Free Ferry to Ocracoke
A free car ferry across Pamlico Sound, with gulls following the boat and dolphins if you're lucky. It's the only way to Ocracoke from the north, and a pleasure in itself.
- Open
- Every day, with fewer sailings from fall to spring and changes for storms and dredging
- Price
- Free
- Time Needed
- About 1 hour
- Address
- Hatteras Ferry Terminal, NC Highway 12, Hatteras, NC 27943Google MapsApple Maps
- Getting There
- At the end of NC 12 in Hatteras Village.
Why Go
The state's vehicle ferries run from Hatteras Village to the north end of Ocracoke Island, a crossing of about an hour along a channel that keeps shifting with the sand. There are no reservations, so in summer you may wait in line.
From Ocracoke, you can make a loop: paid state ferries, which you should reserve, continue to Swan Quarter or Cedar Island on the mainland.
Tips
- Arrive early on summer mornings, and check ncferry.org or the Ferry Division's alerts the same day.
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