Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
NC 12, Pea Island
(252) 987-2394
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge begins
at the southern base of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge and is the first place you come
to entering Hatteras Island from the north.
The beach along this undeveloped stretch
of sand is popular with anglers, surfers, sunbathers, and shell seekers. On the right side
of the road, heading south, salt marshes
surround Pamlico Sound, and birds seem to
flutter from every grove of cattails.
Founded on April 12, 1938, the Pea
Island refuge was federally funded as a
winter preserve for snow geese. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt put his Civilian Conservation Corps to work stabilizing the
slightly sloping dunes, building them up
with bulldozers, erecting long expanses of
sand fencing, and securing the sand with
sea oats and grasses. Workers built dikes
near the sound to form ponds and freshwater marshes. They planted fields to provide food for the waterfowl.
With 5,915 acres that attract nearly
400 observed species of birds, Pea Island
is an outdoor aviary. Few tourists visited
this refuge when Hatteras Island was
accessible only by ferry. After the Bonner
Bridge opened in 1964, motorists began
driving through this once isolated outpost.
Today, Pea Island is one of the barrier
islands' most popular havens for birdwatchers, naturalists, and sea-turtle savers.
Endangered species, from the loggerhead
sea turtle to the tiny piping plover shorebirds, inhabit this area. Pea Island's name
comes from the "dune peas" that grow all
along the now grassy sand dunes. The tiny
plant with pink and lavender flowers is a
favorite food of migrating geese.
Four miles south of the Bonner
Bridge's southern base, the Pea Island Visitor Center offers free parking and easy
access to the beach. If you walk directly
across the highway to the top of the
dunes, you'll see the remains of the federal transport Oriental. Its steel boiler is all
that remains of the ship, which sank in
May 1862.
On the sound side of the highway, in
the marshes, ponds, and endless wetlands,
whistling swans, snow geese, Canada
geese, and 25 species of ducks make winter sojourns in the refuge. Savannah sparrows, migrant warblers, gulls, terns, herons,
and egrets also alight in this area from fall
through early spring. In summer, American
avocets, willets, black-necked stilts, and
several species of ducks nest here.
Bug repellent is a must on Pea Island
from March through October. Besides
insects, ticks also cause problems. Check
your clothing before getting in the car,
and shower as soon as possible if you hike
through any underbrush.
North Pond Trail
NC 12, Pea Island
A bird-watcher's favorite, this wheelchair-
accessible nature trail begins at the visitor
center parking area and is about a mile
long. The trail runs along the top of a dike
between two man-made ponds that were
begun in the late 19th century and completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps
in the 1930s. The walkway includes three
viewing platforms, marshland overlooks,
and mounted binoculars.
Wax myrtles and live oaks stabilize the
dike and provide shelter for scores of
songbirds. Warblers, yellowthroats, cardinals, and seaside sparrows land during
biannual migrations. The quarter-mile Salt
Flats Trail starts at the north end of the
North Pond Trail.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service manages Pea Island refuge's ecosystem. Workers plant fields with fescue and rye
grass to keep the waterfowl coming back.
Pheasants, muskrats, and nutria live along
these ponds year-round.
Pea Island Visitor Center
NC 12, Pea Island
(252) 987-2394
A paved parking area, free public rest-
rooms, and the Pea Island Refuge Headquarters are 4 miles south of the Oregon
Inlet bridge on the sound side of NC 12.
Refuge volunteers staff this small welcome
station year-round and are available to
answer questions. Visitors see exhibits on
wildlife, waterfowl, and bird life and browse
the small gift shop. In summer, the facility
is open seven days a week from 9:00 A.M.
to 4:00 P.M. In the off-season, the center is
open Thursday through Sunday from 9:00
A.M.to 4:00 P.M.It's closed Christmas Day.
Free nature trail maps are available, and in
summer months, special nature programs
are offered, such as bird walks, turtle talks,
and guided canoe tours.
