Goose Creek State Park in
Washington (NC)

Always a good time at Goose Creek. Watch for your trail signs and bring a pair of binoculars if you enjoy birdwatching. They have little cabins to rent.

A very nice location for nature hikes. Located on the Pamlico River and bounded by two Salt marsh creeks. Clean facilities and lots of camping locations (RV, cabin, primitive).

Hands down some of my favorite state park camping in North Carolina. The car campsites are "primitive", which means that 1) there isn't a full bathhouse, just a vault toilet and 2) the firewood station is at the RV/cabin campground. The campsites are relatively far apart (for state campgrounds). You can see your neighbors, but everyone feels like they have plenty of their own space. The park itself is gorgeous. The trees draped with Spanish Moss are lovely and the hickories were a gorgeous yellow (my visit was in November). We look forward to coming back in spring & summer to do some paddling & fishing. The only sour note was that we didn't realize the firewood station was at the RV/cabin campground so we had to turn around and go back once we realized. Also, be aware that we saw plenty of black bear scat at the campground--bears are active, although we did not see any.

Our school group had a fun weekend trip here. We had some bring an RV, some bring tents, and some use their cabins. From the visitor center, to all the trails and the cabins everything was very clean and well kept. The visitor center was extra fun. This is a wonderful location. If you are renting a cabin I highly recommend bringing a pad for the bed as the mattresses are “paper thin“. The walking trails and Boardwalk are amazing! My son’s found dozens of sharks teeth as well in a specific location.

I am working my way through the 42 state parks in NC and I think Goose Creek would officially be my second favorite out of the ones we have completed. This was a very easy hike with amazing views at the beach, the trails were well marked (the confusion I had was from my ability to read the park map), the people were very friendly and helpful.

We have enjoyed this park for years for various camping and other events. Goose Creek offers primitive, RV hookups, and cabins, with clean bath houses available. The primitive area is right at the water and has a dock for fishing or kayak boat launch. The RV area is open with no tall trees but individualized enough not to be on top of other campers. The area is quiet around the park itself and also has a river beach area and several trails. Park rangers ride around a periodically during the day. The park is not far from Washington or Bath. We have enjoyed our stays.

Post rainy day walk on the boardwalk and Tar-kiln trail with our dog. Trails seems to be well kept. Few mosquitoes. There is signage about ticks in the warmer months so just be aware of that but if you stay on the trail, you should be fine.

This was an excellent camp facility that I visited in NC. Very well maintained restrooms. Well monitored felt very safe. excellent cottages with AC unit, great experience overall

This is an amazing state park in Eastern NC!! Accessing the park is very easy, especially for ECU students looking to be a bit more outdoorsy. I went late last January during a snowy, cold period and had a blast. Even in the snow, it was clear that trails and boardwalks were well maintained and clear of trash. The unique environment of the park makes the visit all the more fun! I would highly recommend.

I solo camped here for over a week in early August with my German shepherd. I stayed in the RV campground, which has 30/50 amp service, sewer, and water. There is also a separate tent campground. I LOVED this park. I hiked on all of its trails during my stay. The park is gorgeous, with well-kept, sandy trails and lots of raised boardwalk trails with ethereal Spanish moss gracing all of it. It must have rained every single day I was there -- once, torrentially -- and you would never know it on the trails the next day; a testament to great water mitigation. The trails also had fantastic options to fetch my dog in the water (Ivey Gut was my favorite trail). The trails were very quiet and I hardly saw another hiker. I saw park staff on all my hikes, however, maintaining trails and removing garbage. The whole area underwent a controlled burn (I'm not sure when, even though there was a placard about it). There were great interpretative displays on almost all of the trails to help hikers learn about the history, flora and fauna of the park. This is a very well-loved, well-cared for park. All of the camps are very well spaced (tent sites too) and unlike other reviewers, I loved that the RV campground was in an overgrown field, because the bird watching was amazing. I heard bluebirds, ospreys, and indigo buntings the entire time, with a bob white on two nights! The tent campground is shady, close to the water, and also has well spread out sites. *I used the boat launch for my kayak one day, but that's a ten minute drive, and I do wish there were better options for getting cartop boats in the water directly from the campground.

What a GORGEOUS place! It was PUT there as far as primitive camping goes. Not too bad with bugs surprisingly. Peaceful and quiet. Saw 3 deer and had an amazing time. The litle beach is quite nice too! Check it out!

This campground had the perfect beach meets forest feel. The campground itself is small and quaint. There's a hiking trail and a bath house. The cabins are adorable. If you travel down a trail or drive over you'll access the beach area. The entire park just has a feel. We will definitely be going back. I think the only thing I would say it was missing was a playground for the kids. My son doesn't need a playground to stay busy, but it would be nice to have one. Our dogs enjoyed the trails too.

Beautiful state park, out in the middle of nowhere. Really unique scenery, lots of spanish moss in places as well. Not crowded whatsoever, free to enter and plenty of parking. Worth the drive!

We have a Class B Campervan and we stayed here on a boondock stop during our Carolina’s trip. We had reserved a primitive spot pretty much on the river. Absolutely beautiful and amazingly quiet. There is dock area for fishing and the fish were jumping out of the water at dusk! Clean vault toilet with plenty of TP and hand sanitizer. The site had a well kept area for a tent as well as a picnic table and fire ring. Great Verizon cell coverage. It is a bit of a drive to get into the primitive camping area but the road is pretty good and well worth the drive.

