Goose Creek State Park
Bald cypress, Spanish moss and the broad Pamlico River — beautiful, but the camping is walk-in only.
- Beaufort County, NC
- Nearest town: Bath
- 5 ft
Coordinates
- Lat
- 35.47149
- Lng
- -76.91068
No van camping
There is camping here, but only walk-in, backcountry or boat-in sites. You cannot sleep in a van at the trailhead.
At a glance
The basics
What to expect
State park
Reservable sites, paved or well-graded roads, bathhouses in season.
- County
- Beaufort County
- State
- North Carolina
- Nearest town
- Bath
- Elevation
- 5 ft
- Max vehicle length
- Not verified
The place
About Goose Creek State Park
Goose Creek is the classic eastern North Carolina blackwater landscape: cypress and tupelo standing in tannin-dark water, Spanish moss hanging from the live oaks, and the Pamlico River so wide here it reads as an estuary rather than a river. Boardwalks carry the trails out over swamp where the ground will not hold a path, and the birding is excellent — this is a stop on the coastal migration route, with wading birds, woodpeckers and, in winter, waterfowl on the river. Paddling up Goose Creek itself into the cypress is the best way to see it.
For van drivers
Getting a van in and out
The camping here is walk-in, so plan to sleep elsewhere and visit for the day. Washington is about twenty minutes away and Bath, the oldest town in the state, is closer. Access roads are paved and straightforward. Two practical warnings for a summer visit: the mosquitoes in the swamp sections are formidable, and ticks are abundant in the grassier trails, so treat clothing and check afterwards.
Written for a high-roof van, not a pickup. Surfaces and clearances change with the weather and with the season’s roadwork — the official page below is the last word.
On the ground
Facilities & fees
Not verified means nobody has confirmed it — treat it as unknown, never as a no. 8 of the 8 below are still unconfirmed.
- Restrooms
- Not verified
- Drinking water
- Not verified
- Showers
- Not verified
- Dump station
- Not verified
- Hookups
- Not verified
- Campfires
- Not verified
- Dogs allowed
- Not verified
- Reservations
- Not verified
- Max vehicle length
- Not verified — check with the park
- Season
- Not verified — check with the park
- Fees
- Not verified — check with the park
The last word on all of this is ncparks.gov(opens in a new tab).
Where it is
Coordinates & directions
Decimal degrees
- Latitude
- 35.471494
- Longitude
- -76.910682
35.4715° N · 76.9107° W
No map tiles here on purpose. Half of these places have no signal at the gate, so coordinates you can save offline beat a map that needs one. Drop them into your phone before you turn off the pavement.
Nearest gas and groceries: Bath
Before you go
Official sources
Fees, site counts, length limits and closures change season to season. Everything we have not confirmed ourselves is marked Not verified above rather than guessed at — and where we do have a number, the operator’s own page still wins.
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