Hunting, camping, and driving are not
allowed in the refuge. Open fires are also
prohibited. Dogs must be kept on leashes
on the east side of the highway. Firearms
are not allowed in the refuge; shotguns
and rifles must be stowed out of sight
even if you're just driving straight through
Hatteras Island. Fishing, crabbing, boating,
and other activities are allowed in the
ocean and sound but are prohibited in
refuge ponds.
About 3 miles farther south on NC 12,
a kiosk just beyond the refuge headquarters marks the site of the remains of the
nation's only African-American lifesaving
station. Pea Island was established with
the rest of the U.S. Lifesaving outposts in
1879 and was originally manned by mostly
white crews. Black men were confined to
tasks like caring for the horses that
dragged surfboats through the sand.
The year after the station was set up,
however, federal officials fired Pea Island's
white crew members for mishandling the
Henderson shipwreck disaster. Black personnel from other stations were placed
under the charge of Richard Etheridge,
who was of Native American and African-
American descent. The new crew carried
out its duties honorably.
Pea Island's surfmen rescued countless
crews and passengers of ships that washed
ashore in storms or sank in the seething
seas. Etheridge became known as one of
the best-prepared, most professional, and
most daring leaders in the service. One of
the crew's most famous rescues was in
1896 when the captain of the E. S. Newman sounded an SOS off Hatteras Island's
treacherous shores, an area known as The
Graveyard of the Atlantic.
In 1992 the U.S. Coast Guard Service, a
latter-day version of the Lifesaving Service, dedicated a cutter to the Pea Island
crew. About a dozen of the African-
American surfmen's descendants witnessed the moving ceremony. A plaque
onboard the big ship commemorates the
lifesaving crew's heroism.
Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station
NC 12, Rodanthe
(252) 987-1552
www.chicamacomico.net
With volunteer labor and long years of
dedication, this once-decrepit lifesaving
station is beautifully restored and open for
tours. Its weathered, silvery-shingled
buildings sparkle on the sandy lawn, surrounded by a perfect picket fence. Even
the outbuildings have been brought back
to their former uses.
Chicamacomico was one of the Outer
Banks's original seven lifesaving stations,
opening in 1874 at its current site. The
present boathouse building was the original station but was retained as a storage
shed when the bigger facility was built in
1911. Under three keepers with the last
name of Midgett, Chicamacomico crews
guarded the sea along Hatteras Island's
northern coast for 70 years. Between 1876
and the time the station closed in 1954,
seven Midgetts were awarded the Gold
Life Saving Award; three won the silver;
and six others worked or lived at Chicamacomico. Perhaps the station's most famous rescue was when surfmen pulled
crew members from the British tanker
Mirlo off their burning ship and into safety.
Today the nonprofit Chicamacomico
Historical Association oversees and operates the lifesaving station. Volunteers set
up a museum of area lifesaving awards
and artifacts in the main building and
have recovered some of the lifesaving
equipment for the boathouse. Volunteers
take school groups on tours of the station,
showing how the britches buoy helped
rescue shipwreck victims and explaining
the precise maneuvers surfmen had to follow on shore (see our History chapter for
more about the britches buoy).
The station is open from Easter weekend through the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 A.M.to 5:00 P.M.Various programs
have been added to the roster and are
offered every open day in the summer
and on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
in the off-season. At 2:00 P.M., programs
might include a guided tour, a knot-tying
class, or a storytelling hour. Bonfires are
held one evening a week in the summer at
8:00 P.M. All programs are suitable for all
ages. The guided tour gives more details
on the site, the lifesaving service, and the
equipment used. Group tours can be
accommodated with advance notice.
Admission is free, although donations are
welcome and are greatly needed to further the restoration and expand the programs at this site. Call for additional
program information.
