The campsite was greatThe camp Host was not nice as questioned us why we did not have a sticker on camper n she did not even know how many days we paidAlso it states the slip is to be put on rear view mirror n she argued with us about thatThe road way in does need to be grated as do very full of big big potholesCampsite was very quiet and nice

Lots of fun places to go in a 4WD vehicle. Theres a Great Lake there, but being from Ohio, I dont think it quite compares with any of the ones Im used to!

This is a great natural area. Plenty of opportunities to hike and enjoy being out in the woods.

Beautiful places to hang out on the water with friends and family

This Forest is so pretty. Its on the water, its a pretty good hike, and its got places to stop and sit if you need. Trails do need to be marked a little better but otherwise, its nice. Its also dog friendly too.

The Forest is a beautiful area. Unfortunately, the makeshift target practice areas all over really detract from this place. Please people, pick up your garbage.

Great place to walk out in nature with my little buddy

Really great place to bring kids that love being outside. We love going on hikes and exploring the woods and this was a nice plus since there was a bit of beach too. There werent any people there when we went but Im not sure if its typically more crowded or not

Covid19 closed the beach, but we will go back again. The campground was great, we want to camp there maybe jn April

Its mostly camping mudding fish and hunting that goes on here if thats wah your looking for then its great

Nice little nature walk. Saw a woman who I think thought she was hidden from us that weirded me out a little, but other than that, nice views, equal shade and sun.

Absolutely beautiful. Nice during low tide if you want to see the crabs. Easy trail. Parts are over the water. Excellent view.

Beautiful forest and not far from where I live. The camping areas are well-maintained and clean. Lots of great hiking and water to play in for families with small children and pets.

I went out there to deer hunt. The roads were extremely torn up. More than usual. It looks like a land filled.

Good hiking and camping. Just make sure you have good bug protection those flies are insane.

Great place to relax and unwind from the week. If you love nature and the peace it brings, then youll enjoy the Croatan.

Beautiful stretch of land Gods country..

Love nature its beautiful here ♡

Great place to take your family for a day

Go outside and breath the fresh air. Pitch a tent and stay the night listening to the owls fly by and watching the stars shine.That is exactly what we did during our stay in the forest and it was the best two days ever! Hubs, the pups and I cant wait to go back!

Croatan National Forrest is a one-of-a-kind preservation of wilderness. It is made up of 159,591 acres of land that includes forests of pine trees, pocosin wet lands, tidal marshes, and of course, the Neuse River. This is an ideal place to fish as fishers can find both freshwater and saltwater life nearby. There are large-mouth bass, catfish, bluegills, and flounder just to name a few. This is another rare place on this side of the earth where both Venus Flytraps and Pitcher Plants can be found in the wild. With so much going on, I believe that this is a great National Forrest for just about anyone to visit no matter their age, outdoor interest, or mobility. Even better, its ideal for a day trip too! New Bern is within a fifteen minute drive of the park and can even been seen across the river at some points.The park is most well known for the Neusiok Trail, the Neuse River Loop Trail and the Island Creek Forest Walk. The Neusiok Trail has its own website with the slogan Hike a little or hike a lot. Im a fan of the options. I was sure to include it down below as it was very helpful. This trail is easy to navigate as it cuts straight through the middle of the park and is marked pretty clearly from the roads that intersect it. Unlike state parks, it is possible to camp just about anywhere in a National Forrest. The trick is finding a good spot to make camp through the brush and marsh. The Neuse River Loop Trail is only about a mile long and runs by the Flanners Beach Campground where I stayed. It is easy to walk and well paved so that all can experience it. The Island Creek Forest Walk is only 3.7 miles and runs in a circle, however, some have criticized that it is not as well marked so I would not recommend it for everyone. Hikers may also want to consider wearing bright colors due to its proximity to the game land.Considering that I only allotted myself the time to explore around the Flanners Beach area, the spots Im going to include will be close by to the campground. This is easily a park that a person like me could spend a week in and still not catch everything there is to see...all in good time. Likely, one of the more popular spots in this forrest would be the natural beach that the mouth of the Neuse River forms on the northeast side of the park. Near to this easily accessible waterfront are picnic areas, restroom facilities, and the Flanners Beach Campground that I spent the night at. While it is a popular place for most, on the morning I happened to be there, it was covered in crab carouses and small fish. Let me tell you, Mira had a field day running around trying to figure out just what was scattered all over the beach. That said, I feel like that is not the norm and with the amount of rain we have recently had from Florence that all of that will have been washed out to sea by now. Please note, these photos were taken almost a month ago. This area is still trying to recover from that hurricane and it is my hope that spectators of nature will be able to return to this unique spot soon.#getparkedinncstateparks@AquarianQuirks

I hiked a portion of Weetok Trail and it was well marked. They have cleared all the large trees that fell from Florence. It is not ideal for a trail run..definitely were pants if running.

