Carolina Beach State Park
Carolina Beach State Park is the 3rd State Park we visited in our 2025 North Carolina State Challenge- where we go to all 44 NC State Parks this year. This Park is 12 miles south of Wilmington, NC and has hiking, biking, paddling, and fishing. Their marina outlets to the Cape Fear Valley River and Intracoastal Waterway. And if you didn’t bring your own- there’s a private concessionaire that rents out kayak, canoes, and paddle boards.
The park is famous for being one of the few places where Venus Fly Traps grow in the wild. So we started out bright and early on the Flytrap Trail to see if we could spot some of these elusive plants. It look a lot of searching and research to finally see some- they are TINY, probably about the size of half of my pinky nail. The plants are also high risk to be poached, so other than being off the boardwalks on the Flytrap Trail, the park doesn’t boast exactly where the plants are. If you want to guarantee seeing these plants, join the Carnivorous Plant Hike with Park Staff that they host almost every Saturday at 10am.
We walked through the intertwining trails along the waterside trail, Oak Toe Trail, until we reached the Marsh Overlook. Then headed over to Sugarloaf Dune, to walk down to the bottom of the dune where we enjoyed a beach view.
We stayed overnight at the campground, where we had a very spacious and private site. There are 4 camper cabins available to stay in for $75/night that sleep up to 6 people (but not pets) and all other campsites will costs you $23/night. All sites (including the camper cabins) have a fire pit and picnic table and will need to use the bathhouses for restrooms and showers.
Park Details:
ADDRESS: 1010 State Park Road, Carolina Beach NC 28428
HOURS: November & February: 7am-7pm
December-January: 7am-6pm
March-April & September-October: 7am-9pm
May-August: 7am-10pm
VISITOR CENTER: Open Daily 8am-5pm
PASSPORT STAMP: At the Marina Store
ENTRANCE FEE: No Fee
TRAILS: 9 Miles of trails
ACTIVITIES: Hiking, Biking, Paddling & Fishing
DOG RULES: Dogs are allowed on al trails, and campsites. Dogs are not allowed in Camper Cabins or park buildings. Dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Please pick up after your pet.
Check out our videos about this Park on instagram @axel.theadventurepup
