Right Beaches › Outer Banks
Outer Banks beaches
29 beaches, with the parking, the walk to the water and the tide for each one.
Outer Banks, North Carolina · Browse all North Carolina beaches (124)
Where are you starting from?
What matters today?
Start here
Good places to start
Haulover Day Use Area
Walk to water170 ft
Parking40 ft away
CostFree
Rodanthe Beach Access
Walk to water220 ft
Parking160 ft away
Obbc
Walk to water225 yd
Parking320 ft away
Bald Beach
Walk to water250 ft
Parking400 yd away
Narrow it down
Lists for a particular day
Dog friendly beaches
11 in Outer Banks
Family friendly beaches
9 in Outer Banks
Free parking
5 in Outer Banks
Shortest walk
Park almost on the sand
Rodanthe · the listing sits on the shoreline
Kitty Hawk · 90 ft to the water
Cape Cod · 100 ft to the water
Frisco · 110 ft to the water
Buxton · 170 ft to the water
Free parking
Beaches where visitors report free parking
Nags Head · free parking · mentioned by 15 visitors · 2016–2026
Nags Head · free parking · mentioned by 27 visitors · 2017–2026
Buxton · free parking · mentioned by 5 visitors · 2015–2026
Kill Devil Hills · free parking · mentioned by 2 visitors · 2019–2026
Kill Devil Hills · free parking · mentioned by 2 visitors · 2024–2026
With little kids
Calm water and bathrooms nearby
Nags Head · bathrooms nearby · mentioned by 8 visitors · 2016–2026
Nags Head · bathrooms nearby · mentioned by 12 visitors · 2017–2026
Buxton · bathrooms nearby · mentioned by 22 visitors · 2015–2026
Frisco · bathrooms nearby · mentioned by 12 visitors · 2021–2026
Nags Head · bathrooms nearby · mentioned by 5 visitors · 2016–2026
Avon · bathrooms nearby · mentioned by 4 visitors · 2017–2025
Buxton · bathrooms nearby · mentioned by 2 visitors · 2021–2026
Frisco · bathrooms nearby · mentioned by 2 visitors · 2020–2026
Browse
All beaches
Public Beach AccessNags Head · water 175 yd · parking 100 ft
Bonnett Street Public Beach AccessNags Head · water 340 ft · parking 50 ft- Haulover Day Use AreaBuxton · water 170 ft · parking 40 ft
Frisco BeachFrisco · water 125 yd · parking 20 ft- Rodanthe Beach AccessNags Head · water 220 ft · parking 160 ft
Coquina Beachwater 100 ft · parking 175 yd
Beach Access Ramp 43Buxton · water 150 yd · parking 10 ft
Avon BeachAvon · water 225 yd · parking 375 yd
Old Lighthouse Beach AccessBuxton · water 200 yd · parking 80 ft
Cape Hatteras National SeashoreNags Head · water 300 ft · parking 230 ft
Clark Street Beach AccessKill Devil Hills · water 200 yd · parking 20 ft
Pea Island BeachRodanthe · on the shoreline
Black Pelican BeachAvon · water 200 yd · parking 50 ft
Ramp 49 Frisco beachFrisco · water 125 yd · parking 425 yd
Kinnakeet Beach AccessAvon · water 325 yd
Kitty Hawk BeachKitty Hawk · water 90 ft · parking 300 yd
Public Beach Access - Sutton AvenueKill Devil Hills · water 310 ft · parking 10 ft- ObbcKill Devil Hills · water 225 yd · parking 320 ft
Sunny DazeNags Head · water 225 yd · parking 120 ft
Conch Street Public Beach AccessNags Head · water 200 yd · parking 100 ft
First Street Beach AccessKill Devil Hills · water 250 ft · parking 30 ft
Merrimac Lane Public Beach AccessRodanthe · water 500 yd · parking 625 yd
Eden Street Public Beach AccessKill Devil Hills · water 240 ft · parking 175 yd- Bald Beachwater 250 ft · parking 400 yd
Viars BeachFrisco · water 110 ft · parking 400 yd
Beach AccessFrisco · water 400 yd · parking 225 yd
Lake Dr Public Beach AccessKill Devil Hills · water 175 yd · parking 90 ft
Rye BeachRodanthe · water 150 yd · parking 20 ft
Oregon Avenue Public Beach AccessKill Devil Hills · water 200 yd · parking 150 ft
Every beach
All 29 beaches, by how many people rate them
