Cape Hatteras National Seashore Active and Adventure Travel Guide

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Active and Adventure Travel Guide

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Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Outer Banks, North Carolina
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina's Outer Banks (Craig Brewer/Photodisc/Getty)
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Cape Hatteras National Seashore Active and Adventure Travel Tips

By Alistair Wearmouth

  • Go kiteboarding in the East Coast's Hurricane Alley, where big wind and big waves equal big air. Pamlico Sound is where the best action is, although the choppier Atlantic Coast also offers some stiff challenges. Get schooled at the world's biggest kite school, Real Kiteboarding, which will take you from starter waves to monster chop in three short days.
  • Scuba dive the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," where more than 600 ships scuttled by extreme weather, lurking German U-boats, and captain error rest beneath the waves. The warm currents, courtesy of the Gulf Stream, create Caribbean-worthy conditions and visibility.
  • Explore laid-back Ocracoke Island, where you can beachcomb, paddle, and hike in quiet seclusion. Camp at the island's 137-site campground, nestled among cedars and sand dunes.
  • Find birding nirvana at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, on the north end of Hatteras Island, where some 365 bird species—terns, swans, herons, egrets, and brown pelicans, among others—seek shelter and food as they migrate along the Atlantic Flyway.
  • Paddle the five miles from Spence Creek to Avon along the Pamlico Sound, a great place to kayak because of its sheltered location from the wind and waves of the Outer Banks' Atlantic shore. Weave through salt marshes, stop at secluded beaches, and keep your eyes peeled for wading shorebirds.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a 72-mile stretch of the Outer Banks from Nags Head to Ocracoke Island. The waters off these barrier islands, once marauded by Black Beard the Pirate, now serve as an outdoor adventure paradise, where fun is powered by the sun, sea, and wind. Surfers, surf casters, body surfers, wind surfers, kite boarders, and hang-glider pilots all migrate to the Outer Banks like waterfowl along the eastern flyway. The seashore boasts miles of white beaches for the beachcomber, sunbather, and wader. Further inland, hikers can explore nature trails that meander through sand dunes, marshes, and woodlands. Read More

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Hotels

Ocracoke Campground

4352 Irvin Garrish Highway
Ocracoke, NC 27960 Map

Distance: 23.6 mi.
(from destination center)

Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
expert favorite hotel
Expert Rated & Recommended
5.0
4.0

Inn on Pamlico Sound on Hatteras Island

48684 Highway 12
Buxton, NC 27920 Map

Distance: 3.0 mi.
(from destination center)

Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
expert favorite hotel
Expert Rated & Recommended
5.0

Cape Point Campground

46700 Lighthouse Rd.
Buxton, NC 27920 Map

Distance: 3.6 mi.
(from destination center)

Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
expert favorite hotel
Expert Rated & Recommended
4.0
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Attractions

Ocracoke Island

expert favorite attraction
PO Box 456
Ocracoke, North Carolina 27960

Distance: 28.5 mi. (from destination center)

Description: Ocracoke Island, part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, has almost 16 miles of undeveloped... Read More
Expert Rated & Recommended
5_0
5_0
4_0

Canadian Hole, Avon

expert favorite attraction
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina

Distance: 0.5 mi. (from destination center)

Description: Canadian Hole is the Outer Banks' best windsurfing locale, on the sheltered Pamlico Sound side of... Read More
Expert Rated & Recommended
4_0
4_0
4_0

Cape Point

expert favorite attraction
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina

Distance: 3.1 mi. (from destination center)

Description: Cape Point marks the easternmost tip of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. A campground is located here that is suitable for both tents and RVs.... Read More
Expert Rated & Recommended
4_0
4_0
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Airports

Major Airports near Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Distance (mi.)
Norfolk International Airport 117.0 map
Richmond International Airport/Byrd Field 182.2 map
Raleigh/Durham Airport 188.6 map

Other Smaller Airports near Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Distance (mi.)
New Bern Simmons Nott Airport 88.5 map
Pitt-Greenville Airport 108.8 map
Jacksonville Albert J Ellis Airport 115.3 map

Flight Deals to Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Originating From
Boston (BOS) to Norfolk (ORF) $142
Indianapolis (IND) to Norfolk (ORF) $162
Kansas City (MKC) to Norfolk (ORF) $175
Columbus, OH (CMH) to Norfolk (ORF) $177
Detroit (DTT) to Norfolk (ORF) $242

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