Clean and well maintained. I was hoping for longer connecting trails but I had a great time walking in nature.

Well maintained, wooded trails leading over bridges with scenic water views.

They take big Croatans and turn them into little Croatans. The Eastern Sasquatch prefers the smaller variety.

The serenity... nature... Gods beauty at its best! the county needs to quit trading off the forest for development... and yes they can. do your homework! we need to preserve whats left of the croatan . it belongs to the People!

It would be so much nicer out here if people would stop dumping their trash on the side of the roads.

Spectacular nature with walking and wheel chair friendly trails and bridges. Wow, awesome full Natural Beauty part of Gods Earth Church, nothing to do with religion everything to do with human natural spirit. Best Sunday place to visit and connect with Creation in the area. Our brother from Slovakia loved it.

If its rain the day before its probably going to be really muddy but other than that really nice trails.

Natural areas still in pristine state or restored with care. Game and fish are abundant. Lots of trails throughout. Eady access at certain points. Others are remote and primitive. This is a national treasure.

The smell of the pines is amazing. The trail is in great shape, the beach is still awry though...

Beautiful park. I do recommend knowing where youre going before you plan a trip here. My husband and I tried to do some backpacking in one of the wilderness areas, and the brush was so thick, we couldnt go more than a few yards. Also, the roads into the park are rather rough, so plan accordingly.

Quiet and clean forest with some good mudding opportunities

Great day long hike ! Wonderful views

Went squirrel hunting, didnt experience any awful marshes like at other game lands. Got a couple squirrels. Theyre a bit smaller than Im used to. Everything is a bit smaller down here. Except the marshes.

Great place to go...

Lots of space to have an adventure!

Great spot for cycling, hiking and camping. Ill be back for sure.

A must see. One of the only places that still has FREE yea free primitive camping along the Weetok Trail. Speaking of the Weetok trail of you want to go on a novice trail that even experienced hikers can enjoy this is it. While your here you can launch your boat at Haywood landing or Long Point and both of those have free campsite equipped with bathrooms. Which are well maintained and as clean as well as they can be. Enjoy the wildlife while foraging and this will be a great adventure for the whole family. What are you waiting for come check it out. I HAVE PUT SOME SKETCHES OF MUSHROOM I HAVE FOUND IN THE PHOTOS SEE IF YOU CAN FIND THEM ON THE TRAILS.

Nothings better than natures beauty. This is a beautiful place to wonder endless hiking trails its amazing and peaceful if you enjoy nature.

Food was excellent! My daughter and I went and both had very good meals. She had the Cuban, and I the bbq special. Took one star for the delay in getting food. Was not that crowded, but took a long time to get the food as well as the check.

Buy a new battery for my BMW 325CI Very good services.

A magical place, filled with light, hope and natural beauty.

Fun time

Scenary is beautiful! Great employees keep it that way!

Great place to camp. Oyster point campground I great

It is unfortunate that this forested area is home to peoples unwanted garbage. The ranger, Sherry, was very helpful at the ranger station, however. The roads are a bit rough, so, be aware that you will need to go slow.

Beautiful beach and park wide open spaces

Beautiful! Great time camping and fishing. You can also do canoe trails or walking trails

Roads are still fairly beat up from flooding caused by the hurricane last year. In fact, the road at the corner of Catfish Lake road and where the OHV park is closed, awaiting repairs. Most of the roads are in bad shape still. The last time I was there at Great Lake, the catfish were not biting. That was about a month and a half ago. The only thing I caught were some really good naps. Laying there next to the lake on a warm day with the sun on me. Felt good. Be careful with your vehicle not to get stuck in holes or go off in the ditch. The speed limit is 35 mph. Go a little slower because of the road conditions. Very rough on your shocks and tires.

Beautiful arealittle crabs we saw

This is a nice coastal forest with some nice trails for backpacking. The Nuesioktrail is just over 20 miles and nice one night trip if you run a shuttle.

