Goose Creek State Park is about 30 miles southeast of Greenville, NC along the Pamlico River. The highlights (for us) include opportunities for wildlife-watching, a quiet campground, miles of hiking trails, and beaches for humans and dogs. Corona and Aiken thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
Table of Contents
Where We Stayed
Goose Creek State Park has a campground with 22 full hook-up RV sites, six cabins, and a bathhouse. There is a separate area further down the road for primitive tent camping.
Site 22 sits between an RV site and a cabin.
Please excuse the random tree stump and downed tree in the site photo. We don’t know when it was cut down, but there were several downed trees around and they apparently hadn’t gotten the chance to remove this one yet.
A hiking trail winds through the trees behind the site, but the campground was so quiet when we were there, I think we saw as many deer back there as we did people.
The electric hook-up is at the back of the site. The water hook-up is a little further forward with the sewer between them. The site was mostly level, but we did need our red side-to-side levelers.
| Campground Name | Goose Creek State Park Campground |
| Location | Washington, NC |
| Dates | March 28-30, 2025 |
| Site Number | Site 22 |
| Site Surface | gravel, almost level |
| Hook-ups | full hook-ups |
| Cost | $36 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 40 psi |
| Voltage | 120-125 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 52 Mbps down; 3 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 43 Mbps down; 5 Mbps up |
| Campground WiFi | None |
There are no trash cans in the campground, just a dumpster at the entrance. However, the campground loop is fairly small, so if one of the dogs happens to do their business after you’ve passed the dumpster, it’s never a long walk to dispose of it.
What We Did
Hiking, Beaching, and Relaxing
Armed with a backpack with water (for humans and dogs), a dog water bowl, a long leash, and flip-flops, we headed to the Visitor Center and picked up a map. From there, we headed to the water.
We took the Palmetto Boardwalk to the Tar Kiln Trail. We made a right on Mallard Creek Loop, cut through the parking lot, and picked up the paved path toward the restrooms. From there we took the short section of the Huckleberry Trail that connects to the section of the Live Oak Trail that borders the Pamlico River.
On our first trip to Goose Creek, the boardwalk was perfect for wildlife spotting. Sadly, we didn’t see any critters from the boardwalk on this trip.
When we got to the water, we found a quiet beach area and switched Aiken to a long leash. Keeping him on his regular six-foot leash for this wouldn’t have given him the freedom to truly frolic. And frolic is exactly what he did. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Aiken so happy as he bounced through the water and chased waves.
Dog Leash Tip
We found a leash that’s perfect for beach adventures (or any adventure really). It’s 30 feet long and made of biothane. The material dries quickly and doesn’t trap sand, leaves, or other debris, so we can let it drag on the ground or in the water without worrying. When we’re ready to switch back to his regular leash, we just rinse this one off, wind it up, and stick it back in the backpack.
After a significant amount of romping in the water, we headed west along Goose Creek Trail. Then we picked up Main Road and walked back to the campground. We didn’t see any wildlife when we were on the boardwalk, but the water along the road had dozens of turtles sunning themselves. As you can see from the photo below, it’s pollen season in NC. These turtles (and almost everything else) were covered in it. (For more turtle photos, be sure to check out the Wildlife section at the end of the post.)
After all of that hiking, Corona was ready for a nap. Aiken was ready to do it all again.
Visitor Center
The Visitor Center was underwhelming. There are only two exhibits, one of which appeared to be broken. None of the buttons/sounds worked.
We were hoping to purchase a Goose Creek sticker for the RV, but no one was working in the office. We stopped by several times on Saturday, but no luck. On Sunday, we walked over just before they opened. Fortunately, someone stayed in the office, and we were able to get a sticker.
Poorman’s Flea Market
We noticed Poorman’s Flea Market on our way to the park Friday afternoon and didn’t think much of it. When we passed it on the way home Sunday morning, it was packed!! It’s about 30 minutes from the campground. At around 10:30, there were so many cars that we’re considering visiting the next time we’re in the area.
Where We Ate
Bath, NC is North Carolina’s first town and first port. I wish we’d planned to look around a while, but we just came for dinner. We drive around a little after eating, and I think we’ll plan to visit the next time we come to Goose Creek.
We ate at the Old Town Country Kitchen. It’s a 13-minute drive from the campground. The food was pretty decent for the price. We got two burgers/fries, drinks, and one dessert for $30 including tip.
Wildlife
This area is terrific for wildlife sightings. Sadly, we only managed to get photos of a few of the critters we saw. The ones we saw but didn’t get photos of include:
- wild turkeys
- red-winged blackbird
- pileated woodpecker
- another woodpecker I couldn’t identify
- bats
That leaves turtles, deer, and a bluebird that we did get photos of.
We never would have seen these guys if it weren’t for Aiken. Several times he suddenly stood up, seemingly fixated on the trail behind the campsite. After a lot of looking, we spotted these guys.
Happy travels!
