Ocracoke Beach
Ocracoke, NC
Ocracoke Beach sits on the remote southern end of North Carolina's Outer Banks, inside Cape Hatteras National Seashore, reachable only by ferry. Sixteen miles of open sand run along Highway 12, with wild ponies grazing near the historic Pony Pen a few miles north of the village.
The ferry-only access and total lack of a boardwalk strip keep this one of the last genuinely wild beaches on the East Coast, though that same isolation means no quick supply run if you forget sunscreen.
How we score beachesSkip the unmarked pull-offs and head for the lifeguarded day-use area about three miles north of the village. It's the only spot with a real lot, restrooms, and a boardwalk over the dune.
Six free National Park Service lots line Highway 12 north of the village, plus a larger lot at the lifeguarded day-use beach. Everything else is a short walk over a low dune from a gravel pull-off.
The day-use area has a boardwalk ramp down to the sand. The smaller pull-off lots are soft-sand walkovers with no paved path, tough going for strollers or wheelchairs.
Dogs are welcome on Ocracoke's beaches year-round on a leash no longer than 6 feet, except on the lifeguarded swimming beach at the day-use area.
Water is swimmable from June into September and peaks in the upper 70s by August, right in the middle of Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November. Winter clears the island out almost completely, and the ferry schedule thins out too.
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