Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the nation’s first national seashore, protects three barrier islands in North Carolina’s Outer Banks – Bodie Island, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island. Bodie Island and Hatteras Island are connected along NC-12, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway; those wanting to visit Ocracoke Island will have to take a ferry.
There is no entry fee for the seashore. Visitors can participate in many activities including water sports, hiking trails, lighthouse climbs, and camping on all three islands.
For those who enjoy birding, Cape Hatteras National Seashore is the place to be! Each spring and summer, tons of coastal birds find it an ideal place to mate, nest, and raise their young.
Bodie Island Light Station
Bodie Island Light Station is at the northern end of the seashore. The brick lighthouse is painted with thick black and white horizontal stripes. Nearly one million bricks were used in its construction.
For more information about this lighthouse, check out its dedicated blog.
Between Bodie Island Light Station and Cape Hatteras Light Station, we had to drive over three long bridges.
Cape Hatteras Light Station
Cape Hatteras is a 193-foot tower near the middle of the seashore. It is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States.
The first lighthouse at the cape was a 90-foot stone tower built in 1803. It was too short to be seen from the dangerous Diamond Shoals that extend several miles out to sea. In 1853, they decided to add 60 feet to the height of the lighthouse, making it 150 feet tall.
In 1860, Congress decided to allocate funds for a new lighthouse rather than complete extensive repairs on the existing one. The current lighthouse was finished in 1870 on a sand hill 1,500 feet from the shoreline. As a barrier island, sands at Hatteras are carried by wind and water erosion. By the mid-1990s sand migration reduced the width from the beach to the lighthouse down to a mere 50 feet. The National Park Service relocated the entire lighthouse in 1999 to a new location almost 3,000 feet southwest.
The lighthouse was closed for climbing when we visited in 2023 due to restoration efforts. However, the outdoor areas were still open, so we were able to take in the stunning pattern. Cape Hatteras has a black and white barbershop (helical stripe) pattern with a red base.
The assistant keepers’ duplex is now a museum with information about the lighthouse and its history.
Buxton Woods Nature Trail
Near Cape Hatteras Light Station, there is a picnic area and trailhead for the Buxton Woods Trail. I would rate the 0.75-mile dirt loop as moderate difficulty due to roots and inclines on the path. It has a small boardwalk as well.
Buxton Woods is the largest forest on the Outer Banks. It is approximately 30 miles from the mainland and surrounded by water. With the Pamlico Sound on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, the climate is more moderate. This allows a small colony of dwarf Palmettos to grow here.
Along the trail we saw an osprey, great blue heron, small toad, little wood satyr butterfly, and a flash of a black snake before it slithered away.
Be warned, we were swarmed with mosquitos any time we stopped for a minute.
Beach
After finishing the Buxton Woods Trail, we jumped back on NC-12 and headed north.
We ate lunch at The Froggy Dog in Avon. I had the Froggy dog and mom ordered the jumbo clam strips and cucumber salad.
The length of the national seashore has pull-offs and parking lots for visitors. We stopped at one that didn’t seem too full.
We hiked the sand path over the dunes to the water. In the sand along the trail to the beach, bright red and yellow flowers popped out of the sand. These are called Firewheel, Indian Blanket or Indian Blanketflower. They made us smile and we took multiple photos.
Love the ocean waves! I could have spent hours watching them crash on the shore.
Our big dinner out was at the Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar in Manteo. We had to cross the bridge back to Roanoke Island. Blue Water Grill is very popular, so we made reservations in advance. We ate the sea scallops appetizer, fried shrimp, and seared shrimp pasta.
After dinner, we were back on the beach soaking up the last of the sun, this time behind our hotel.
I saw multiple laughing gulls, least terns, and grackles. Best of all, right before we turned in for the night, two brown pelicans flew by.
I highly recommend visiting Cape Hatteras National Seashore for anyone who enjoys the beach. Here you get all the joy of a beach trip while also exploring lighthouses, wildlife refuges, and nature trails.
It was a very relaxing trip. I was surprised at how much we covered in this long weekend adventure. Living in North Carolina for 13 years, this was my first visit to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The lighthouses, different wildlife, and fresh seafood were added bonuses to this trip!