Kitty Hawk Beach
Kitty Hawk, NC
Kitty Hawk Beach sits at the quieter north end of the central Outer Banks, a few miles up the road from the Wright Brothers National Memorial in neighboring Kill Devil Hills. Multiple public accesses run along Moor Shore Road, each with a small free lot and a walkover ramp across the dune.
Quieter than its neighbors to the south with the same easy beach access, though the smaller lots mean fewer spaces to begin with.
How we score beachesThe Kitty Hawk Pier and the accesses around it stay noticeably less crowded than Nags Head or Kill Devil Hills a few miles south, even at the height of summer.
Public accesses have free parking in small lots, generally a handful of spaces each, along Moor Shore Road and the beach road.
Wooden walkover ramps cross the dune at most accesses, leading onto open sand.
Dogs must be leashed (6 feet max) from 10am to 6pm between the Friday before Memorial Day and Labor Day. Outside those hours, and the rest of the year, a 12-foot leash is allowed.
Water peaks in the upper 70s by August, in the middle of Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June through November. Being a few miles removed from the busier OBX towns keeps it calmer even during peak season.
More Atlantic Coast beaches
Coast Guard Beach
Eastham, MA · Atlantic Coast
A National Seashore beach backed by grassy dunes and a tidal marsh, with clean Atlantic surf and one of the Cape's most scenic approaches on foot from the parking area.
Surfside Beach
Nantucket, MA · Atlantic Coast
Open Atlantic swell and a wide sandy shoreline about three miles from Nantucket town, popular with locals for its bodysurfing waves and quieter, less commercial feel.
Jones Beach State Park
Wantagh, NY · Atlantic Coast
A classic Long Island beach with six and a half miles of shoreline, a landmark water tower, boardwalk, and a large outdoor amphitheater that hosts concerts through the summer.