Ocracoke vs Hatteras Island...??

While I hav'nt used a campsite at either place it would be a good idea to try to reserve yours before you head out, tis the busy season here so some may be at full capacity public and private. I've not been in the waters at Ocracoke, but Hatteras Island is nice waves usually. Wish I was going....

 

Scored epic Ocracoke once. Skunked or crap waves...too many times. Always fishing and drinking to pass the time but Hatty gives more swell options and with it a greater chance to surf or just more options if you want to do something besides those 3 things. If I remember correctly Ocracoke is very limited to straight south swell to make it worth it. In fact last time I was on Ocracoke I think Hyde county was a dry county or at least you couldn't get liquor. Is there still ORV access?... hell that was 2/3rds of the fun on the island. Plus you can always take the ferry and visit Ocracoke while your in Hatty. I got family on Ocracoke that run a stained glass shop but when I was a young man out for adventure visiting that place tended to get old QUICK. Now that I'm older I think I'd dig it more but just one man's experience.

 

There is hardly any ORV access on any of the Banks anymore.

Don't stay in Ocracoke, the only way off the island is by ferry. You will have many more options staying in Hatteras, but I would suggest Buxton.

 

hatteras hands down//// youll find yourself bored and stranded feeling in ocracoke..... go to hatteras buddy

 

dont count Ocracoke out it gets other swell directions

 

As requested, my recommendation would be Frisco Woods Campground in Buxton.

 

Definetly stay at Frisco Woods - it's a privately owned campground so it's a little more expensive than the National Park campgrounds on Ocracoke and elsewhere on Hatteras. But it has SHADE and this can be a huge thing if it's sunny everyday. The National Park campgrounds are a bit more primitive and located right in the dunes just inland from the beach but there are no trees to escape the sun. Frisco woods can be really fun and you usually meet some fun people to hang with there in the evenings.

 

Frisco Woods: the ONLY camp ground to go to. If forget the owner's name but he's a super cool guy. Plus the Orange Blossom is about 1/4 mile from there, they've got your coffee, breakfast and lunch covered!
However, bring Back Woods Cutter with plenty of DEET in it. There are tons of deer in that part of the island, so that means tons of TICKS!

Whatever you do, don't go to the Northern OBX. The constant traffic from Pennsylvanians has turned the stretch from Nags Head up through Southern Shores into Myrtle Beach, except with less class and worse people. Way too much of a carnival atmosphere for my taste.

 

HA! Class? I literally got run off the soundside beach once by some family of renters from Virginia in Rodanthe because they said we were too close to the property that they "paid good money for" when my wife and I were sitting there wathching the sunset quietly. I might also mention that there wasn't a single person in their family who weighed less than 250lbs.. including their young kids.

 

LOL, I was speaking more in terms of the general development full of strip malls and crappy restaurants with stupid names. Nags Head and Southern Shores is a carnival, but so is Rodanthe--all full of pasty, poundy Pennsylvanians. I prefer Avon and South.

 

Hatteras and Ocracoke are great. I'd lean towards Hatteras. I went to Ocracoke last year and it is now overrun with those "fantastic" people mentioned earlier in the thread. Ocracoke has recently been rated "Best Beach in the US" (if not the "best"). Now all of these people are there. There are golf carts everywhere for instance. I'd elaborate, but I have never seen that since my dad has taken me camping down there since 89 (when I was 3). Pops even had his bike stolen. Never even had that happen in VB. Pardon the rant but that's my 2 cents.

 

It's not what it used to be Killa.

 

Not sure about camping cause I usually stay around Avon, Salvo so im kind of mid ways of the Island for surf ventures.....Ocracoke is basically a tourist trap and not worth the hassel so you'd be better off in Hatty.

 

cape woods campground is in buxton on the back road and is closest to the breaks at the three jetties at the lighthouse beach. orange blossom bakery is on the main road in buxton. frisco woods campground is in frisco and closest to breaks behind the park service campground, frisco pier and hatteras village. the gingerbread house bakery is on the main road in frisco.

 

Wow never relized the pennsltucky knew how to get to the outer banks, thought they all got stuck in OC, shame they spread that far down, I feel your pain. But to the subject, Hatteras , You can do Ocracoke island in a hour on a bike, then be done with it. sorry to say , worth a Free ferry ride to visit, but not worth a stay.

 

Cape Woods! I got mixed up, haven't camped up there in a couple years. I need to cruise up that way just to get an egg and cheese sandwich and an UGLY!

 

gingerbread house has the best bacon, egg and cheese biscuit of anywhere on hatteras island

 

let me guess.. your homeboy who wants to stay at ocracoke is a longboarder.. kidding.. but really, dont cut yourself off from >50% of the swell that hits the islands. And all you Northeasterner haters may be in luck, the cost to get down there is insane these days, and tons of people are opting for cheaper rentals up in corolla.. so weird how when i was a kid, there were buffallo roaming the beaches in corolla and no roads, now for some reason, a lot of out of towners think its the only place that exists in obx. they trapse down to the beach with their big stupid hats and their kiddie pools.

did you bring the pool? what? we're going to the beach.. but we have to bring a pool with us to the beach! duh! who goes to the beach without a pool anymore, this is America damnit!

 

frisco woods for sure. theres also a national parks camp ground in frisco by the airstrip that huge and super cheap. Take the ferry over to ocracoke if the swell has some south in it. It's only a 30 minute ride.