Tips for the OBX (1 Viewer)

[Beams37]

Hey all,

Many of you know I'm new to the area. I've heard its possible to go to the Outer Banks and do some beach cruising and camping. I've done a little reading on the internet and it seems to be little tricky (permits, etc.). I am hoping to take the fam out there for a couple of days. I have not decided if we will camp or get an AirBNB, but would love to get some tips or recommendation from some others who have done it before.

So ... FIRE AWAY!

Thanks,

Josh

 

[jfz80]

North of kitty hawk. Dont bother with oakrachoke. Well its worth a look but id say go north and find more primitive and private experience. Head up to buxton. Air down. Enter beach access. Have fun. There are air bnb options up there as well as in buxton on pavement close to access.

Cant recall if you can stay on beach above buxton or not.


Or man up and get a ferry ride to Portsmouth island for a true get away from it all.

If you go south of kitty hawk then look to frisco woods camground which has hosted our group before. Cabins, plain sites or my favorite, sound side/view spots.

Uncle sam kinda F’d us a few years back with beach access permit prices. You can get day or weekly permits depending on your stay. A quick seach should reveal areas and prices.

 

[Beams37]

North of kitty hawk. Dont bother with oakrachoke. Well its worth a look but id say go north and find more primitive and private experience. Head up to buxton. Air down. Enter beach access. Have fun. There are air bnb options up there as well as in buxton on pavement close to access.

Cant recall if you can stay on beach above buxton or not.


Or man up and get a ferry ride to Portsmouth island for a true get away from it all.

If you go south of kitty hawk then look to frisco woods camground which has hosted our group before. Cabins, plain sites or my favorite, sound side/view spots.

Uncle sam kinda F’d us a few years back with beach access permit prices. You can get day or weekly permits depending on your stay. A quick seach should reveal areas and prices.

Thanks for sharing.

Tell me more about Portsmouth Island. This sounds awesome!

As I'm looking at it ... Buxton looks pretty far south? So, we could drive from Buxton to points north of Kitty Hawk? That would be awesome.

 

[JohnVee]

@Beams37

Basically, PI is a primitive camping island. There are some very basic cabins with water and power maintained by the forest service, and some have heat/ac/both. No paved roads. No nothing except for the Ranger shack where you can buy ice and diesel (maybe gas?) if someone is there. It requires a ferry ride from Morris Marina in Atlantic, NC. Basically it’s beach driving and fishing. Search our clubhouse for “Portsmouth island”. We’ve had an annual club trip for about 6-7 years now (except 2018 due to storms) the week before Thanksgiving. All the info you probably need is in there.

 

[jfz80]

Thanks for sharing.

Tell me more about Portsmouth Island. This sounds awesome!

As I'm looking at it ... Buxton looks pretty far south? So, we could drive from Buxton to points north of Kitty Hawk? That would be awesome.

My apolgies. Not buxton. Total long day brain fart and wrong end of island.. Head up to duck/corolla area where 12 dead ends into beach. Then head north and enjoy.

Do a quick Portsmouth search here in onsc and lots of trip reports. A ferry ride out of atlantic nc to uninhabited island for solitude (minus a few ignorant rangers) for a week/end. Or join in on the nov club trip.

 

[forrest5000]

Our trip will be the week before Thanksgiving, i will start the thread soon. We have 3 cabins.

 

[stevezero]

Keep in mind, you gotta (or should) have your "stuff" together if you venture over to Portsmouth or Cape Lookout (next island south). A tow truck costs about 750, that's just to get the truck over (it takes up the entire 4 car ferry to Cape lookout. We did fine in my taco on Michelin Ltx tires, but I had aired down to about 12psi. Subsequent trips into 80 were on all terrain tires, Aired down to about 16psi.

At Calo, there are bathhouses at the camping cabins. Used to be a bathroom at the south end, but I dont know if it's still there.

At either place, there will be some other folks, but it's not like rush hour. We went about 10 miles down the beach without seeing another truck.

Good battery, fresh fluids, and top off the tank before you get to the ferry. Air down when you get off the ferry. You may need the clearance, depending on tide. bring a ton of water,and bug spray. You'll learn all kinds of new words, and create your own, all due to green head flies. They are a pain.

