Cape Lookout National Seashore Schedules 2026

Cape Lookout National Seashore does not own a boat. The National Park Service runs the shoreline; the ferries are run by an authorised concessioner, Island Express Ferry Service, and the park publishes the rules they operate under. The 128 departures filed here are that consolidated service.

Passengers and vehicles leave from different towns

This catches people out. Foot passengers sail from Harkers Island and Beaufort to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and Shackleford Banks. If you want to bring a vehicle, neither of those will do: vehicle ferries run from Davis to Great Island Cabin Camp on South Core Banks, and from Atlantic to Long Point Cabin Camp on North Core Banks. Those two vehicle services are not in our timetable at all, and they are booked by telephone.

The park’s own crossing times, by distance

The Seashore publishes each run as a distance and a duration: Harkers Island to the east end of Shackleford Banks and the Lighthouse is 3.5 miles, about 30 minutes; Beaufort to the west end of Shackleford Banks is 2.5 miles, about 20 minutes; Beaufort to the Lighthouse is 12 miles, about 40 minutes. Our own schedule data records a flat 25 minutes on all six routes, so treat the park’s figures as the ones to plan by — particularly the Beaufort-to-Lighthouse run, which is nearly four times the distance of the short Shackleford hop.

Distance and time do not track each other here

Compare two 3.5-mile trips. Harkers Island to the Lighthouse takes about 30 minutes. Davis to Great Island Cabin Camp, the same 3.5 miles, takes about 45. Atlantic to Long Point is 3.75 miles and roughly an hour. These are shallow, shifting sounds behind a barrier island, and the boats follow channels rather than straight lines. Reading mileage off a map will mislead you.

The lighthouse dock has been damaged since Christmas Eve 2022

A winter storm on 24 December 2022 caused substantial damage to the ferry dock at the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. The reduced docking area is still in limited service, boarding and disembarking take longer than normal, and while it stays that way the dock is not wheelchair accessible. Full accessibility returns when permanent repairs are finished. If step-free access matters to your trip, this is the single most important line on this page.

Beach wheelchairs are lent free, first come first served

Manually operated beach wheelchairs can be borrowed at the Beaufort Visitor Information Center and the Harkers Island Visitor Center, taken with you on the ferry, and used on Shackleford Banks and at the Lighthouse. They are not powered, so you will need someone to push. Availability is first come, first served — there is no reservation.

Dogs, bicycles and cargo all cost extra

Pets are allowed throughout the Seashore but must stay on a six-foot leash, and the ferry may charge to carry them. Bicycles and e-bikes are permitted on North and South Core Banks along routes designated for off-road vehicles, with e-bikes following the same rule as ordinary bikes and barred from wilderness areas — the detail sits in the park’s Superintendent’s Compendium (2024). Beach wagons, camping kit and oversize cargo may all attract a surcharge, set by the ferry rather than the park.

One place you can only reach by boat

Portsmouth Village has no road access of any kind. The crossing from Ocracoke is 5 miles, about 20 minutes, and it must be booked by phone rather than online. It is not in our timetable, and it is the only settlement on this coast where the ferry is not the convenient option but the sole one.