The park is primarily a barrier island with ferry service, though there are some onshore trails through the forest and ample picnic space while you're waiting for the boat. The ferry is reasonably cheap and does not take advance reservations. They limit capacity on the way over, but obviously this does create a situation where passengers can build up by the end of the day, to which their solution appears to be to have the last scheduled ferry service double up if need be (they had at least two boats it seemed). The island has ample uninterrupted beach, which had plenty of sea life, including a sand dollar which I would more typically see farther south. There was a modest paved walk through the island to get to the beach, passing primitive campgrounds and some bathroom facilities on stilts. During my visit, they emphasized that the water available on the island was not drinkable; apparently they had to repair facilities after a hurricane and the intent was to produce drinkable running water, but there was still some unsolved technical issue. They cautioned us in advance to bring plenty of water, and there were working fountains on the mainland. Every island is different, and in this region, most of them are settled. The next really wild one heading north is Shackleford I think, and heading south would be Masonboro (which I haven't found practical to get to). The atmosphere here is worth preserving. read more

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Really nice park. Nice trails. Well maintained infrastructure. Top notch campground with very nice bathrooms. This is a good place to check out. read more

The trails were well kept, had pages from a story book on the "live oak trail." That was spread out through the trail to help keep kids engaged that enjoy reading! Nice view of the water, and including many activity opportunities such as, loading docks, ferry, kayaking, and 3 different trails to choose from...also had land marks all throughout the trail incase of emergencies & showed the map once a trail was coming to an end & you wanted to start on a different trail!! read more

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We had the best time at Hammocks Beach State Park & Bear Island. This was the most affordable and fun way to spend our Labor Day weekend while visiting Jacksonville. Historically Hammocks Beach began as a private park for African Americans only due to segregation laws in 1952. African Americans in North Carolina were excluded from access to North Carolina's coastal beaches. Today we arrived to Swansboro at 1:00 p.m. on a Sunday before the holiday. Parking was simple. We purchased tickets for the Bear Island Ferry at the Visitor's Center. The center features beautiful butterflies in their garden, a shaded porch with rocking chairs, cool facts and souvenirs inside. Tickets were affordable at $5 for seniors & children and $10 for adults Round Trip to Bear Island. The ferry ride is 15 minutes and so much fun. The staff were so kind and professional. We really enjoyed when the ferry picked up speed. The weather was gorgeous today and allowed us to catch the sea breeze. So thrilling ! Once we docked, we entered the beach trail to bear island. It's about a 8-10 minute hike. My mom is older and suffers from hip pain and needs another hip replacement. We were lucky to catch a ride on the golf cart with park volunteer Paula. Again such pleasant staff work here. The park is immaculately clean and bear island was as well. Not 1 piece of trash in site. We enjoyed how peaceful the island was and how clear and clean the water was. I found a beautiful sand dollar in the sea. So rare ! The sand here is very fine and will not leave your feet or anything messy. Very similar to sand in the Caribbean. Smooth and fine. Pleasant to walk on. We only wish our chihuahua could visit bear island but pets aren't allowed on the ferry. The staff who operate the ferry were kind, entertaining and pleasant. I look forward to spending many beach days at Bear Island and picnic days at Hammock. This is a North Carolina bucket list destination when in the eastern Carolina region. read more

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This park is beautiful! All of the people who work/volunteer are kind, caring, and helpful!

This is a review for visiting the park in winter to do the hiking trail. The park is free (with easy free parking). There's an informative visitor center that my nephews enjoyed checking out pre pandemic; a kind ranger showed them a live snake and they were really excited about it. The full loop (doing all the trails) is around 2.5 miles; you can also do a smaller loop trail as short as half a mile round trip. The short loop has a really fun gimmick for kids: there are "story stations" all along it with above of the book on each one. It's a great way to motivate little ones to do the whole trail! The trail is part sunny and part shaded, and really lovely and peaceful: while you dip down by the water for part of it, it really feels like a nice walk in a quiet wood. You'll see many different kinds of trees, plants, and fungi. The trail is quite flat, and not challenging, but parts are rated "moderate" because there are lots of stumps and roots in the middle of the trail. You definitely need to watch your step or it would be easy to trip, but you could do this in any decent footwear (no need for hiking boots.) My in laws live in Swansboro, and I look forward to checking out the ferry next time I visit in the summer! read more