Today the nonprofit Chicamacomico Historical Association oversees and operates the lifesaving station. Volunteers set up a museum of area lifesaving awards and artifacts in the main building and have recovered some of the lifesaving equipment for the boathouse. Volunteers take school groups on tours of the station, showing how the britches buoy helped rescue shipwreck victims and explaining the precise maneuvers surfmen had to follow on shore (see our History chapter for more about the britches buoy). The station is open from Easter weekend through the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 A.M.to 5:00 P.M.Various programs have been added to the roster and are offered every open day in the summer and on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in the off-season. At 2:00 P.M., programs might include a guided tour, a knot-tying class, or a storytelling hour. Bonfires are held one evening a week in the summer at 8:00 P.M. All programs are suitable for all ages. The guided tour gives more details on the site, the lifesaving service, and the equipment used. Group tours can be accommodated with advance notice. Admission is free, although donations are welcome and are greatly needed to further the restoration and expand the programs at this site. Call for additional program information.
Salvo Post Office
NC 12, Salvo
If you're heading south on NC 12 through Hatteras Island, slow down as you leave Salvo to spot a tiny whitewashed building with blue and red trim on the right side of the road. That's the old Salvo Post Office, which was the country's smallest post office until an arsonist burned about half of it down in 1992. It sat atop low rails in the postmaster's front yard. Over the years, villagers moved it to the front yard of each new postmaster's house. The wooden structure had beautiful gilt post boxes surrounding the small glass service window, but it didn't have a bathroom, air-conditioning, or a wheelchair-accessible ramp. Although community volunteers rallied and rebuilt their little post office quickly, the federal government refused to reopen the outpost, which was originally erected in 1901. Today, Salvo residents drive to Rodanthe to pick up their mail, and this tiny charmer sits empty by the road.
Canadian Hole
NC 12, Avon
If a breeze is blowing, pull off the west side of the road between Avon and Buxton (1.5 miles south of Avon) into the big parking lot on the sound. Known as Canadian Hole, this is one of America's hottest windsurfing spots--and a magnet for visitors from Canada. Whether you ride a sailboard or not, this sight is not to be missed. On windy afternoons, more than 100 windsurfers and kiteboarders spread out along the shallow sound, their brightly colored butterfly sails gently skimming into the sunset. There's a nice bathing beach here, so bring chairs and coolers and plan to watch the silent wave riders, some of whom are famous in windsurfing circles. The state recently expanded the parking area here. See our Water
Sports chapter for more details.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Off NC 12, Buxton
(252) 995-4474
www.nps.gov/caha
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is one of the most beloved and famous lighthouses in the nation, especially after it survived a move of more than 1,600 feet in 1999. The nation's tallest brick lighthouse at 208 feet, this black-and-white striped beacon was shown the world over as it was precariously jacked up and moved along roll beams to its new location, away from the encroaching sea. The monumental relocation project was named the 2000 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The lighthouse now stands the same distance from the Atlantic Ocean as it did when it was first built in 1870.
The original Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was built in 1803. The tower sat near Cape Point and was only 90 feet tall. Lit with whale oil, it was barely bright enough to be seen offshore. Erosion weakened the structure, and in 1861 Confederate soldiers removed the light's lens. The current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was erected in 1870 with more than one million bricks and 257 steps. A special Fresnel lens that refracts light increased its visibility. The lighthouse was 1,600 feet from the ocean when it was built, but by 1987, it was only 120 feet from the crashing waves. After years of study, the National Park Service came to the conclusion that it had to "move it or lose it." The lighthouse was moved 1,600 feet back from the shore in just a few weeks, from June 17 to July 9, 1999. About 20,000 visitors a day watched. It reopened to the public on May 26, 2000. Its 800,000-candlepower beacon, rotating every seven-and-a-half seconds, can be seen 18 miles out to sea.
