Cape Hatteras National Seashore
The sound of ocean waves, the starry night sky, or the calm of the salt marshes, you can experience it all. Shaped by the forces of water, wind, and storms these islands are ever changing. The plants, wildlife, and people who live here adapt continually. Whether you are enjoying the beach, kayaking the sound, or climbing the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse there is something for everyone to explore!
Alerts
- ClosureNPS ↗Partial Beach Closure in Northern Rodanthe
The beach from the northern boundary of Rodanthe to the pier in Rodanthe is closed to all access as multiple threatened oceanfront structures pose risks to public safety.
- ClosureClosure of Billy Mitchell Airport for Repaving Project
The Billy Mitchell Airport (HSE) is closed to accommodate a runway pavement rehabilitation project. The project will provide full resurfacing of paved areas, new reflective paint, and new tie-downs and anchors, improving visitor safety and enhancing the overall visitor experience.
- ClosureNPS ↗Project Safety Closure in Place Near Southernmost Groin in Buxton
Public access is closed for 300 feet north and south of a groin repair project site in Buxton, as well as the adjacent ocean area to the east. Surfers, swimmers, and all other recreationists should stay at least 300 feet from the southernmost groin area for safety purposes.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a entrance fee-free park. Permit fees are charged for off-road vehicle use, campground reservations, and lighthouse climbing.
Hours
| Park Grounds | Daily · All Day |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Ocracoke Campground | 140 sites | |
| $28 a night · The open season for Ocracoke Campground. | ||
| Oregon Inlet Campground | 245 sites | |
| $28 a night · The seasons the Oregon Inlet Campground is open. | ||
| Frisco Campground | 128 sites | |
| $28 a night · The season the Frisco Campground is open. | ||
| Cape Point Campground | 202 sites | |
| $20 a night · The season that the Cape Point Campground is open. · 202 reservable | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Museum of the Sea ↗Passport stamp
About 50 miles south of the seashore's north entrance is the Hatteras Island Visitor Center and Museum of the Sea in Buxton, NC. The Museum of the Sea is within the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Double Keepers' Quarters.
- Bodie Island Visitor CenterPassport stamp
NOTE: The building is closed due to a January 2025 structure fire, but rangers are on site to assist visitors, and the lighthouse is open for climbing. Approximately six miles south of the seashore's northern entrance is the Bodie Island Visitor Center.
- Ocracoke Island Discovery Center ↗Passport stamp
The Ocracoke Island Discovery Center is where you can go within the village of Ocracoke to get park information and start your exploration of Ocracoke Island.
- Whalebone Junction Information Center ↗Passport stamp
The Whalebone Junction Information Center is located on Highway 12 in Nags Head, NC at the entrance to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Park maps, newspapers, and current beach conditions are available inside. The building is staffed by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.
- Hatteras Island Weather Bureau Station ↗Passport stamp
The Hatteras Weather Bureau Station was built in 1901 as one of the many stations along the east coast that would forecast weather for boats and the surrounding communities. Today the building is used as a information center.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Webcams
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
News
- Cape Hatteras National Seashore Reports Status Updates After Recent Coastal Storm ↗2026-09-28
Cape Hatteras National Seashore experienced significant impacts from the recent coastal storm. Dare County has declared a State of Emergency for Hatteras Island.
- Cape Hatteras National Seashore Announces Temporary Off-Road Vehicle Ramp Closures Due to Severe Weather Conditions ↗2026-09-24
Beginning Sept. 24, Cape Hatteras National Seashore temporarily closed all off-road vehicle ramps as deteriorating coastal conditions continue to impact the area.
- Strong Winds, Large Surf and Hazardous Travel Conditions Expected at Cape Hatteras National Seashore ↗2026-09-22
Cape Hatteras National Seashore is monitoring potentially hazardous coastal conditions expected from Tuesday, Sept. 22, through Friday, Sept.