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There is lots of history to take in from Hammock's Beach SP. Unfortunately, as I didn't plan in extra detail well ahead of time I didn't realize just how much fun could be had here. Without much time and coming on the off season, I found that a lot of the best activities were out of my reach. Aside from the mainland park area where you can drive up and park, the park system also owns Bear Island which is accessible only by boat. You can use the park ferry when in season. You can also charter a private ferry any time, if you're lucky enough to find one. But best of all, there is always the option to paddle out to the island. Kayaks and canoes are available to rent nearby. Or bring your own. I imagine a stand-up-paddleboard will also be possible to use. Considering the fun to be had as mentioned above, this is yet another park I will absolutely have to make it back out to during warmer weather. read more

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This park is such a beautiful place with a wonderful visitors center. There are hiking trails to go on but what people mostly go here for is the ferry to Bear island. The tickets are $6.00 for a round trip and they are every half hour on the hour. The ride takes about 10 minutes to get to the island. From there it is about a 10-15 minute hike to the beach. There are camping sites for $30/night and a concession stand that takes cash only. There are restrooms on the island and a beautiful, private beach. This is a wonderful day trip and such a remote place to visit. read more

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Love going here to relax and enjoy the sunshine, while walking the trails with my beautiful wife. I would truly recommend going.

Perfect day and paddle out to Bear island. Follow the channel markers and make sure you watch the tides schedule. We got caught coming back at low tide and had to port the kayaks often as they bottomed out. The island is beautiful and peaceful. Fairly private. We. Had the run of the island and an abundance of shells. Had to hurry packing up our kayaks as sunset was at 7pm yet the park was closing at 6pm. The park ranger was super nice and gave us time and waited for us at the gate yet we felt bad for holding him up. Our fault, not his as he was perfectly nice and polite the whole time. Awesome day! read more

Great park and views! We enjoyed the history lesson from all the placards. The facilities were open and were suprisingly cleaner than we expected. There's no fee to enter and there were a few people enjoying the surrounding park and taking doggos for walkabouts. read more

I took my pup for a nice, ~1.5 mile walk through semi-shaded, wooded trails. There was plenty of parking available. As a single female, I am grateful to know this well-maintained park is in our backyard. We had fun and felt safe! read more

Hammocks Beach State Park - Semi-shaded trails - Parks Near Me - Swansboro, North Carolina

A beautiful island beach that stretches around 4.5 miles long from tip to tip. You must arrive by boat of some sort. If traveling by personal boat, you should consider following the locals to one of the tips else you can end up beached from the sandbars. You cannot park at the ferry landing. The ferry runs part of the year (except during COVID) but there is a private ferry that will take you back and forth as well. Great shell finding during the off season, peaceful stretches of empty beach and primitive camp sites make this a lovely place to visit year round. The bathrooms will not be open in the off season so check the website before you head out if that's a must for you. This is a state park so keep that in mind. read more

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This is s pristine beach and the peace and solitude are endless. The beach is beautiful and accessed by a paved road that winds thru the sand dunes and landscape for about 1/2 mile. There is beach house to wash off and change clothes and you can even camp out there. A truly amazing place. read more

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Beautiful area. Love taking my dog here for a walk. Easy to navigate trails. The water is so pretty to sit by at the picnic tables (they are shaded tables ) Perfect area for picnic at the pavilion with the family. read more

LOVE this park! Best kept secret around here. The trails are manageable even with a jogger stroller. This is by far our favorite picnic place. If you're going to the island via ferry, bring a hat, sunglasses, something to shade the kiddos, and plenty of water and sunscreen! Expect to walk, A LOT lol it's really not terrible but I guess we underestimated our preparedness at the time. Would definitely pack a beach shade next time for sure and a wagon rather than a stroller for the kids. read more

I almost don't want to talk about this place because I love it so much. Take a quick ferry and your at my favorite beach this side of North Carolina, or you can take a canoe/kayak/paddleboard over! Perfect for picnics and jogs on the beach, and you can camp! It was the most perfect adventure day. read more

Hammocks Beach State Park - Parks Near Me - Swansboro, North Carolina

This was a nice quiet, and clean park. The bathrooms were well kept and the ferry to Bear island was fun for my 7 and 9 year old grand kids. The mini exhibit was enough for them also. read more

On Bear Island, the campsites are 1.25 miles from ferry drop on intercoastal, not a fun walk especially in the heat with gear! It is 3/4 mile down a road to the beach, plus nearly another 1/2 mile along the beach to campsite #6. Also, the website doesn't tell you about coyotes, but they are not the bad part. read more

Very convenient ferry ride to Bear Island. This is one of the best state parks in NC.

