where can I drive my Jeep on the Beach east coast?

melk

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Aug 2, 2010
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Charlotte
Someone told me Carolina Beach - where exactly? do I need a day permit, etc?

Other good options?

I'm taking my wife on a surprise visit for the weekend. All she cares about is a decent motel with a nice beach near by.

I figure, if we can drive the jeep right out on to the beach, even better! :D :driver:
 
Carolina Beach/Freeman park, or the other side also down at Fort Fisher you can go also.

20 bucks a day at freeman park, you pay at the entrance. It isn't anything exciting, you aren't going to be driving fast, or driving on dunes, but it is a nice spot to go out to. Plenty of places to stay in Carolina Beach, or you can camp on the beach also.

http://www.pleasureislandnc.org/beachrules.asp

There are some places in the OBX also.
 
+1 for the outer banks
 
Carolina Beach for sure. Throw your chairs and cooler in the rig and go out there and chill all day.
ai320.photobucket.com_albums_nn330_sgtbriangreen_100_9597.jpg
 
this was actually on Okracoke Island
 

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Yeah sounds like it's probably gonna be Carolina Beach / Fort Fisher

Should be good times. I'm all for camping out but my wife will die without some cold AC at the motel to go back to :p
 
$20/day; $100/year is too much for that crappy little strand of beach. The town of Carolina Beach should be ashamed and the consumers should just stop spending money there until they bring the rate down to a reasonable number again.
 
Fart said:
$20/day; $100/year is too much for that crappy little strand of beach. The town of Carolina Beach should be ashamed and the consumers should just stop spending money there until they bring the rate down to a reasonable number again.
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Before March 31st, a year pass is 60. It really isn't that bad, hell parking on Wrightsville for the day is 5-10. I would much rather give the money to CB. Back when it was free, there were no bathrooms, etc. Obviously it is priced okay, as there are tons out there everytime I go. Sure, I would like it cheaper, we all would, but they have been doing a lot more to it since the increase in charges.
 
^ The first year CB took it over they charged $25 for a yearly pass and they put out some porta-potties and trash cans. I want to say it was $5 for a day pass back then, but don't quote me on that. I thought that was pretty fair and I'm always glad to see the beach being kept up.

What has changed? You say "bathrooms"...Have they actually put in any facilities or is it still just a row of porta-potties?

It's something like a 2 mile strip of beach. Maybe even less than that. The Outer Banks towns don't charge to drive on the beach during the summer and I bet there is 40+ miles of open beach there. And there are tons of state run campgrounds that offer a concrete pad for your truck/camper, grass for your tents, a picnic table & grill at every site as well as real bathrooms with running water and shower facilities for $20/night. If it's going to cost me $40 to spend a weekend at CB I'll just drive a little further and spend my money at OBX.

Sure, I would like it cheaper, we all would, but they have been doing a lot more to it since the increase in charges.
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What exactly are they doing besides buying jacked up F-250s on aftermarket rims for the police to cruise in? That strip of beach was just fine to me before the town took ownership and the stock Durangos that CB PD used to patrol the beach with seemed to do the job without any issues.

How much does a day/year pass at Uwharrie cost?
 
If you want to drink and act the fool in a big crowd.... Freeman Park. If you want to fish but no drinking, camping or fires and it's cheaper.... Fort Fisher. OBX has the best fishing but is a longer drive and is free right now but will have some closures at a few ramps.
 
Uwharrie day pass is $5, I wanna say maybe $30-35 for a year pass.

It's only 1 hour drive for me but I don't get out there as often as I'd like. Managed a decent portion of Daniel bone stock in my ZJ (well, 30x9.5 AT's)

I may look into hitting somewhere in the OBX instead of Fort Fisher. Unfortunately first and foremost this is a trip for my wife to get out to the beach, BUT have a motel room (read: AC) to sleep in. I'm just trying to squeeze in a little time playing in the sand if I can ;)

somewhere pointed me here, solid info:

http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/off-road-vehicle-use.htm
 
Fort fisher 12.50 for the day i believe, and $50 for a season pass. No alcohol and you have to be off the beach by 8:30. The beach is pretty sharp into the water and deeper, pretty sure the undertows are worse. But better fishing in the spring/fall.
Freeman Park is $20, like everyone has said, has a lot of bathrooms and free towing/recovery if you get stuck now. And its a party scene and the beach is a little more friendly for swimming, surfing, whatever, the beach has a longer slope into the water from the way they dreadge it. And currently it has a small area like a pond from the storms.
Are you going this coming weekend? I'll be down there, won't have my jeep but I'll have my brother's pathfinder or my dad's truck.
As for motel I would stay at Drifter's Reef motel, it has the best reviews and is pretty inexpensive. Its about 5min from freeman park but only because you have to go around the harbor then Canal road is 25mph. Fort fisher is the other end tho its like a 20 min ride cause its 35 down Lake park road. There is a bar right beside it called the lazy pirate that is a pretty good place sometimes.
 
Fart said:
^ The first year CB took it over they charged $25 for a yearly pass and they put out some porta-potties and trash cans. I want to say it was $5 for a day pass back then, but don't quote me on that. I thought that was pretty fair and I'm always glad to see the beach being kept up.

What has changed? You say "bathrooms"...Have they actually put in any facilities or is it still just a row of porta-potties?

