My family gets together out there yearly at Corolla and one of the events is always the 4WD beach areas either in the North OBX (Currituck Cty) or down at Cape Lookout Seashore, it's easy fun and you don't need to gear up like you're going to Moab or Rubicon so long as you have 4WD. Unless you are just in the dead of winter in rain you'll always see a fair amount of people driving out there and usually a few that don't mind stopping to help since people actually live up there at Carova. Like others said it's not too bad as far as off-road areas go, just stay off the dunes and out of the water and you'll be fine until the last mile or so near the VA border where it gets super soft and very tight at high tide. The entrance ramp is indeed usually one of the worst spots and the tourists with low AWD cars generally are the first casualties to get stuck so if you can get through that everything else is pretty easy. If you have just basic A/T tires you'll be fine.

Also, hate to be a buzzkill but I'd rather it be known so some of you guys don't get popped enjoying any vacation up there as we definitely saw a lot of more sheriff's and tickets last summer than ever before. Currituck County requires a paid ($50 for 10 days) permit to stop if you want to set up during the summer months. If you are just driving through and temporarily parked and walking around the water, the sheriffs that patrol there generally won't say anything but as soon as you start pulling out any chairs or tents be prepared for them to stop and ask since it's a giant obvious permit for your rearview mirror.

^I've heard that South Core was fun and much more secluded and remote, just not sure my wife would be up to it as she needs her hot showers most we've done is the main North Core areas of Cape Lookout. During the day you can definitely go and have the beach all to your self and barely see anybody on either side or drive past once you get down there pretty far, even during summer times. Love it so I can finally let my dog run loose without worrying about any beachgoers complaining about him being on a leash.

The cabins have hot water.

It's pretty remote but that's what we love about it.

X2 re: South Core Banks. It’s awesome, but be aware that the ferry ride is around $80 round trip.

Good info here and here if you’re planning to drive the beach on NPS property.

From our trip a few years back:

Good to know about the hot water and the surprising ferry cost (I do vaguely remember hearing something about them being private ferries and so not subsidized by NC like other main routes), I'm going to have get her interested in going there this year.

Check out Ocracoke Island. Last southern island on Cape Hatteras National Seashore. You can see Portsmouth Island (Core Banks) from Ocracoke. Only accessible by NC ferries, small airplanes, or boat. No bullshit like mini-golf, movie theaters, etc. We go down there at least twice a year. Will be there the first week of May. Good fishing, great restaurants/bars, fun driving on the sand.

Agree, Ocracoke is a must. IIRC, there’s an interesting British war cemetery there too.

My buddy has been bugging me to check out Portsmouth Island. It does sound like a lot of fun.. I did some research and got turned off when they mentioned the mosquitos as... epic.. and the high winds...

I suppose if i had unlimiited vacation time at work I would prob check it out.. but I dont want to burn time to get eaten by bugs haha I think we are going to hit Drummond Island in the UP some time.. same deal as far as having to ferry across..

Bluesky 07, yes that British Cemetery is interesting and so is the story behind it. You also need check out all the local burial grounds (private [which you can see from the roads] and public. The dates on the tombstones go back to colonial times. Remember, the 5 or so original families go back to Blackbeard's time. I love the island.

SendInTheCavalry, yup the bugs will carry you away. Gotta go there when the weather turns cold or bring several spray cans of DEET.

Hi All - just got my 4Runner a few weeks ago and taking a road trip to OBX in April with six of us in the car! Can anyone recommend an easy/fun offroad ride or location to take the family to see? I have two grandparents and two little kids so looking to find something for all ages. We are staying in Kill Devil Hills...

Thanks!

Corolla is north of KDH and you can see the wild horses there. Just please read up on, and respect, the "etiquette" of viewing the horses - staying the minimum distance away and so on.

There's a lot of beach driving available in that area. Check out the National Park Service's info pages for places like Cape Hatteras.

What do you guys recommend airing down to? Stock TRD Pro Terra Grapplers.

Just made a reservation on Davis Shore Ferry Service for our OBX trip next month but the cost has taken this from a no-brainer to something I need to think about. Driving the island is amazing but what used to be an $85 r/t is now that much for the vehicle plus $16 per person (x 2 of us) so the total ferry trip is $117. Added to that is a newly required $25 Park Service permit so the total cost for this day trip is now $142. Just wanted others to be aware so you can make a fully informed decision.

nice vid, love the sand!

Wife and I were just talking about Corolla. Can anyone tell me if Beach Access Rd is literally just sand with waves lapping at your tires between the main part of town and the northernmost residential part (Shark Ln, Sandfiddler, etc.)? Looks crazy!


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Pretty much. But there is plenty of room. It’s not as bad as you think. Just air down tires and drive smart.

I was there last September a day after the hurricane went through. It was scary. So much wind and the water level was really high. Had to watch tide charts closely. During high tide the water would completely cover the beach. You couldn’t go anywhere.

Anyhow here are some pics from 2 weeks ago.