Office of Portsmouth Island Boat Tours on Ocracoke Island, Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Portsmouth Village home page

Although Portsmouth Village is part of Cape Lookout National Seashore, as odd as this may sound, the only way to get there is from Ocracoke Island, part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, a 500-mile round trip drive from Harkers Island at Cape Lookout. This gives the village the distinction of being one of the very few National Park attractions, if not the only one, located in one National Park but only accessible from another.

Rudy and Donald Austin run a shuttle boat from the docks of Ocracoke (town on the west side of the Ocracoke Island) to Portsmouth Village, among other places in the area. They will take you to the Portsmouth Village dock or to the northern beaches of North Core Banks. Be sure whoever is driving understands what you want to do. When I went, I was the only one not going to the beach. The captain thought I was with everyone else, and though he dropped me at the village dock, he thought I was going to walk to the beach from there and told everyone that he would pick us up at the beach at a stated time. Thus, I was under the impression that even if I just wanted to see the village that the only pick-up option was at the beach, a 3.5 mile walk. While the trail from the beach to the village is just a mile long, the Austins’ pick-up spot is not at the trailhead. You have to walk another 2.5 miles down the beach to the Ocracoke Inlet. Later I asked the captain about this and he said that yes, I could have been picked up at the dock, but he thought I wanted to go to the beach. So, be sure the captain knows that you want to be dropped off and picked up at the Portsmouth Village dock.

You must call Portsmouth Island Boat Tours to get the latest schedule and pricing: (252-928-4361 or 252-928-5431). The Austins have a website, but it’s basically a one-page site with their phone numbers (Portsmouth Island Boat Tours). Also keep in mind that tour operators can change, so for the current list of what companies are running tours and ferries, visit the Cape Lookout National Seashore’s List of Authorized Ferry Services web page.

For those visiting the beaches of North Core Banks via the Austins’ tour boat, you will be dropped off in the water, so be sure you are wearing shoes and clothes that can get wet, and have all electronics sealed in waterproof containers and bags. The boat will get as close to shore as possible, but you’ll be jumping off the boat and into waste deep water. When returning, you have to wade out to the boat.

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