Hiking

Boardwalk along the Buxton Woods Trail

National Park Service

For those who want to explore aspects of a barrier island beyond the beach, try one of the designated hiking trails found within Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Hiking is a great way to explore the different ecosystems of the barrier islands, provide solitude, and the sense of accomplishment for completing a hike!

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Know Before You Hike:

• Always bring plenty of water for each person on your hike. It is easy to get dehydrated, even in the winter.
• For longer hikes, bring snacks that are high in salt to replace your electrolytes.
• Use bug spray, especially in the summer.
• Check yourself for ticks after each hike.
• Be prepared for soggy or wet trails, especially after recent rain.
• Pets are allowed but must be restrained on a 6 foot or less leash at all times.
• Always know where you are going and ask a Park Ranger if you need suggestions!

 

Trail Hours

All hiking trails are open 24 hours a day. Please use your best judgement and keep safety in mind when choosing your hiking time.

 

Accessible Hiking

For those with mobility challenges who wish to explore the park, the following trails provide manufactured walkways (either concrete, pavement, or raised boarwalks) with limited cross-slope and elevation gain. Use the drop down menus below to learn more about these accessible trails.

Bodie Island Nature Trail
Bodie Island Boardwalk Trail
LORAN Rd Trail
Lighthouse Pathway
Ocracoke Multi-Use Path

 

Bodie Island Hiking Trails

Bodie Island Nature Trail -- 0.4 miles out and back -- 20 minutes

Trail entrance is by the restrooms at Bodie Island Lighthouse.

The raised boardwalk is wheelchair accessible and leads to an elevated viewing platform in the marsh providing some of the best views of Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Family Friendly

Accessible

Bodie Island Baseline Trail -- 0.75 mile out and back -- 45 minutes round trip.

Trail begins at the Whalebone Junction Information Station.

Follow the path through the woods to discover an 1848 survey marker from one of the first coastal surveys completed by the grandson of Benjamin Franklin.

Family Friendly

Off-Island Trail -- 0.5 miles out and back -- 30 minutes round trip

Trail begins at the southern end of the Bodie Island Lighthouse Parking Lot.
(Sometimes referred to as the Bodie Island Dike Trail)

Trail follows an old dirt road to a great view of Roanoke Sound.

 

Hatteras Island Hiking Trails

Salvo Woods Trail -- 0.4 miles round trip or 0.75 mile round trip – - 30 or 45 minutes round trip.

Trail begins at the entrance to Salvo Soundside Access south of Salvo Village.

The trails follow the looped paths through the maritime forest and offer glimpses of what it is like for plants and animals to live on the edge of the continent.

Buxton Woods Trail -- 0.75 mile loop -- 45 minutes round trip

The start and end of the loop is at the Buxton Woods Picnic Area.

Along this relatively level path you can see the diverse maritime forest ecosystem up close, practice your skill at identifying trees, listen to the call of birds, and traverse some of the highest points on Hatteras Island.
 

Family Friendly

The Lighthouse Pathway - 1.5 miles one way

This paved, multi-use pathways connects NC12 in the village of Buxton with Old Lighthouse beach and the Cape Hatteras Light Station by following Lighthouse Rd. 

Bicycle Friendly
Family Friendly
Accessibility

Open Ponds Trail -- 4.5 miles one way - half a day

This trail, part of the Mountains to Sea Trail, traverses dunes, shrub thickets, and maritime forests of Hatteras Island as it winds its way between the British Cemetery near the Buxton Woods Picnic Area and Trailhead and the Frisco Campground.

Boundary Trail -- 1.25 miles one way. 60 minutes out and back

Branching off the Open Ponds Trail, this hike borders the Buxton Woods Preserve and provides hiking access into the preserve. Explore one of the largest remnants of a coastal maritime forest along this trail.

Loran Road Trail -- 0.25 miles one way -- 15 minutes

This trail begins on Lighthouse Road, between the Hatteras Island Ranger Station and the Cape Point Campground.

Once an old road, this path led to the site of a LORAN (Long-Range Navigation) Tower once operated by the US Coast Guard. Now the trail ends at a sandy path that provides access to the beach.

 

Ocracoke Island Hiking Trails

Ocracoke Multi-Use Path -- 3 miles one way - up to half a day

Connecting Ocracoke Village to Ocracoke Campground, this paved multi-use trail is open to bikes, strollers, walkers, and hikers. Paralleling Highway 12, this path also provides access to the Ocracoke Airport/Ramp 70, Ocracoke Beach, and the Hammock Hills Trail.
 

Accessibility
Family Friendly

Hammock Hills Trail -- 0.75 mile loop - 45 minutes round trip

Trail begins just across from the entrance to the Ocracoke Campground.

This trail leads you from the dunes and scrub thickets, though the maritime forest, and to the salt marsh and views of the Pamlico Sound, before looping back through the forest.
 

Family Friendly

Springers Point Trail

Managed by the Coastal Land Trust and not on National Park Service property, this trail provides access to one of the state's significant natural heritage areas where you can see a unique maritime forest with a unique variety of plants and colonial waterbirds. The trail also traverses the area where pirate Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard, would frequent and eventually met his fate just off shore.

 

Buxton Nature Reserve

The Buxton Nature Reserve is a 1,007 acre component of the North Carolina Coastal Reserve on Hatteras Island, sharing much of its border with Cape Hatteras National Seashore, preserving the largest contiguous tract of Maritime Evergreen Forest on the Atlantic Coast. The Reserve may be accessed from the Open Ponds Trail or from various access points in the village of Buxton.

 

Mountains to Sea Trail

The Mountains to Sea Trail is a long-distance trail that traverses North Carolina from Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Jockey's Ridge State Park. The trail passes through diverse landscapes including national parks, national forests, wilderness areas, and state parks. In Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the trail enters the park via ferry on Ocracoke Island and travels along the beach to the northern boundary with the Town of Nags Head.

Trail users in the park are reminded that they must camp in designated campgrounds and cannot open camp on the beach. Please use caution when hiking roadways and bridges.