issues

Took late boat from Ocracoke and needed a place to stay. Park is right at the boat dock. Spent a half hour walking around trying to find the office - finally found it in the strip mall across the street. (of course - so obvious!)
No one warned us the streets to the sites are SOFT sand - nearly got stuck, as did every other rig coming through. Horse stables on the property so bring a fly swatter! The showers - omg - absolutely gross. Showered with my eyes closed. You can walk down to and along the beach, just go during daylight so you can avoid all the horse poop everywhere. Yuck.

We arrived and office was closed so we called the number on the door and followed directions to make a reservation and got a message that the mail box had not been set up. How do you run a business like that. Found a web site we could go to so we could pay for our site to find out it was $83 a night for a sandy spot to park. This was a full hookup spot so I wanted to dump my tanks before going over to Ocracoke to find out the sewer was backed up. Tried to get a hold of the office and couldn’t even leave a message. I emailed the office to try and get a password for Wi-Fi but no response. Could have stayed in the motel across the street for less. I will never stay in this campground again.

Had a great stay at Site 4 which was a FHU back in with an amazing marsh view. The FHU sites on the marsh were a little close and the sewer hookup was quite far back and I had to get an extra section of hose. Looked like the pull thru beach sites had a little more space. You can tell there is a lot of work being done at this campground to update lots of things. Bathhouses were clean and appeared recently renovated with the exception of the showers which could use a little more work but we’re still usable.

This campground has access to an amazing beach on Pamlico sound which was calm and shallow. Perfect for kids to enjoy for hours without worry. Campground also offered kayak rentals and all staff were helpful and friendly.

Will definitely plan to return.