NC Ferry System Info
The NC Ferry System is an integral part of the Outer Banks. The only way to get to some of the islands is by ferry (or private boat or airplane). The most well-known ferry route is Hatteras/Ocracoke. Other ferry routes from Ocracoke are Ocracoke/Cedar Island and Ocracoke/Swan Quarter. A less known route is Currituck/Knotts Island. A growing and popular ferry is the Ocracoke Express walk-on passenger ferry that only runs during the summer. There is a private Portsmouth Island ferry service out of Ocracoke by Rudy Austin’s Portsmouth Island Boat Tours (passenger ferry only).
The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a beautiful place but getting around can sometimes be a problem. Weather can cause travel problems at the Outer Banks. Current information on road conditions and the ferry system is good to know. Traveling on Highway 12 can be a problem due to sand and water from the ocean and or sound overwash. Due to the sea level being so low on the NC coast heavy rainfall amounts and ocean overwash occur quite often on the NC coast.
The Outer Banks is situated at sea level so a heavy rainstorm, nor’easter, or hurricane can cause standing water on the highways and roads. Storms can also result in standing sand on the highways. Storms can also alter ferry schedules. For safety reasons, high winds during storms can result in the ferries halting operations. Listed below are links to sites that have the most up-to-date information.
NC Outer Banks Ferry Information
Travel to Ocracoke is by ferry only (or plane or private boat). The normal ferry schedule has to be altered from time to time due to mostly weather-related conditions. The ferry schedules also change from summer to winter schedules. Always refer to the NC Ferry System’s official website for the correct and up-to-date ferry schedules.
NC Ferry System Links
Here are links to the NC Ferry System which has the most up-to-date schedules
and information about the Outer Banks Ferry System.
NC Ferry System…Reservations. Prices, Ferry Terminals, and Destination
NCDOT Destinations…All Ferry Routes Located For the North Carolina Coast
NC Ferry System App – free download available from iTunes. See the schedules, make reservations, plus more. The name of the app is NC Ferries by Sugar Maple Interactive LLC.
Hatteras Inlet Ferry Terminal Live WebCam…by NCDOT
Highway 12 Information
The NCDOT posts current road conditions at the Outer Banks on their Facebook page and on X (formerly Twitter). For the most current Highway 12 and other road conditions at the Outer Banks check out these links:
NCDOT NC Highway 12 Info
NC 12 Recovery Efforts
NCDOT NC 12 on X (formerly Twitter)
Outer Banks Bridges
To get to the Outer Banks by vehicle or motorcycle you will be crossing a few bridges. To reach the Outer Banks there are only two routes by automobile. Highway 158 at the north end of the Outer Banks or Highway 64 from the Nags Head area. Coming from the south the only way to get to the Outer Banks is by Ferry.
Alligator River Bridge on US 64–a two-lane automobile bridge that has a draw bridge or rather a swing bridge that swings out to allow boat traffic through. Opens on a traffic signal. May not open if winds exceed 34 knots. The is a bridge tender on-site in the watchtower. If vehicle traffic has to stop for boat traffic just enjoy the view!
William B. Umstead Memorial Bridge—a two-automobile bridge over the Croatan Sound. Connects Manns Harbor and Roanoke Island, in Dare County. The bridge carries US 64 and is utilized by local and seasonal tourist traffic. Mostly used by the locals since the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge was completed and opened in 2002. The west end of the William B. Umstead Bridge in July and August becomes home to thousands of purple martins as they prepare for their annual migration to South America.
Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge—a four-lane automobile bridge that crosses the Croatan Sound between Manns Harbor and Roanoke Island in Dare County. Travel on US 64 utilizes the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge since its completion in 2002. The length of the bridge is 5.2 miles which makes it one of the longest bridges in the state of North Carolina. The name is in remembrance of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Americas, in 1587.
Washington Baum Bridge—a four-lane automobile bridge over the Roanoke Sound. The bridge connects Roanoke Island to Nags Head. It is Just a little over a mile long and 82 feet high at its highest point. The bridge at its highest elevation has a beautiful view of the sound, the islands, and the ocean. This bridge was completed in 1994.
Melvin R Daniels Bridge–also known as the little bridge or the Manteo/Nags Head Causeway. Part of US 64 and the last bridge to be crossed before you reach Nags Head.
Wright Memorial Bridge… two automobile bridges that cross the Currituck Sound, between Point Harbor, in Currituck County, and Kitty Hawk, in Dare County. The bridges are part of US 158. The bridges are dedicated to the Wright brothers. The Wright Memorial Bridge is two two-lane parallel bridges referred to as the westbound bridge and the eastbound bridge. Both bridges combined provide a total of four lanes of traffic, two lanes in each direction.
Marc Basnight Bridge—a four-lane two-way automobile bridge that crosses Oregon Inlet. The bridge connects Bodie Island (south Nags Head) to the north end of Hatteras Island. The Marc Basnight Bridge replaced the old Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. Basnight Bridge is 2.8 miles long and opened in 2019. Part of the Bonner Bridge was left and converted into a fishing pier on the south end alongside the larger newer bridge.
Rodanthe ‘Jug Handle’ Bridge—also called the N.C. 12 Rodanthe bridge by the NCDOT. Not formally named yet, the locals refer to this bridge as the Rodanthe ‘Jug Handle’ Bridge. The NCDOT refers to it as the NC 12 Rodanthe Bridge project. The bridge will be 2.4 miles long when completed. It extends out over the Pamlico Sound from the southern end of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and into Rodanthe. The bridge is supposed to be opened in early 2022. The bypassed section of Highway 12 in the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge N.C. is repeatedly closed or covered due to ocean overwash, sound side flooding, and deep sand caused by storms.