The view from the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is surreal and unforgettable. Try to make the climb while visiting the historical site. The visitor center, called the Museum of the Sea, and the bookstore, both housed in the historic former keepers' quarters, were moved to this location before the lighthouse was moved. Restrooms are located here. If you continue past the parking area, you'll pass the picnic area and the Buxton Woods Nature Trail. If you continue on,
you'll come to the Cape Point Campground
and off-road vehicle ramps. The beach here
is famous for swimming, sunbathing, surfing, and fishing, and you can take four-
wheel-drive vehicles along many sections
of the beach year-round. Park rangers and
volunteers willingly answer questions and
can be found in the visitor center and on
the historic district grounds. Visitor center
and bookstore hours are 9:00 A.M.to 5:00 P.M. daily, except for Christmas Day.
In Buxton, signs along NC 12 lead you
to the lighthouse. To the left, you can visit
the original lighthouse location, marked by
a circle of granite stones that are etched
with the names of 83 former lighthouse
keepers. To the right is a parking area and
the lighthouse's new location.
The Altoona Wreck
Cape Point, Buxton
Four-wheel-drive motorists may enter the
beach at the end of Cape Point Way on
Ramp 44. Here, the Outer Banks juts out
into the Atlantic in a wide elbow-shaped
curve near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
The beaches in this area offer some of the
barrier islands' best surf fishing. Two rules
of the beach: Do not try to drive on the
beach in anything but a four-wheel-drive
vehicle, and be sure to let the proper
amount of air out of your tires before traversing sand (see our Getting
Here, Getting Around chapter for more information).
For those not driving on the beach,
park on solid ground near the road and
walk over the ramp to a foot trail. The
path begins at the base of the dune. At
the edge of a seawater pond, you'll catch
a glimpse of the remains of the shipwreck
Altoona. Built in Maine in 1869, the
Altoona was a two-masted, 100-foot-long
cargo schooner based in Boston. It left
Haiti in 1878 with a load of dyewood
bound for New York. On October 22, a
storm drove it ashore near Cape Point.
Lifesavers rescued its seven crew members and salvaged some of the cargo, but
the ship was buried beneath the sand until
uncovered by a storm in 1962. The sea has broken the big boat apart since then, but
you can still see part of the bow and hull
beneath the waves.
Diamond Shoals Light
In the Atlantic Ocean, off Cape Point, Buxton
You can only visit this attraction in private
boats, but you can see this unusual light
tower from the eastern shore of Cape
Point and from the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Its bright beacon blinks
every two seconds from a steel structure
set 12 miles out in the sea.
Diamond Shoals once held a lighthouse, but waves beat the offshore rocks
that held the structure so badly that federal officials gave up the project. Three
lightships have been stationed on the
shoals since 1824. The first sank in an 1827
gale. The second held its ground from
1897 until German submarines sank it in
1918. The third beamed until 1967, when it
was replaced by the current light tower.
Diamond Shoals, the rocks around the
tower, are the southern end of the treacherous near-shore sandbars off Hatteras Island.
Buxton Woods Nature Trail
Cape Point, Buxton
Leading from the Cape Point Campground
road about 0.75 mile through the woods,
the Buxton nature trail takes walkers
through thick vine jungles, across tall sand
dunes, and into freshwater marshes (see
also our Natural Wonders chapter). Small
plaques along the fairly level walkway
describe the area's fragile ecosystems. People who hike this trail learn about the Outer
Banks's water table, the role of beach grass
and sea oats in stabilizing sand dunes,
and the effects salt, storms, and visitors
have on the ever-changing environment.
Cottonmouths seem to like this trail,
too, so beware of these unmistakable
snakes. They are fat, rough-scaled, and
stubby-looking in brown, yellow, gray, or
almost black. If you see a cottonmouth, let
it get away-don't chase it. If it stands its
ground, retreat.
This hike is not recommended for disabled visitors or young children, but picnic
tables and charcoal grills just south of the
nature trail provide a welcome respite for
everyone. The walk is fine for hardy nature
lovers who don't mind mingling with the
outdoor elements.