What exactly are they doing besides buying jacked up F-250s on aftermarket rims for the police to cruise in? That strip of beach was just fine to me before the town took ownership and the stock Durangos that CB PD used to patrol the beach with seemed to do the job without any issues.
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Many more bathrooms than every before (yes still porta poties, but that is better than nothing). I have been going since it was free to be out there, and have friends that have been going since you could ride 4wheelers out there.

Also, they have crew that cleans the beach also, so it has much less trash than ever before, I want to say they also drag the beach and smooth it, but i am not 100% sure on that one. They have 1 f250, and a lot of the stuff on that was donated from my understanding.

Pretty simple though, if you don't like it, don't go. Plenty do and love it, and have no problems paying the fee. Like I said, I would much rather go there than Wrightsville.

I would be also with budget cuts in cities lately, budget was cut from general funds for Freeman Park, and charging more is how they decided to pay to keep it open.
 
tireburner1975 said:
Freeman Park is $20, like everyone has said, has a lot of bathrooms and free towing/recovery if you get stuck now
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This is good to know. When did they start free recovery? Who does it?
 
Carolina beach towing i believe, they have a regular 4x4 tow truck with a blade on the back to anchor when he winches. They started it this year with the increase to $100. They we'll get you off the sand but thats it.

I usually ride around and pull people out when i have my jeep. Mainly cause its just a 4cyl and havent found something i couldnt pull.
 
melk said:
I may look into hitting somewhere in the OBX instead of Fort Fisher. Unfortunately first and foremost this is a trip for my wife to get out to the beach, BUT have a motel room (read: AC) to sleep in. I'm just trying to squeeze in a little time playing in the sand if I can ;)
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If you happen to go to Hatteras there is a nice little Inn that we have stayed at multiple times. It is close to the beach access points, the soundside trails, and there is a great little Italian restaurant out front. The place is like a B+B and is kind of old school if you like that.
Here is a link -> http://www.facebook.com/seasideinnhatteras
We drove the stock WJ with street tires aired down on both of them with no problems.
Its a lot longer drive than going to carolina beach but it seems like we always enjoy hatteras more.
 

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Pretty simple though, if you don't like it, don't go. Plenty do and love it, and have no problems paying the fee.
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That's pretty much what I have chosen to do. I don't live there and therefore don't have a stake in their city council, but I can still vote with my dollars and voice my discontent so that others might choose to do the same.
I would be also with budget cuts in cities lately, budget was cut from general funds for Freeman Park, and charging more is how they decided to pay to keep it open.
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That's ridiculous. It's a beach. It's not going anywhere and it's not going to "close down" without funding. It's been there for hundreds of thousands of years and people were driving on it for decades before Carolina Beach took ownership of the property. The only thing that would go away without funding are the trash cans, porta potties, tow service, and cops. Some of us would be just fine with that. :poop:

free towing/recovery if you get stuck now
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Ten years ago if you got stuck you'd have a tow strap hooked up to a total strangers truck and ten good old boys helping push your truck within 15 minutes. Believe it or not some things work just fine without government intervention. :beer:
 
Fart said:
] It's a beach. It's not going anywhere and it's not going to "close down" without funding. It's been there for hundreds of thousands of years and people were driving on it for decades before Carolina Beach took ownership of the property. The only thing that would go away without funding are the trash cans, porta potties, tow service, and cops. Some of us would be just fine with that. :poop:

Ten years ago if you got stuck you'd have a tow strap hooked up to a total strangers truck and ten good old boys helping push your truck within 15 minutes. Believe it or not some things work just fine without government intervention. :beer:
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People still pull out each other a lot but sometimes dumb people get more stuck than you can get them out of, unless you have a shovel for them.

And pretty sure for hundreds of thousands of years the beach there hasn't been there in the same manor (looks and location). There is a reason they now dredge there every couple of years. The just removed the dredge pipes earlier this year.

Take away the cops, the place would be a mad house of drunks, take away the crew that cleans it, the beach will be a mess.
 
Ok. If you need the government to hold your hand as you drive down a 2 mile strip of beach then CB is the place to be.

I'm sure I'm not the only person on this site who has been going there since long before the town took ownership and can attest to the fact that it was just fine back in the day. It was not the post-apocolyptic wasteland of trash and Jeeps sunk by crazed drunks that people seem to think it would evolve into if they took the town's hands out of their pockets. CBPD did patrol the beach...They just did it in stock Durangos rather than blinged out F250s. And I'm pretty sure they wrote enough tickets for underage drinking and DUI to pay their own salaries and then some.
 
obx

my vote's for hatteras or ocracoke, whole lot more peace and quiet, the second most important tool beside your brain is pack a shovel along and don't get stoopid & it should be way cool-and no user fee
 
Fart said:
Ok. If you need the government to hold your hand as you drive down a 2 mile strip of beach then CB is the place to be.

I'm sure I'm not the only person on this site who has been going there since long before the town took ownership and can attest to the fact that it was just fine back in the day. It was not the post-apocolyptic wasteland of trash and Jeeps sunk by crazed drunks that people seem to think it would evolve into if they took the town's hands out of their pockets. CBPD did patrol the beach...They just did it in stock Durangos rather than blinged out F250s. And I'm pretty sure they wrote enough tickets for underage drinking and DUI to pay their own salaries and then some.
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Just another note

The F250 is also for crossing a road (one in particular, and another 1 or 2) that floods really bad when it storms in CB so they can still get to effected areas, the durrango could not cross that road.

I don't care who goes though just letting you know another reason they got the F250
 
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