Cape Lookout National Seashore

Beautiful!!! We are staying on Harkers Island and took the ferry, short ride there. The lighthouse was stunning, so many great photo ops!!! Be aware that there are NO trash cans anywhere so you have to keep up with your trash for the trip. We took our two dogs with us and they loved it! Walk around, swim, fish, climb the light house, lots to do!!!

Very beautiful natural beaches here. You can lay out on the beach here or search for sea shells. The beaches are pristine so it’s very peaceful. You can also tour the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper’s house. To get here, you have to take a ferry over from Beaufort or Harker’s Island. If you have a disability, I would make sure you make arrangements in advance or discuss it with the ferry company in advance. There are small and larger ferries that arrive. In order to board the smaller ferries, you must climb down a ladder and if you are unable to do this, it could be a problem. They will tell you you can wait for the large ferry, but then when the large ferry comes, it has a roster of people to take and will only take you if it has room. I thought I would explain this here so that people with disabilities can make arrangements accordingly. There is also nowhere to sit on the dock at Cape Lookout while you wait, so this can be a problem as well if you cannot stand for long. I give the seashore 5 stars, but 3 stars on transportation.

Absolutely awesome. Need to take ferry over to this barrier island. Great lighthouse built in 1859. Climb to top. Worth it!!. Great beach and shell collecting

This spectacular barrier island at the southernmost point of North Carolina’s Outer Banks is accessible only by ferry or private boat, which helps account for its crystal-​clear waters, pristine stretches of white sand beaches, and unparalleled solitude.
Drive over to Harkers Island for the shorter ferry ride to the Cape, and prepare yourself for a 10– to 15-​minute hike from the dock to the beach on the ocean side of the island. If you plan on toting more than a couple of blankets and a beach umbrella, paying the small ferry charge to bring over a beach cart will be a worthwhile investment.
The lighthouse is a tough (but rewarding) climb, with phenomenal views in every direction. Tickets are required from the ranger station, but make sure you get them at least 10 minutes before closing time, as the NPS staff on duty aren’t sympathetic to late arrivals. The island also has clean and comfortable facilities, as well as gift shop and snack bar, but these will also close promptly at the advertised time.
If you have time during your visit, be sure to take the short ferry ride from Beaufort to Shackleford Banks, where wild horses run free across the landscape (or at least stand around and eat grass). This section of the national seashore has absolutely NO facilities, so bring your own food and be prepared to pee in the grass.
Cape Lookout National Seashore is one of America’s greatest natural treasures — a remarkable jewel that’s worth the long drive from any destination. We enjoyed every minute of our stay, and will definitely be making a return trip.

Very serene and private retreat. We camped out for the weekend near the end of April 2015. We had a wonderful time even despite the stormy weather and being unable to swim. We had 2 dogs and 5 people. We will definitely be back

Beautiful and can’t wait to go back!

Let the tour of Outer Banks’ Lighthouses begin!!!
We decided to take a trip to Cape Lookout on our last day of our trip to Atlantic Beach. I had read a few websites on how to get to the island, how much, what time, etc. *scratching head* …they were WAY OFF. However, dispite the obstacles of reading the WRONG information, I still had a great time and would love to go back for a full day at the beach. Here’s a few things you should know befor going:
1. We took a ferry from Harker’s Island with Calico Jack’s Ferry service. $ 10 a person to go to one destination, $ 20 a person to go to 2, and so on and so forth. If you are a photographer, I HIGHLY recommend going to Shakelford Island to see the Banker Ponies up close and personal. The Ferry guide actually said that he would take us really close to the island on the way to Cape Lookout so we could save $ 10. We were fortunate enough to find a horse really close to the shore so I was able to capture beautiful pics nice and close. The only thing with getting off at Shackleford Island as one of the destinations is that there are NO FACILITIES. It’s just an island with a small beach and wild ponies. No consessions, no bathrooms, no shade, just you, the ponies, and the horseshoe crabs.
2 If you are not planning on spending a full day out at Cape Lookout, an hour and a half is plenty of time to look around. You have to book your pick up time when you pay.
3. Bring sunscreen, bug spray, FOOD/​SNACKS, WATER, wear your bathing suit, and wear a hat. I was in tennis shoes and sweating that a pig heading to the slatter. I for some reason thought that there was a small mini conessions and a small town. DOH! Not so much. The lighthouse was beautiful and I enjoyed the free history lesson by one of the keepsers.
4. If you have a AWD, you can catch a ferry a little ways down on Harker’s Island and they’ll take you and your car out to Cape Lookout where you can camp right by the water. So cool.
5. Don’t forget your camera!!!
And Last, you can climb the lighthouse only on certain days and Sunday isn’t one of them. :(boo!
Overall great trip!