A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Forest Service campground

Oyster Point Campground

Forest Service campground in National Forests in North Carolina, Carteret County, North Carolina. 11 feet. 2.6 miles from Morehead City.

Managed by
Forest Service National Forests in North Carolina
Elevation
11 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
15 15 standard non-electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

Oyster Point Campground is located on the banks of the Newport River, near the town of Newport, NC. The campground is just a short drive to the beaches of Atlantic Beach, NC and other coastal fishing destinations. The campground can get very busy and reservations are reccamended but must be made 3 days in advance. Of the 15 campsites, 1 are considered a first come-first served campsite that cannot be reserved or held, so a person must physically be there with their camping equipment to purchase the campsite. Oyster Point campground has the option to use Scan & Pay system, but by the rules of recreaiton.gov it may only be used for first come-first served sites. Please make sure to contact a campground host to ensure availability before paying for any campsite. Failure to check with the campground host for availability may result in the loss of your camping fee.

Recreation

Canoeing and fishing are popular options. Power boating is allowed on the Newport River, however, the boat lanch at this location is a small hand launch with no vehicle access that you may use a canoe or kayak cart/dolly for assistance to get your boat to the water if desired. The Croatan Saltwater Trail weaves south between the barrier islands of the Bogue Sound and north on Adams Creek connecting to the Neuse River. This campground is also the trailhead for the Neusiok trail which is a 21-mile hiking trail that meanders through cypress swamps, loblolly pines and vast bogs of thick vegetation.

Facilities

The campground features 15 campsites and two vault toilets. Each site has a picnic table, fire grill, parking spur, tent pad and lantern post. The boat lanch at this location is a small hand launch with no vehicle access that you may use a canoe or kayak cart/dolly for assistance to get your boat to the water if desired

Natural Features

Situated in the coastal pine forest and intercostal waterway of the Croatan National Forest, which encompasses 160,000 acres in eastern North Carolina, the Newport River is 12 miles long and opens into the Bogue sound. It is popular with anglers and flatwater paddlers.

Nearby Attractions

The campground is just a short drive to the towns of Newport, NC and Morehead City, NC. These towns offer full service grocery, retail, and an abundant selection of restaurants.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking

The land around Oyster Point Campground

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.