Frisco Native American Museum
NC 12, Frisco
(252) 995-4440
www.nativeamericanmuseum.org
This enchanting museum on the sound
side of NC 12 in Frisco is stocked with
unusual collections of Native American
artifacts gathered since the 1930s, plus
numerous other fascinating collections.
The museum boasts one of the most significant collections of artifacts from the
Chiricahua Apache people and has displays of other Native American tribes'
works from across the country, ranging
from the days of early humans to modern
time. Hopi drums, pottery, kachina dolls,
baskets, weapons, and jewelry are displayed in homemade cases.
A souvenir gift shop offers Native
American art, crafts, jewelry, educational
materials, toys, and books. Native craft
items made by about 40 artisans from
across the country are also available for
sale. With advance notice, guided tours
are available, as are lectures for school
and youth groups. Call for prices. The
museum property also includes outdoor
nature trails through three acres of woods,
with a screened-in pavilion, a large pond,
and three bridges on the land. Hours are 11:00 A.M.to 5:00 P.M.Tuesday through
Sunday, year-round. Admission is $2.00
per person or $5.00 per family. Seniors
are charged $1.50. Group rates are available. The museum and trails are also
designed to accommodate the vision
impaired.
Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry
NC 12, Hatteras Village
NC 12, Ocracoke Island
(252) 986-2353, (800) BY FERRY
The only link between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, this free state-run ferry carries passengers and vehicles across Hatteras Inlet daily, year-round, with trips
from 5:00 A.M.to midnight. A fleet of 10
ferry boats, some 150 feet long, carry up
to 30 cars and trucks each on the 40minute ride. (See our Getting
Here, Getting Around chapter for the full schedule.)
You can get out of your vehicle and
walk around the open decks or stay inside
the car. A passenger lounge a short flight
of steps above the deck offers cushioned
seats and wide windows. On the lower
deck, telescopes give people a chance to
see seagulls and passing shorelines up
close for a quarter. Free restrooms also
are on the deck; however, there's no food
or drink to be found on this 5-mile crossing, so pack your own picnic. Beware if
you decide to break bread with the
dozens of birds that fly overhead. After
they eat, they, too, look for free bathrooms. And they'll follow-overhead-all
the way to Ocracoke. The experience is
exciting but can be messy.
A souvenir shop is located at the Hatteras ferry docks; it sells everything from
coloring books and Frisbees to sweatshirts and coffee mugs. Drink and snack
machines also are on-site.
A day trip to Ocracoke is a must for
every Outer Banks visitor, whether you're
staying in Corolla or on Hatteras Island.
(See the Ocracoke section of our Area
Overview chapter for more about Ocracoke.) The free ferry is the only way to get
there besides by private boat or airplane.
On summer days, more than 1,000 passengers ride the flat ferries.
A 12-mile stretch through open
marshlands and pine forests lies between
the ferry and Ocracoke Village. NC 12
picks up at the ferry docks and continues
to the southern end of the island. On the
left, wide-open beaches await avid four-
wheelers and those who like to have a
piece of the seaside to themselves.
A National Park Service oceanfront
campground is to the left before you get
to the village. Ocracoke is a quaint fishing
village that has recently grown into a popular tourist destination. About 750 people
live on Ocracoke Island year-round. Boutiques, seafood restaurants, craft shops,
and other retailers line the quiet, twisting
lanes, but most are open only in the summer. We recommend that you park your
car somewhere near the waterfront and
rent a bicycle to tour this picturesque, isolated island.
Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
NC 12, Hatteras Village
(252) 986-2995
www.graveyardoftheatlantic.com
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
showcases the maritime history and heritage of the Outer Banks and its people,
from the earliest exploration and colonization to the present day. Particularly
emphasized are the years from 1524 to
1945. The museum is still being completed,
but the lobby, community room, and
museum store are open to the public.
Exhibits include artifacts from historical
shipwrecks, unique "beach finds," and
locally carved ships' models; there is a special exhibit on Billy Mitchell in Hatteras.