- Billy Mitchell Airport to Close on Aug. 17 to Rehabilitate Runway ↗2026-07-29
Beginning Aug. 17, Cape Hatteras National Seashore will close the Billy Mitchell Airport (HSE) to accommodate a runway pavement rehabilitation project. The closure will occur earlier than the previously announced Sept.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Salvo Post OfficeBuilding · Salvo · 13.2 mi
- Ellsworth and Lovie Ballance HouseBuilding · Hatteras · 13.4 mi
- Hatteras Weather Bureau StationBuilding · Hatteras · 13.5 mi
- Rasmus Midgett HouseBuilding · Waves · 13.6 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for North Carolina's national parks and the South
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Local history books for Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBrown Pelican 2×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 366 birds, 34 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAMERICAN KESTREL · American Swallow-tailed Kite · BARN OWL · BROAD-WINGED HAWK · BURROWING OWL · Bald Eagle · Black Vulture · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech Owl · GREAT HORNED OWL · Golden Eagle · MERLIN · Mississippi Kite · NORTHERN HARRIER · Northern Saw-whet Owl · OSPREY · PEREGRINE FALCON · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Rough-legged Hawk · SHARP-SHINNED HAWK · SHORT-EARED OWL · Snowy Owl · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAMERICAN BLACK DUCK · AMERICAN COOT · AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN · AMERICAN WIGEON · American Bittern · BROWN PELICAN · Black Rail · Black-crowned Night-Heron · Blue-winged Teal · Bufflehead · CANADA GOOSE · CATTLE EGRET · COMMON GOLDENEYE · COMMON LOON · COMMON MERGANSER · Clapper Rail · DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT · EURASIAN WIGEON · Eared Grebe · FULVOUS WHISTLING-DUCK · GLOSSY IBIS · GREAT BLUE HERON · GREAT CORMORANT · GREAT EGRET · GREEN HERON · GREEN-WINGED TEAL · Greater Scaup · Greater White-fronted Goose · HOODED MERGANSER · Harlequin Duck · Horned Grebe · King Rail · LITTLE BLUE HERON · Least Bittern · Lesser Scaup · Mute Swan · NORTHERN PINTAIL · PACIFIC LOON · Pied-billed Grebe · RED-BREASTED MERGANSER · RUDDY DUCK · Red-necked Grebe · Red-throated Loon · Reddish Egret · Ring-necked Duck · Ross' Goose · SANDHILL CRANE · SNOW GOOSE · SNOWY EGRET · TUNDRA SWAN · Tricolored Heron · Virginia Rail · WOOD DUCK · WOOD STORK · Western Grebe · White Ibis · YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON · Yellow Rail
Shorebirds & seabirdsAMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER · ARCTIC TERN · AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER · American Avocet · American Oystercatcher · American Woodcock · BAIRD'S SANDPIPER · BLACK TERN · BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER · BLACK-HEADED GULL · BLACK-TAILED GODWIT · BONAPARTE'S GULL · BRIDLED TERN · Band-rumped Storm-Petrel · Bar-tailed Godwit · Black Skimmer · Black-capped Petrel · Brown Booby · Buff-breasted Sandpiper · COMMON TERN · CURLEW SANDPIPER · Caspian Tern · Common Gull · Common Snipe · Cory's Shearwater · Dunlin · Forster's Tern · Franklin's Gull · GREATER YELLOWLEGS · GULL-BILLED TERN · Glaucous Gull · Great Black-backed Gull · Greater Shearwater · Herring Gull · Hudsonian Godwit · Iceland Gull · KILLDEER · Kentish Plover · LEAST SANDPIPER · LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL · LESSER YELLOWLEGS · LITTLE GULL · LONG-BILLED CURLEW · Laughing Gull · Leach's Storm-Petrel · Least Tern · Long-billed Dowitcher · Long-tailed Jaeger · MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD · MARBLED GODWIT · Manx Shearwater · Masked Booby · PIPING PLOVER · PURPLE SANDPIPER · Parasitic Jaeger · Pectoral Sandpiper · Pomarine Jaeger · RED PHALAROPE · RING-BILLED GULL · RUDDY TURNSTONE · Red-necked Phalarope · Roseate Tern · Royal Tern · SANDWICH TERN · SEMIPALMATED PLOVER · SOLITARY SANDPIPER · SOOTY TERN · STILT SANDPIPER · Sabine's Gull · Sanderling · Semipalmated Sandpiper · Short-billed Dowitcher · Sooty Shearwater · Spotted Sandpiper · Thayer's Gull · Upland Sandpiper · WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL · WILLET · WILSON'S PHALAROPE · WILSON'S STORM-PETREL · Western Sandpiper · White-rumped Sandpiper · Wilson's Plover
Gamebirds & dovesEurasian Collared Dove · Mourning Dove · NORTHERN BOBWHITE · Ring-necked Pheasant · Rock Dove · WHITE-WINGED DOVE
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · NORTHERN FLICKER · PILEATED WOODPECKER · RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER · RED-HEADED WOODPECKER · YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAMERICAN CROW · AMERICAN PIPIT · Acadian Flycatcher · American Flamingo · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · BALTIMORE ORIOLE · BARN SWALLOW · BAY-BREASTED WARBLER · BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO · BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE · BLACK-NECKED STILT · BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER · BLUE JAY · BLUE-HEADED VIREO · BLUE-WINGED WARBLER · BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE · BOBOLINK · BRANT · BROWN NODDY · BROWN THRASHER · BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD · Bachman's Sparrow · Bank Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Black Scoter · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brewer's Blackbird · Brown Creeper · Brown-headed Nuthatch · Brunnich's Guillemot · CAROLINA CHICKADEE · CEDAR WAXWING · CERULEAN WARBLER · CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER · CHIPPING SPARROW · CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW · CLAY-COLORED SPARROW · CLIFF SWALLOW · COMMON EIDER · COMMON GRACKLE · COMMON MOORHEN · COMMON REDPOLL · Canada Warbler · Canvasback · Cape May Warbler · Carolina Wren · Common Nighthawk · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · DARK-EYED JUNCO · Dickcissel · Dovekie · EASTERN KINGBIRD · EASTERN MEADOWLARK · EASTERN PHOEBE · EASTERN TOWHEE · EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE · EUROPEAN STARLING · EVENING GROSBEAK · Eastern Bluebird · FIELD SPARROW · FISH CROW · FOX SPARROW · GADWALL · GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET · GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER · GRAY KINGBIRD · GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Great Crested Flycatcher · Great Grey Shrike · Great Skua · HERMIT THRUSH · HORNED LARK · HOUSE WREN · Hooded Warbler · House Finch · House Sparrow · Indigo Bunting · King Eider · LE CONTE'S SPARROW · LITTLE STINT · LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE · Lapland Longspur · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's Sparrow · MALLARD · MARSH WREN · Magnolia Warbler · NASHVILLE WARBLER · NORTHERN FULMAR · NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD · NORTHERN PARULA · NORTHERN SHOVELER · Northern Cardinal · Northern Gannet · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Waterthrush · Northern Wheatear · OLDSQUAW · OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER · ORCHARD ORIOLE · OVENBIRD · Orange-crowned Warbler · PAINTED BUNTING · PINE SISKIN · PRAIRIE WARBLER · PURPLE MARTIN · Palm Warbler · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Warbler · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Gallinule · RAZORBILL · RED CROSSBILL · RED KNOT · RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD · RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD · ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK · RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET · RUFF · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Redhead · Rusty Blackbird · SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW · SAVANNAH SPARROW · SEASIDE SPARROW · SNOW BUNTING · SWAINSON'S THRUSH · Sage Thrasher · Scarlet Tanager · Scissor-tailed Flycatcher · Sedge Wren · Song Sparrow · Sora · South Polar Skua · Spotted Redshank · Sprague's Pipit · Summer Tanager · Surf Scoter · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · VEERY · Vermilion Flycatcher · Vesper Sparrow · WHIMBREL · WHIP-POOR-WILL · WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH · WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD · WINTER WREN · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Tanager · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · White-winged Scoter · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Wood Thrush · Worm-eating Warbler · YELLOW WARBLER · YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT · YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD · YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER · YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-throated Vireo
Small mammalsBLACK RAT · EASTERN COTTONTAIL · EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL · EASTERN MOLE · HOUSE MOUSE · LEAST SHREW · MARSH RABBIT · MARSH RICE RAT · MEADOW VOLE · MUSKRAT · NORWAY RAT · Southern Short-tailed Shrew · WHITE-FOOTED MOUSE
Marine mammalsAtlantic Spotted Dolphin · Bottlenose Dolphin · False Killer Whale · Fin Whale · HARBOR SEAL · Pygmy Sperm Whale · Short-finned Pilot Whale · True's Beaked Whale
PredatorsCOMMON GRAY FOX · COMMON RACCOON · Common Otter · Cross Fox · MINK
Hoofed mammalsWHITE-TAILED DEER
BatsEASTERN RED BAT · Evening Bat · SILVER-HAIRED BAT
Also on the checklistFERAL CAT · NUTRIA · VIRGINIA OPOSSUM · domestic dog
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Diving and snorkeling in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
The weather along the Outer Banks varies throughout the year and even throughout the day. Please check the National Weather Service information at http://www.weather.gov/mhx/ for forecast information.
Questions people ask
Does Cape Hatteras charge an entrance fee?
No. Cape Hatteras is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Cape Hatteras open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Cape Hatteras?
Yes. The Park Service lists 4 campgrounds in Cape Hatteras: Ocracoke, Oregon Inlet, Frisco, and Cape Point. 4 take reservations through Recreation.gov.
Which Cape Hatteras campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Showers: Ocracoke, Oregon Inlet, Frisco, and Cape Point. Dump station: Ocracoke, Oregon Inlet, and Cape Point. Electric hookups: Oregon Inlet.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Cape Hatteras right now?
3 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Partial Beach Closure in Northern Rodanthe; Closure of Billy Mitchell Airport for Repaving Project; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Cape Hatteras?
2,684,009 recreation visits in 2025, number 35 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Cape Hatteras?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 4G LTE, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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