The people that run and work here are awesome. After hurricane Florence damaged our school, they were kind enough to let us use their facilities to hold a mini school if you will . The kids got to be with their classmates and do some school work . Everyone there weals so helpful and nice . The park it's self is cool and a fun time but the people make it extra special. read more

A beautiful, secluded beach coastline that is prohibited by overnight guests unless you get a special permit for it, as it is a state park. You have to take a ferry to get to this park, which is a fun little ride. The walk to the shore can be a little tiring if you're lugging stuff around (such as camping equipment and hot dogs and a Webber grill, lol). This beach provides a lot of space, and surpisingly, the time goes by fast even after being there for 8 hours. The natural tide pools are very warm and you can sit in them. They feel like a miniature hot tub. And, surprisingly, you can get cell phone service out there. It's the kind of beach you'd see on the east coast, with the little sand dunes and high grasses, with little fences. If you want a nice and relaxing camping experience, this is one place to check out! read more

A nice quiet beach to bring the family. It's not too crowded and staff is really nice.

This was an amazing adventure. I can't wait to go back and explore more of the island. Definitely a little more crowded during peak season so good idea to plan ahead, but everything from the boat ride to the beach is a great experience. read more

Wish I could review what I assume is a beautiful, pristine beach, but because I brought my 16 pound lapdog, on a halter and leash, but who doesn't have a certified dog vest, we weren't able to ride the ferry with the rest of my family. There's really no other way to get there unless you feel like paying $60 round trip for a private boat, in my case the private boat wasn't available. Luckily, we brought two cars, so I drove home. Thanks for nothing Hammocks Beach. read more

Wow, I worked for a summer at Hammocks Beach St. Park way back in 1971. Me and two other guys lived in a house on the island that they provided us. All we had was a small speedboat to get back and forth and of course the ferry. But we took the speedboat to a grocery story and left the plug out, so the boat sank and then we had no way off or on the island except during the day with the ferry. It was quite the summer adventure for us three life guards. I'm really glad to see it's still a nice place, and great beach. read more

A nice family beach. Parking is free and ferry tickets are pretty cheap at $5 for adults. Be prepared to walk 1/2 mile to the beach, and bring plenty of ice water. The trail to the beach is paved, and there's also a shower facility and snack bar available at the pavilion near the beach. We were curious to check out the campsites, but didn't want to intrude on anyone's privacy. The best part of this trip for me was meeting the tiny Painted Box Turtles, George and Bootsie, in the Visitor Center. So cute! read more

If you are looking to have a private beach area to yourself this is the place for you. We stayed here this past weekend and enjoyed the experience. There is a ferry that takes you from the state park to Bear Island for camping or just to spend the day on the beach. The first ferry is at 10am and last leaves the island at 6pm. Cost is $5 for adults and kids under 5 is free (this is for round trip). So if you are camping the island is pretty empty after everyone is gone. The beach was never crowded during our 2 day stay there. The walk from the ferry to the beach is 1/2 mile away so pack accordingly. Our campsite was further down the beach where there really is nobody else. Just keep in mind that the only bathroom is at the beach. It was .6 miles from our site to the restroom with a 4 year old. So a long carry on the beach to reach the restroom for the little one and a workout for you. The gnats and mosquito are bad before sunrise and at sunset to be warned. The bathrooms have one shower stall in each, toilets, two water fountain to refill your water bottles, outdoor showers, four cover picnic tables, and a covered concession building. Just remember that it is hot with no shade in the camping area. So the more you pack the more you have to carry in the hot and long walk. If you stay two nights like us you get a free ferry ride for the extra day. So we rode the ferry twice out there. The second one was to get out of the sun and go down the road to a dairy queen. There was a piggly wiggly in the same parking area. It was nice for some a/c and ice cream during the heat of the day. We brought our gazebo and it gave us much needed shade, but it was very heavy. It is also windy on the beach but peaceful. Our campsite was #8 and if felt like we were in a bowl. It is in the valley between the intercostal water and the beach. You just see sand dunes at the campsite so we spent most of our time on the beach in the sun or under our gazebo. read more