If I had it to do over again, I would certainly spend at least another hour or two walking this island, exploring. Just understand that there is no shade and no services on the island. Still, exploring the island was easily our favorite thing about this visit. Our hour on this island was up far too soon.

There is a good reason they call this area the Crystal Coast. We walked back along the beach and marveled at how clear the water was. Wild Horses grazing on Shackleford Banks. We started to cut out to the coast and almost immediately found a pair of horses right along the beach munching on grass. Bonnie hiking inland at Shackleford Banks. I expected due to the cooler weather and abundance of vegetation, the horses would be hanging out among the small hills to get a break from the wind. We hiked inland for about half an hour, eating lunch along the way, looking for the horses. One thing to bear in mind is there is no dock on the island, so your feet might get a bit wet getting off the boat’s boarding ladder. The ferry dropped us off on the beach and we immediately set off to the interior of the island to look for the famed wild horses. Bonnie checking out the exhibit at the Cape Lookout National Seashore visitor center. Honestly, we could have stood to spend even more time on Shackleford Banks and wish we did. We did a two-stop ferry ticket to Shackleford Banks and the lighthouse, spending about four hours exploring the park. Without your own boat, you’ll need to take a ferry and you should plan to buy your tickets in advance. To truly experience the seashore, you will need to get out to at least one of the islands. The Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitor Center at Harkers Island. The visitor center has exhibits on the seashore and serves as the terminal for one of the ferries to the islands. The only place you can visit of Cape Lookout NS with a car is the Harkers Island Visitor Center. Please see our Review Policy for more information.) What to Do at Cape Lookout National Seashore

(Disclaimer: When we link to places you can buy our stuff or places we stayed, we are using special codes which earn us commissions on the sales at no additional cost to you. It was so much less crowded than the Outer Banks, even in the off-season, and we loved it. We really enjoyed exploring Shackleford Banks and South Core Banks by the lighthouse. You can take a vehicle on two of the islands to get to a remote camping spot or do some fishing but the Park Service does require an Off-Road Vehicle Certificate before you go. The main thing to know about visiting this national seashore is you will need a ferry or your own boat to get there. This park offers 56 miles of protected beach on Shackleford Banks, North and South Core Banks and is part of the Crystal Coast (or sometimes the Southern Outer Banks). The park consists of three barrier islands and, unlike Cape Hatteras National Seashore to the north, is far more undeveloped. Cape Lookout National Seashore is a lesser-known coast just south of the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

Cape lookout national seashore camping