Attendees:
- Matt – Toyota 4Runner (Member)
- Robert – Toyota 4Runner (Member)
- Brian – Jeep Wrangler (TJ) (Guest)
- Ben – Toyota 4Runner (Member)
- Hunter – Jeep Wrangler (JKU) (Guest)
Nearly two years ago, I began sketching out a plan for an adventure through the Outer Banks of North Carolina. After shelving the idea for a while, I revisited it in November 2023, aiming for a shoulder-season trip in 2024 to avoid the summer crowds while still having pleasant weather and ocean temperature. We couldn’t have timed it better either – this adventure was a huge success. Everyone enjoyed exploring this new area, we’ll definitely be back!
Friday, September 6th, 2024
For Robert, Brian and I, the trip started at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. After devouring some Duck Donuts, we explored the museum and memorial. Afterwards, we started our journey Southbound on NC 12, the main (paved) route we would be following.
Shortly after entering Cape Hatteras National Seashore, we came to the first section of beach that we could drive. After airing down our tires, we drove on the beach whenever possible. A permit is required to drive on Cape Hatteras’ beaches, and only certain sections of beach allow for vehicle access through numbered ramps. Eventually we arrived at Cape Point Campground, nearly deserted with just a couple of occupied sites. This campground, bookable only 4-days in advance, has a warning on Recreation.gov about potential flooding. The sites all appeared dry and pretty much identical to me. We reserved a spot on our phones (we had cell-service pretty much everywhere on this trip).
Post-camp setup, we visited the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (or rather – the scaffolding obscuring it!) and drove out to Cape Point. Dinner followed at the nearby Lighthouse Sports Bar before returning to our campsite for the night.
Saturday, September 7th, 2024
Saturday brought rain, so we packed up camp in the rain and headed to The Orange Blossom Bakery and Cafe for breakfast. Their famous “Apple Uglies”, enormous apple fritters, were worth waiting in line for!
After breakfast we drove the “Inside Road” that runs between Cape Point and the town of Frisco. We then started towards the Hatteras to Ocracoke ferry, stopping at the Lee Robinson General Store (worth the stop for sundries and souvenirs). We wanted to drive the beach on the West side of Hatteras, but the high-tide prevented us from getting down any of the ramps.
My experience with beach driving that I used to plan this trip was at Assateague Island National Seashore on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. That beach is wide enough that it is almost always passable even during high tide. Several of the beaches we encountered in the Outer Banks are much more narrow, so you do have to pay attention to the tides. Many of these beaches are still technically passable, but will require timing the outgoing surf. Our goal was not to expose our vehicles to any more salt water than absolutely necessary.
The Hatteras to Ocracoke ferry is free and runs roughly every hour, with no reservations accepted. We arrived right as the ferry was boarding and were some of the last vehicles to make it on. We spent the 90-minute ride mostly in our vehicles, the bathrooms were very clean but the passenger lounge was a little leakier than I’m comfortable with on a boat!
Upon arriving in Ocracoke, high tide still blocked our access to the beach. We explored the Ocracoke pony pens and set up camp at the crowded Ocracoke Campground, where we had reservations. As the rain cleared and tides receded, we revisited the previously impassable beaches and enjoyed a beachfront dinner before returning to our campsite for the night.
Sunday, September 8th, 2024
This was our craziest day! We started with a sunrise breakfast at the point before heading to the Ocracoke – Cedar Island Ferry. At $15 per vehicle and with advanced reservations, this 2.5-hour ferry ride was a lot smoother than the previous days.
Disembarking in Cedar Island, we drove to Davis, NC, where we checked in for the ferry to the South Core Banks of Cape Lookout National Seashore. This ferry cost us around $160 per vehicle round trip. Ben was already camping on Cape Lookout and my friend Hunter joined us at the ferry terminal. Robert, Brian and Hunter were able to join an earlier ferry and got to the island earlier. I had to wait for the next ferry, which left a few minutes before my 4PM reservation.
On Cape Lookout, there are no designated campsites – just random spots on the beach above the high-tide line. We set up camp, cooked dinner and enjoyed a sunset beach fire to end the night.
Monday, September 9th, 2024
Cape Lookout’s amenities are sparse. The South Core Banks offer primitive cabins, basic public restrooms, a water spigot, showers and a ranger office that sells ice ($4/bag) and fuel ($6/gallon). The one lane “back road” runs the length of the island and provides access to numbered beach ramps, many of which were closed due to nesting animals.
We started our day by refilling water and using the restroom at the cabin area, encountering a stuck F-150 on the backroad. After assisting with a tow that wasn’t needed, we explored the island’s southern end, visiting the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and Historic Village. We attempted to reach “the hook” but turned back due to the imminent high tide and the risk of getting stranded.
As we were starting to work our way back North, we came across a big E350 camper that was a little stuck in the sand. I offered to help and at first I thought that a gentle pull from my kinetic recovery strap would do it. He didn’t have good recovery points (He had a giant hitch/winch carrier on the front), so we used a soft shackle to part of his front hitch mount. I tried a flat pull at first and then a very weak kinetic pull, both of which only allowed him to spin his tires some more and thoroughly dig himself in. He had a hitch carrier on the rear of his vehicle that was anchored into the ground at this point. At this point we used his winch and were able to pull him out enough to reconnect the strap and flat pull him out with that. One of his front calipers were sticking so we were only rolling on 3 tires – there were a lot of weird things going on during this recovery…
It was super windy on the beach so we went and found a calmer spot on the bay-side of the island for lunch. Smashburgers on the Skottle! After lunch we continued exploring the island and returned back to camp for dinner, a fire and another sunset.
Tuesday, September 10th, 2024
Tuesday involved breaking camp and making the 11AM ferry. After airing up our tires, we parted ways as the ferry reached the mainland.
Overall, this trip was a fantastic experience. A heartfelt thanks to the amazing guys who made this adventure so memorable!