I love this place... great place to go camping

Its just a very nice place to go and just enjoy nature

Nice forest. Plan on returning and exploring.

Love the trails in cedar point!

Followed the google map. Got us to the restricted area - in the middle of no where. Lost driving for one hour or more on the gravel road. No internet signal in the area. Worst experience ever. Do not bother checking out this forest.

Beautiful and peaceful

The croatan national Forest is just like any other national Forest, great place to go to see nature in its natural form, great place to take the family and friends and be one with nature in its natural form the cost to enter is free

The Croatan is ABSOLUTELY the BEST. It isnt just a local treasure but a National treasure. I recommend everyone explore our forest. There are many roads a person can navigate easily in their car. Once you find your favorite spot, get out and go explore!!There are many excellent wildlife trails for hiking. Pick up a guide at your local Parks and Rec! Have fun and enjoy!

Natural beauty at its best. I LOVE trees

This is the dirtiest National Forest Ive ever seen. Apart from all the trash then you have the tree management were they clear-cut so much and then if thats not bad enough they have all the control burning which I guess in our areas is a necessary evil.

Great place to explore and get back to nature

It was closed off, shut down due to hurricane Florence. I hope it will be reopened very soon. Its a beautiful Forrest and wonderful trails and wildlife. Then Ill give it a full 5 starsFriends, just found out there is a current update to relate...found out the Croatan Forrest is now open...A very reliable person who lives nearby there has told me....So if your looking for a place to camp or bring your RV or john boat or kayak,,,it;s a great place to visit, for a day or longer...

Excellent hike. Piked up two life birds including the rare and declining Red-cocaded Woodpecker. Open pine forest with a well marked trail. Entrance to the parking area was a little tricky butit all worked out in the end

Good example of a North Carolina coastal plain forest.

Its beautiful. But idk why someone posted a picture of the water near the forest. But both are gorgeous

If you love to Explore. Bird watching,kayaking and hiking. This is a perfect place to visit.

Great place to camp and unwind

Very nice place. Did not care for the pit toilets. Beautiful Forest though.

Great people caught lots of fish from there

Beautiful forest

Only entered it from 58 (Maysville) but can be entered at several places along 24 and 70.It is a vast woodland/bog/estuary type thing with lots of trails etc.Its ok.

The drive in was a little rough due to pot holes but it wasnt insurmountable. We wanted to see the forest so we walked along the road because we couldnt find a trail. Does anyone maintain these things? The road was pretty pleasant and the forest was beautiful. We saw a lizard.

Beautiful scenic area- great for photography

Just beautiful. Take the whole family!

Unmmmm ok

Great place when you have deep thoughts to just sit an watch the sunset, an your deep thoughts disappear just like the setting sun....

Beautiful scenery, peaceful moments, and fresh air.

It was good nice, quiet, and clean.

Went to get away from it all. They do a good job keeping it maintained

Great place to go kayaking or walk along the trail. The trail is well kept and there are bridges crossing the marshes where you get fantastic views of the White Oak River, Jones Island and Swansboro. Paddling over to Jones Island is only 15 minutes. Once there youll find a nice sandy beach where you can sit and relax for awhile.Paddling further around there is an access point to the island. Exploring that entire area is a lot if fun and well worth the trip. Lots of photo opportunities also if youre a shutterbug.

Love this place. I fortunately they cater to hunters which is less than 30% of population that wants to safely use it year round.

Awesome...just flew over it!

Such a beautiful place

This is my happy place love that picture

Beautiful scenes!! We love it around here!!

Great scenery and trails, but the only complaint I have is all the trees still knocked over from hurricane Florence. That isnt a pretty sight.

Beautiful sights to see.

Nice, well kept trail. Bridges through the marshlands.

Bueatiful, as a native Californian, Im always amazed at the Coastal beauty of NC.

Grew up in the Croatan. Woods is heaven. Towns around it are ran over with drugs.. the local beaches are just condos and expensive parking. But the forest is amazing

Nice place to get away from the noise

Trees and rivers and streams, oh my! Eastern North Carolina is beautiful.

Great place for primitive camping, it also has several normal campgrounds too. Many places for fishing and kayaking. It has several different hiking trail for the adventurer to enjoy.

Over all a great place to stay need to do some repairs to restrooms and showers need more hot water.

Excellent.

Nature at its finest. Just make sure you got the bug spray

Beautiful but not many trails and a ton of Mosquitoes.

Nothing beats the sound of nature.