Celebrating National Park Week: Cape Lookout National Seashore

There are 62 national parks administered by the National Park Service (NPS), the parks we are celebrating this week, amazing places for outdoor adventure.  But in addition to the parks, there are national seashores (10 of them) which are also administered by the NPS, including one of my most favorite places in the US, Cape Lookout National Seashore.  Cape Lookout National Seashore, 56 miles of mostly deserted barrier islands along the coast of North Carolina in the US, is really an extension of the Outer Banks, which includes another national seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  Cape Lookout was designated a National Seashore, administered by the Park Service, in 1966, though it had been visited by locals for decades.  Cape Lookout is separated from the mainland by Core Sound, and is made up of three barrier islands, North Core Banks, which includes Portsmouth Village (which is now essentially a separate island), South Core Banks, and Shackleford Banks.  The last inhabitants of Portsmouth Village departed in 1971, but many of the buildings which made up the village have been preserved; daily ferry service provides access.  Shackleford Banks is best known because of the presence of a herd of wild horses called Banker horses, a breed of wild horse found on a few barrier islands of North Carolina's Outer Banks.  Shackleford Banks also supports the only true maritime forests on the Seashore, and is easily accessible by daily ferry service from either Beaufort, or Harkers Island.  Or, you can take your own power boat out, beach it on the shore, get stuck for hours, like we did one year.

I have spent most of my time on South Core Banks, accessible by kayak, as I did one year, or by ferry out of Davis, NC.  While both North and South Core Banks are undeveloped and uninhabited, both have a small clusters of primitive cabins for rent, maintained by the Park Service.  Camping on the beach is free, though the ferry will cost you.  And since you can drive on the beach, finding a nice place to pitch your tent or park your 4WD camper is easy, just have to watch for turtle nests and nesting birds.  Beach camping can be tough, it can be hot, windy, and you get sand everywhere, in your tent, in your coffee, in your hair, and in every human orifice.  But it it so worth it, waking up on what often seem like a desolate beach, looking out at the Atlantic Ocean, waves crashing on the shore, and often birds, everywhere.  The ferry out of Davis brings you to a dock at the Great Island Cabin Area, where you will find a small park office, which only sells ice, gas and non-highway diesel, and a cluster of 26 primitive cabins.  You then simply have to deflate the tires on your truck down to about 18 psi, lock in the 4WD, and head for the beach.  There simply is nothing like camping on a beach, especially one with so few people.  I always went during the summer, and while it can get busy on weekends, I always felt almost alone, especially late afternoon and evening when the beach traffic subsides.  The real busy season is during the fall, when the red drum are running.  Cape Lookout, while popular with folks like me, is best known as a fishing destination, and during the fall, the red drum are running and every cabin is booked.  It is not uncommon for fishermen to haul 40 lb drum out of the surf.  But, late summer and fall is hurricane season.  The islands are frequently hit by hurricanes, including Hurricane Dorian which struck in September 2019; cabins at Long Point on North Core Banks are still closed due to damage caused by Dorian.

I have been to Cape Lookout many times, camping mostly though I have stayed in a cabin for one night before catching an early ferry off the island a couple of years (cabin #24 is wonderful).  While the cabins do not have any electricity, there is a stove and hot showers (oh boy!) powered by small propane tanks.  I prefer to camp, drift off to sleep with the sound of waves crashing on the shore, and wake to brilliant sunrises over the Atlantic.  Summer storms can be scary, especially when in a small tent, sand is everywhere, and it is always windy.  But, it is challenge that makes for a more meaningful experience, a more meaningful adventure.  I love Cape Lookout, a very special place.

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