| Beach | Town | Walk to water | Parking | Fee | Restrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Beach Access | Nags Head | 175 yd | 100 ft | free | yes |
| Bonnett Street Public Beach Access | Nags Head | 340 ft | 50 ft | free | yes |
| Haulover Day Use Area | Buxton | 170 ft | 40 ft | free | yes |
| Frisco Beach | Frisco | 125 yd | 20 ft | – | yes |
| Rodanthe Beach Access | Nags Head | 220 ft | 160 ft | – | yes |
| Coquina Beach | 100 ft | 175 yd | – | yes | |
| Beach Access Ramp 43 | Buxton | 150 yd | 10 ft | paid | yes |
| Avon Beach | Avon | 225 yd | 375 yd | – | yes |
| Old Lighthouse Beach Access | Buxton | 200 yd | 80 ft | – | yes |
| Cape Hatteras National Seashore | Nags Head | 300 ft | 230 ft | – | yes |
| Clark Street Beach Access | Kill Devil Hills | 200 yd | 20 ft | free | yes |
| Pea Island Beach | Rodanthe | on the sand | – | – | – |
| Black Pelican Beach | Avon | 200 yd | 50 ft | – | – |
| Ramp 49 Frisco beach | Frisco | 125 yd | 425 yd | paid | yes |
| Kinnakeet Beach Access | Avon | 325 yd | – | – | – |
| Kitty Hawk Beach | Kitty Hawk | 90 ft | 300 yd | – | yes |
| Public Beach Access - Sutton Avenue | Kill Devil Hills | 310 ft | 10 ft | – | yes |
| Obbc | Kill Devil Hills | 225 yd | 320 ft | – | yes |
| Sunny Daze | Nags Head | 225 yd | 120 ft | – | – |
| Conch Street Public Beach Access | Nags Head | 200 yd | 100 ft | – | yes |
| First Street Beach Access | Kill Devil Hills | 250 ft | 30 ft | free | – |
| Merrimac Lane Public Beach Access | Rodanthe | 500 yd | 625 yd | – | – |
| Eden Street Public Beach Access | Kill Devil Hills | 240 ft | 175 yd | – | – |
| Bald Beach | 250 ft | 400 yd | – | – | |
| Viars Beach | Frisco | 110 ft | 400 yd | – | – |
| Beach Access | Frisco | 400 yd | 225 yd | – | yes |
| Lake Dr Public Beach Access | Kill Devil Hills | 175 yd | 90 ft | – | yes |
| Rye Beach | Rodanthe | 150 yd | 20 ft | – | yes |
| Oregon Avenue Public Beach Access | Kill Devil Hills | 200 yd | 150 ft | – | – |
Walk and parking distances are measured on OpenStreetMap. Fee and restrooms come from counted visitor reviews and mapped facilities. A dash means we have no evidence either way, not that the answer is no.
Questions
Common questions
Which Outer Banks beach has the shortest walk from the car?
Pea Island Beach in Rodanthe has the listing right on the shoreline. We measure the straight line from the listed location to the mapped waterline for every beach, so the table above ranks them all.
Do you have to pay to park at Outer Banks beaches?
Mostly yes. Of the 29 beaches here, 2 have visitors reporting a parking or entry fee and 5 report free parking. Reported fees run from $20 to $35 a day in season, and several beaches drop the fee after 5pm or outside the summer.
Which beaches have restrooms?
19 of the 29 beaches have restrooms mapped on site or reported by visitors. Seasonal closures are common: several National Seashore beaches close their facilities outside the summer.
How current is this?
Tide, waves, wind and water temperature are fetched live in your browser from NOAA and Open-Meteo. Parking and facility positions come from OpenStreetMap; imagery from USGS NAIP. Facts counted from visitor reviews carry the year range they were written in.
How we know
Where this comes from
Place details from the public Google business listing. Beach shape, parking and facility positions from OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Aerial imagery is public-domain USGS NAIP. Tide comes from NOAA, and weather and water from Open-Meteo. Map drawings are redrawn from that aerial imagery by an image model. Markers, distances and every fact on this page come from OpenStreetMap and counted reviews, never from a drawing. Review text is never republished.
