Beach Access

Several “easy-to-find” maps of public parking areas and access points available along the Bogue Banks barrier chain are provided below in addition to a hyperlink for the N.C. Division of Coastal Management's Public Beach & Waterfront Access Interactive Map.  Bogue Banks is actually a continuous barrier island approximately 25.4 miles long including Fort Macon State Park that occupies the eastern 1.4 miles of the island, and is followed east to west by the political subdivisions of the Town of Atlantic Beach, the Town of Pine Knoll Shores, the Town of Indian Beach, the unincorporated community of Salter Path, and the Town of Emerald Isle.

The facilities identified in the maps below are those areas where the parking/access points are entirely owned or leased by one of the Bogue Banks communities or the State of North Carolina. Although not identified on the following maps, there are several establishments along the island that allow for seasonal or paid parking and access, such as Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier in Emerald Isle. There are almost one hundred access points w/o associated parking located along Bogue Banks for the overnight cottage renter or similar-type visitor. Many of these accesses are furnished with wooden walkways, ramps, or overlooks for that sunset walk or day at the beach.

The State of North Carolina’s Division of Coastal Management in the past has awarded approximately $1 million annually in matching grants to local governments for projects to construct or improve public access facilities, including parking areas, restrooms, dune crossovers, and piers. All of the communities along Bogue Banks have participated in this great program at one time or another and this cooperative effort has helped make Bogue Banks an extremely user-friendly and accessible stretch of coastline.

The parking / access facilities identified in the maps can be considered as Regional (sites with large parking areas and amenities such as showers, bathrooms, picnic tables, etc.), or Neighborhood that in general have fewer parking spaces than regional sites and do not have facilities such as showers or restrooms.  The number or parking spaces are identified for each site and notes regarding each parking/facility are also provided. One of the easiest ways to find a particular site when visiting Bogue Banks is to look for the familiar blue and orange CAMA sign. Enjoy the beach and your stay on Bogue Banks!

Maps

N.C. Div. of Coastal Management 's Public Beach & Waterfront Access Interactive Map