Fishing, shelling, animal watching are abundant. They may have bird closures, depending on time of year


They charge roughly 17ft and shorter, or a per foot(ish) price for the vehicle, and a per passenger cost too.

www.drumwagon.com is a great resource for Cape lookout. Both calo and Portsmouth have active fb surf fishing groups. Be careful driving on the beach, storms have exposed parts of old shipwrecks and old cars abandoned on island

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Portsmouth Island is one of my favorite places in NC. I've heard that the bugs are bad in the spring/summer though.

 

[JohnVee]

I can remember a great many red spots on the insides of the truck windows...smushed, bloody carcasses of giant mosquitoes, killed in a great arm flailing of both driver and passenger after opening a window or door.

If I ever go in heavy bug season, I intend to douse all of my clothes in permethrin first.

 

[onemanarmy]

I've driven on all the NC beaches. Each has its pluses and minuses.

Carolina beach/Freeman park is the closest. You can camp and it's not too busy if not a holiday weekend. Its also close to hotels and restaurants if you find that beach camping isn't for you. There is a daily fee or a year permit.

Ocracoke island, plenty of hotels and shops,, can't camp on the beach, requires a beach driving permit through the national park service. can get a cheap state run ferry from hatteras, swan quarter, or cedar island. There is a private and a public run campground. Teeters is private and the NPS runs the public one.

Portsmouth/Cape lookout islands are very primitive. About 10 miles of open beach. There are cabins (no ac but some have running water and electricity), but they have to be reserved in advance through the National park service. You can camp on the beach. There are bath houses and you can buy gas and ice at the ranger station on each island. 5$5 a gallon gas and $5 a bag of ice. Ned to bring all food and other supplies over with you. Bugs (biting flies) can be very bad starting about now. Requires a private ferry reservation.

Cape Hatteras.. No ferry required. There are decent beaches to drive on. Can't camp on the beach, but hotels and KOA style places are common. Beach driving requires a NPS permit.

Nags head area is very touristy with lots of hotels and restaurants, but can drive out to Oregon inlet (15 mins) and drive on the beach there. Requires a NPS permit. Smallish beach area to drive on.

Carova. As far north as you can go. lots of houses for rent, no paved roads, about 10 miles of open beach with 3-4 rows of houses behind the dunes. No beach camping. No permit to drive on beach required (i don't think, there is talk of implementing a fee for tourists)

 

[amgraham]

Some more basic info based on my yearly trips staying up and down the OBX:

If you go north on Rt 12 to the end it dumps you out on the beach in Carova and you can drive all the way to the VA state line. No permit required and no camping. Houses can be pretty reasonable up there due to needing 4WD to access.

No beach driving between Corolla and Nags Head during the tourist season.

Permit required for beach driving on Oregon Inlet and all points south. It used to be a pain because you had to go in person to a ranger station, watch a video, etc. Now you can do it all online here. 10 day permit is $50 and the annual permit is $120. I normally just go once a year and buy the 10 day permit before I leave. All you do is print it off and tape it to the inside of the lower driver's corner of the windshield. As far as I know beach camping is no longer allowed but there are several campgrounds down there.

I've been staying in Avon the last few years. My favorite ramp is 49 because you can go out to the point and hang out, plus see the light house and all. It's been years since I've been south of Buxton but I may check that out this year. Normally that is my rainy day activity when on vacation to go out and explore. Had good luck the last few years so more beach sittin' than exploring haha.

Finally, don't know how much sand experience you have but do air down. Most first timers think it's unnecessary and get stuck almost immediately. I just air down as part of my unpacking process and leave it that way all week so I can hop on the beach whenever I want. There are a few gas stations that have free air if you don't have a compressor.

Have fun! I'll be there in August.

 

[uzj100]

Been going to the OBX since 1978.

Usually go surf fishing at ramp 55 in Hatteras in October/November time frame.

The point is incredible and you get to see the new island that formed. And the lighthouse is out there. In the fall the point is 3 and 4 rows deep with fishermen.

I have aired down and not. Much easier on the vehicle if you air down.

If you come all the way down to Hatteras on Highway 12, a quick ferry trip to Ocracoke is always fun however we do not spend much time over there as it gets really crowded.

I want to go to PI.

 

[Beams37]

Guys ... You ROCK. This is exactly what I was hoping for. This great info and will get me going on the planning. Given I’ll have my wife and daughter, I might pass on Portsmouth and wait for a different visit. But overall, it sounds like there is a ton to do out there.

Thank you so much!

 

[GarnerFJ40]

Just search Spring Tide Ride in the forum and see the wonders. You might run across an ONSC chariot ride or something cool!