Once a campsite for Paleo-Indians, colonial explorers and Confederate troops, Carolina Beach State Park remains a gem among camping destinations. Watersports enthusiasts are minutes from the Cape Fear River, Masonboro Sound and the Atlantic. Hikers on the Sugar Loaf Trail pass over tidal marsh and dunes and along three lime-sink ponds. Cypress Pond, the most unusual, is dominated by a dwarf cypress swamp forest.
Dense vegetation lends the campsites a fair amount of privacy.
Drinking water and well-kept restrooms with hot showers are close by. There is a dump station for RVs, but no hookups. Ranger-led interpretive programs deepen visitors' understanding of the region's natural bounty. Unleashed pets and possession of alcoholic beverages are prohibited. The park is 15 miles south of Wilmington, a mile north of Carolina Beach just off U.S. 421 on Dow Road.