Outer Banks National Scenic Byway
Outer Banks National Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in North Carolina. Within North Carolina it covers roughly 150 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Outer Banks National Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
This byway runs the length of North Carolina's barrier islands on NC-12, stringing together fishing villages, wide Atlantic beaches, and two free ferry crossings between Whalebone Junction and Ocracoke. It passes the black-and-white spiral of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse — the tallest in the country — and the wild, undeveloped shore of Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores. Wind, water, and shifting sand define the whole route.
- NC-12 barrier islands
- Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
- free island ferries
- national seashores
- Ocracoke
Designated for its cultural qualities
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Places to stop along Outer Banks National Scenic Byway
Wright Brothers National Memorial
The dunes at Kill Devil Hills where the Wrights made the first powered flights in December 1903, with a granite monument and the flight markers.
WebsiteJockey's Ridge State Park
The tallest living sand dune system on the Atlantic coast, a favorite for hang gliding lessons and sunset walks.
Bodie Island Lighthouse
A black-and-white banded 1872 lighthouse rising from the marshes, open for climbs in season.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Thirteen wild miles between ocean and sound, with ponds full of snow geese, swans, and ducks in winter.
WebsiteChicamacomico Life-Saving Station
The most complete surviving life-saving station complex in North Carolina, in Rodanthe, with summer drills recreating rescues.
WebsiteCape Hatteras Lighthouse
At about 200 feet, the tallest brick lighthouse in the U.S., moved inland in 1999 to escape the eroding shore; climb its 257 steps in season.
WebsiteGraveyard of the Atlantic Museum
A Hatteras museum on the thousands of ships wrecked off these shoals, beside the ferry docks.
Ocracoke Lighthouse
An 1823 whitewashed lighthouse in Ocracoke village, a car-ferry ride from Hatteras, once a haunt of the pirate Blackbeard.
Core Sound Waterfowl Museum
A Harkers Island museum of decoy carving and the Down East villages' fishing and hunting traditions.
Website
Where to Stay along Outer Banks National Scenic Byway
10 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Outer Banks National Scenic Byway.
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Photos of Outer Banks National Scenic Byway
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.