Pamlico Sound, Cape Hatteras National Seashore

BODIE ISLAND

The Roanoke Sound at Bodie Island is a great place to kayak because there are plenty of islands to explore in this area, including Roanoke Island where England first attempted to start a colony in North America back in 1584. The only place where you can access Roanoke Sound in any sort of vehicle is at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. The National Park Service owns the public boat ramps, and there is no charge to use them. While you can launch your hand-paddled watercraft from here, there is a lot of motorboat traffic and you’d have to paddle out of the marina.

Most paddlers launch from an informal area at the south of the inlet. When you enter the Fishing Center take the first left and then stay left at the fork and drive to the end of the road. There is a place where you can launch a kayak directly into the sound and forgo the paddle through the marina.

Oregon Inlet Fishing Center (click to enlarge)

There is another launch point at Bodie Island Lighthouse, but it is not very convenient. There is a gated dirt road next to the parking lot that leads down to a boat dock. It is a .3-mile walk, and there are lots of mosquitoes in this area.

Bodie Island Lighthouse Boat Dock

HATTERAS ISLAND

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is located at the very northern end of Hatteras Island. Though it is not part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, you can launch your watercraft at the New Inlet Parking Lot, which is the parking lot at the southern end of the bridge between Bodie and Hatteras islands. I have not done any kayaking at Cape Hatteras, but from descriptions and maps this sounds like the best spot in the area because there are plenty of inlets and islands to explore.

Salvo Day Use Area

Just south of the town of Salvo is the Salvo Day Use Area, large public access area for the Pamlico Sound with a bathhouse, picnic tables and grills, and a huge parking lot. This is another good place for kayaking and canoeing because just south of the beach area are plenty of inlets and waterways that you can explore.

Waterways at Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Salvo Day Use Area

Off-Road Access Ramps 46, 48, 53, and 60

Unless you have an Off-Road Driving permit, you cannot drive to the water on the sandy roads within Cape Hatteras National Seashore. However, the roads at Off-Road Ramps 46, 48, 53, and 60 are only 100-yards long, a reasonable distance to carry your boat and other equipment. You can park in the small parking areas at the start of the sand road or alongside the paved road. Ramp 60 is the last access point before the town of Buxton.

Pamlico Sound Off Road Access Ramp 46 on Hatteras Island

Pamlico Sound Off Road Access Ramp 48 on Hatteras Island

Pamlico Sound Off Road Access Ramp 53

Pamlico Sound Off Road Access Ramp 60

Haulover Day Use Area

The Haulover Day Use Area features a decent size parking lot and bathhouse area with restrooms, showers, and changing areas. The problem with this section of the Pamlico Sound is that it is very popular with kite boarders and wind surfers—on a nice summer day it is filled with them. I don’t know if I would want to be in a kayak or canoe with these guys zipping around, plus there are no islands or inlets to explore, just open water, which bores me to death.

Kite boarders at Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Haulover Day Use Area

Kite Point

Kite Point has a parking area right on the Pamlico Sound. It is just down the road from the Haulover Day Use Area, and it is very popular with kiteboarders and windsurfers as well. And as with Haulover, it is just open water. You are better off launching your kayak trips from one of the access points farther north.

Kite Point parking lot at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Sand Bay

Sand Bay is near the town of Hatteras and less than a mile from the Frisco Beach. There is a large parking lot on the Pamlico Sound-side of the road. At the access point you are exposed to the open water with nothing much interesting to explore, but if you head west towards Hatteras, there are all sorts of waterways and inlets. The downside is that many of the waterways are lined with houses and other buildings, but there are still plenty of undeveloped areas if you know where to look. If you have a GPS with you (phone will do), check the “Earth” view on Google Maps to locate the undeveloped areas.

Pamlico Sound at Sand Bay on Hatteras Island, Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Sand Bay shoreline

Ocracoke Island

While there are a few off road access areas to the Pamlico Sound on Ocracoke Island, unlike on Hatteras Island, the roads to the water are very long. The only feasible launch point for those without an Off-Road Permit is the boat ramp at the Ocracoke Island Visitor Center on the west end of the island. However, this section of the Sound is where many boats and ferries travel, and most of the coast is lined with boat docks, restaurants, shops, and housing. You’ll have to paddle a mile to the east to get back to nature.

Pamlico Sound near the Ocracoke Ferry terminal on Ocracoke Island, Cape Hatteras National Seashore

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