![]() ![]() The entire trip – which includes the two ferries – can take at least 5-6 hours, so visitors will want to reserve a full day for exploring. However, visitors can also take a slight or scenic detour through Harkers Island by turning onto Shell Road / Harkers Island Road, which loops through the area and presents a wonderful opportunity to explore a charming small coastal town. For a straightforward drive, visitors can keep cruising along NC Highway 12 until they reach the borders of scenic Beaufort, where the byway technically ends. Then, it’s another few miles along NC Highway 12 on Cedar Island, before visitors can opt for one of two routes along the scenic byway. ![]() This is where the next ferry trip comes into play, as visitors board the Cedar Island Ferry, which transports vehicles across the Pamlico Sound on a roughly 2.25 hour long trip. At this point, visitors will drive along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway all the way through Ocracoke Island, and eventually land in the small and charming town of Ocracoke village, which is located at the southern tip of the small barrier isle. Once on Hatteras Island, visitors will board a free vehicular ferry that embarks on a roughly one-hour cruise to Ocracoke Island to the south. This point just south of Nags Head marks the start of the byway, as well as the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and from here, visitors will travel south, across the Bonner Bridge, and to the very southern tip of Hatteras Island. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway’s northern entrance is located at the beginning of NC Highway 12 at Whalebone Junction, aka, the intersection of US Highway 64 and Highway 158. Visitors can swing by visitors’ centers, ferry terminals, or other common destinations for vacationers to find detailed maps and more information on this unique road in the heart of coastal Carolina. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway has its own website as a resource for visitors,, as well as fliers and guides found at a number of stops throughout the area. The route also crosses two inlets as well as 21 distinct coastal villages along the way, each with their own appeal to vacationers. The byway extends for 138 driving miles and 25 ferry-traveling miles, and effectively crosses across several islands which includes Cedar Island, Ocracoke Island and Hatteras Island. In 2016, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway received signs that marked the entrances of the byway, designated points of interest, and other unique elements of the highway that are worth exploring. It is one of only 150 stretches of road in the country that is designated as a National Byway, and one of just a couple National Byways that are found within the state of North Carolina and the Eastern Seaboard region. The Outer Banks Scenic Byway was technically established in 2009 after years of hard work by a team of local residents along the Outer Banks. Known as one of the most beautiful stretches of pavement (and water) in North Carolina, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is an attraction in its own right, and is a perfect destination for a lazy day-trip or weekend getaway where all the adventures take place on the road. Take a long and lingering trip along the coastline that includes two ferries, 21 coastal villages, and miles of stunning scenery in every direction with a trip along the Outer Banks Scenic Byway.
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