The RV campground sites are spacious and separated by waste-high vegetation—they would be ideal if they were treed. The primitive sites are all one would hope for. I will let the pictures provided speak for the abundant natural beauty adjacent to the camping areas.

Overall, we had a great time! The park was very clean and well maintained! Even though we didn’t use the bathhouse, we did take a look! They were very clean and immaculate! The trails were great and fun to walk, just to get into nature! It was also very quiet in the RV Park! There were a few draw backs. There was little to no cell phone signal! Our phones were lucky to get one bar! The dry firewood we purchased from the park did not burn much at all, so we couldn’t really use the fire pit like we wanted to. The kids really enjoyed the abundance of wildlife! We may check it out again! Maybe there will be better cell phone service in the area!

It is a great place to visit. The trails were clearly marked and there are plenty of them. They are all easy and one is boardwalked for handicap accessibility. Would be a great place for younger children just getting acquainted with hiking. The trails cover a variety of ecosystems. The RV area has cabins available and a great bath house. Lots of picnic areas and spots for group camping. I encountered several families with children who were there for the swimming. Dogs welcome on a leash. Great family outting.

Took my Grandson there for his first overnight in a tent. We had a blast. The "Primitive Campground " area is where we stayed. It was about $30 for 2 nights. The site had a gravelled pad, the size I'm guessing at about 10' x 18', on which you pitch your tent. There was also a table with bench seats big enough for 6 people, a fire pit, a wood grill, and a post to hold a lantern. There was no electricity or water tap at the site, but there was a toilet facility, a hut with firewood, and a water spigot located within a short walking distance from us. The campsites are numbered, and you can drive up to it. There is plenty of information on the website regarding walking trails, etc. The office was actually closed due to staffing issues on the Saturday that we arrived, but there was a kiosk outside that had free maps and information. Later that day a Park Ranger came to our site to check on us and explain the rules. Even though the night was very cold and the wind was wicked on the shoreline when we tried fishing, lol. We had a great time, and will be going there again lots more.

A beautiful place pretty far from most towns so bring your snacks and drinks. Amazing natural scenery with very rustic coastal beachy area. Perfect for a day out with kids, pets, and whomever you pick to enjoy a walk and some fresh air. Goose creek is unique in its appeal and must be experienced in person to understand

This park is clean and the people are friendly. There are many hikes within the park, but the bugs and horseflies in the area are brutal! Personally, we felt the sound was dirty from everywhere we viewed and it and would not swim in it. Most campsites have no trees surrounding it, so it is HOT HOT when the sun is high in the sky. The sites are huge and spacious and spread out from others. There isn’t a whole lot to do in the area with children. We did a day trip to Aurora to dig fossils by taking the ferry over. We also walked/toured historic Washington and we loved that and so did our boys. We enjoyed the NC Estuary, Down Town on Main for lunch, Scoops for ice cream and the Pitt Brewery!

UPDATE- 2023 Goose Creek has become one of our favorite camping stops as we trek into the Southeast united state! The camping area is the highest quality and they have really cute little cabins (tine houses) located conveniently clos to the modern restroom facilities. The place only gets better! It's is well managed and the staff here is fantastic. Be sure to check out the really high quality taxidermy animals at the visitor center. Also -- the board walk has been maintained and improved since the end of the pandemic. Where else can you go see a tar kiln! Goose Creek N.C. State Park - this place is a real gem for campers who are not necessarily into power boating, but are looking for a quiet natural setting. The campground is virtually brand new and there are many miles of easy hiking trails. Plus- a beautiful swimming beach on the shore of the Pamlico river. A very dark sky makes star gazing an excellent evening activity!

Beautiful camping experience on the riverbank. Site #13 was beyond gorgeous abound with Spanish moss, wild blueberries, and deer. Cool to see the diverse ecosystems as we walked multiple trails and swam. Super kid friendly just use plenty of bug spray. I didn't realize we were being bit until I got home. Also, anticipate no showers if you are primitive camping. The riverbanks are made of brackish water, fairly shallow, and are comfortable to swim in. Just look out for tree roots underfoot. Water shoes will help.

We stayed at primitive site 04. The sites are well spaced. There is plenty of parking for 2 SUV. They sell firewood ($8/pack -June '23) There's a fishing dock and a place to launch kayaks. The restroom is clean; it is a pit type. There's water access throughout. Trails are fairly good. Mosquitoes are rampant around evening times. Overall, it's great when you like outdoor peace and privacy among other campers. Gas station and convenience stores are about 10min out.

Staying in the rv area. We have a 36 foot 5th wheel. Our trucks is unhooked and we could easily put another truck in front. Plenty of room between each offset site. Also plenty of walking trails to enjoy. Definitely recommend. A 40 footer could easily stay here.

A beautiful, hidden gem in eastern NC! Campsites were well kept and provided good privacy from other sites (not too close to one another). The scenery is unique and serene. The trails were well maintained and easy for all skill levels. The only disappointment was that the nature center was closed. We will definitely return!

The museum is awesome. They have quite a bit of different animal specimen local to the region and identify the type. The campground seems nice for RVs with full hookups. The tent sites have level rocks to put your tent, some with water views. Lots of trails through the woods and marshes. The tiny houses look cute too! They take very good care of the grounds, no trash laying around!

Well maintained trails and good primitive tent campground. Tent sites are well spaced and not right on top of each other, like some other parks. We saw the new cabins and bath house but did not stay in them. The new buildings are very nice and well built. Experienced hikers can hike all the trails in a day. This park could be a day trip for most people. All of the trails are flat and easy to walk.