Campgrounds and RV parks near Columbia, NC

Columbia sits on the Scuppernong River in Tyrrell County, on the Albemarle Peninsula between the Inner Banks and the Outer Banks. The town serves as a practical staging point for RV trips into eastern North Carolina's swamp forests, blackwater rivers, and coastal sounds, with U.S. 64 providing a direct route east toward Manteo and the Outer Banks or west toward Plymouth and inland North Carolina. The area's headline draw is wildlife. The 152,000-acre Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge lies just east of town and supports one of the premier black bear populations on the Eastern Seaboard, along with a wild population of endangered red wolves. Pettigrew State Park, south of Columbia near Creswell, centers on Lake Phelps and the Scuppernong River. Campground options within roughly an hour's drive include Pettigrew State Park, North River Campgrounds, Rose Bay Preserve, Rocky Hock Campground near Edenton, and OBX Campground closer to the barrier islands. Together they cover state park camping, private full-hookup RV parks, and coastal-adjacent sites.

North Carolina State Parks reservations are processed through ReserveAmerica. Sites can be booked up to six months in advance, and campsites are by reservation only, though some parks set aside a limited number of sites for onsite, first-come registration. Two-night minimum stays apply on Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day holiday weekends. Because the Pettigrew State Park campground is closed for construction through 2026, campers should plan on private parks or alternate state parks in the region. Private campgrounds such as Rocky Hock Campground, North River Campgrounds, Rose Bay Preserve, and OBX Campground handle bookings directly through their own websites or by phone. For Outer Banks stays in summer and on holiday weekends, coastal sites fill weeks or months out, so reserve as far ahead as possible.