Pamlico Sound at Sand Bay in Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Point to Ocracoke Island Atlantic Ocean Beaches
Located between the towns of Frisco and Hatteras is the Sand Bay Day Use Area at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (day use means no nighttime or overnight activities like camping). There are no facilities, but there is a large parking lot on the north side of the road that offers beachgoers access to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound beaches.
PAMLICO SOUND BEACHES
From the middle of the parking lot, a path cuts its way through the tall grass and spills out onto a small beach area on Pamlico Sound. Like many beaches on the Sound, this is a thin strip of beach that is covered with as much grass as sand. The waters are very calm, making it an ideal place for families with toddlers. Furthermore, there are no windsurfers, kiteboarders, or other extreme sportsmen here.
If you head to the west end of the parking lot, a wide sand path leads to a larger section of beach, and if you walk down the road less than a half mile you will come to an even larger expanse of beach. The shoulder of the road is sand, so I do not recommend parking here because you could get stuck. Some of the sand along the road is quite deep. Stick to the Sand Bay parking lot and walk.
Path from the Sand Bay Day Use Area parking lot leads to the waters of Pamlico Sound, Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Small beach area at Sand Bay Day Use Area in Cape Hatteras National Seashore
ATLANTIC OCEAN BEACHES
While the main purpose of the Sand Bay parking lot is to provide access to the Pamlico Sound, you can cross the street and take a boardwalk to the ocean beaches. The beaches are pretty much the same all the way up and down the coast, so whether you access the beach here or down the road at the Frisco Beach is really just a matter of where you can find a parking space. The Frisco Bathhouse parking lot is the larger of the two, plus it has a bathhouse with restrooms, changing rooms, and showers.
Boardwalk to the Atlantic Ocean beaches is across the street from the Sand Bay parking area at Cape Hatteras National Seashore
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Last updated on March 14, 2024
