This All-American Road jumps off the map. When studying the atlas, it doesn’t seem possible that one highway could connect the Outer Banks and, in fact, two ferry rides are needed to make the full journey. The Outer Banks are a chain of barrier islands arcing into the Atlantic and then doubling back to the mainland. Renowned for their isolated beaches, plentiful seafood and a seemingly endless ocean of vacation rentals, a visit also reveals that lighthouses, gardens, hang-gliding and aviation history are big deals here, too, expanding the options for fun in this coastal paradise.

The Outer Banks lie in far east North Carolina, about 3 hours east of Raleigh and less than an hour and a half southeast of Norfolk, Virginia. One of only two highways connecting mainland North Carolina, US 158 is the primary artery to the northern coast area. To road trip the full length of the Outer Banks, once you cross the Currituck Sound from Point Harbor and enter Kitty Hawk, turn left onto State Highway 12 and drive north.

Passing through the upscale resort town of Duck, it’s about 20 miles to Corolla and the drive’s first highlight: the 162-foot-tall Currituck Beach Lighthouse, one of five majestic beacons on this road trip. Built in 1875 of a million bricks with 220 steps, you can climb to the top, weather permitting, from mid-March through December.

WATCH THIS SCENIC BYWAY’S VIDEO – PART 1

Continuing on NC 12 past Corolla 1.5 miles, pavement ends at sand. However, with 4WD, you can still navigate the beach north to the Virginia state line. Having reached the northern limits of the Outer Banks, the journey heads south. Returning where NC 12 splits from US 158, the road enters Kitty Hawk, synonymous with the birth of aviation. But if you’re looking for the Wright Brothers, you won’t find them here.

Follow NC 12 another four miles south to Kill Devil Hills and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. In a time when air travel is taken for granted, this memorial commemorates how two Ohio brothers broke humanity’s connection with Earth. Atop Kill Devil Hill, the highest point in the Outer Banks, sits a 60-foot-tall memorial. In the early 1900s, older brother Wilbur and younger brother Orville made hundreds of manned glider flights from this sand dune as they perfected their invention and piloting skills. In the distance lies the visitor center and more significantly, the path of the world’s first successful motor-driven flights. On December 17, 1903, Orville piloted the first engine-powered flight with Wilburn running alongside, which traveled 120 feet.

A short drive from Wright Brothers National Memorial is Jockey’s Ridge, North Carolina’s most visited state park. Take off your shoes and slather on the sunscreen for a quick hike to North Carolina’s biggest sand dune, a prime hang-gliding area. On a breezy day, it’s easy to understand how the winds around here helped launch aviation.

The next five miles south pass through highly commercialized Nags Head before reaching US 64, the other main highway to the Outer Banks. Follow it west a few miles to Roanoke Island and O’Neal’s Sea Harvest, one of many fish markets throughout the area where you can buy the day’s fresh catch and prepare as you like back at camp or in your vacation rental kitchen.

Roanoke Island is one of the most historic places in the New World. In 1584, English colonists first landed here but it took two more expeditions before England’s first settlement in the Western Hemisphere took root in 1587. But Fort Raleigh didn’t last long. For reasons unknown, six years later the colonists vanished.

In 1951, the Garden Club of North Carolina, a non-profit organization with 17,000 women members, built a botanical garden as a living memorial to Fort Raleigh and the lost colonists. In spring, the Elizabethan Gardens feature southern favorites such as azaleas and camelias. There are also a lot of statues, such as the garden’s namesake, an imposing Queen Elizabeth I, ruler of England when Ft. Raleigh was founded. Another depicts Virginia Dare, thought to be the first child of English descent born in the New World. What happened to her and the rest of the colonists remains one of the great mysteries of colonial times.

A five-minute drive from the gardens is the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island with a variety of indoor and outdoor exhibits and natural habitats. The nearby town of Manteo has a quaint downtown and the Elizabeth II anchored in its harbor, a replica of vessels that brought the colonists to Roanoke Island. The ship can be toured mid-March through December. The waterfront is also home to Roanoke Marshes, this road trip’s second lighthouse. Called a screw-pile lighthouse and dating back to the 1800s, a dozen of these short squat beauties once graced North Carolina’s rivers and sounds.

Heading back toward the beach, it’s a 10-minute drive east on US 64 to NC 12. On the southside of Nags Head, the Outer Banks Fishing Pier is one of several scenic jetties built along the coastline. Gulf stream currents moderate temperatures here meaning it’s relatively mild year-round. However, while the ocean is warm as bathwater in summer and early fall, it can be shockingly icy in winter and spring!

WATCH THIS SCENIC BYWAY’S VIDEO – PART 2

Continuing south on NC 12, the road enters Cape Hatteras National Seashore and soon, lighthouse number three appears. This is also the third Bodie Island Lighthouse. The first was built in 1847 but abandoned because of a poor foundation. The second went up in 1859 but was blown up two years later by fleeing Confederate troops during the Civil War. The current Bodie Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1872 and stands 150 feet high.

From here, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway gets less busy and the beaches more secluded. The Atlantic side of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge features sand, surf and the Boiler Wreck, about 100 yards offshore. For some 160 years the steam engine of The Oriental has been sticking out of the water. On the other side of NC 12 a nature trail leads into the marsh. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1938 to primarily protect the loggerhead sea turtles and 370+ species of birds found here.

This is obviously a desirable place for a home base and the Oregon Inlet Campground is conveniently close by. Reservations are highly recommended. With sand dunes lining the route and small towns named Rodanthe, Waves and Avon along the way, it’s 45 minutes to Cape Hatteras and the most famous of the five lighthouses along the byway. Called “America’s Lighthouse” it sits strategically at a point where dangerous, shifting underwater sandbars, named the Diamond Shoals, extend almost 20 miles into the sea. At 198 feet, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is also the tallest brick lighthouse in the country. This particular structure dates back to 1870. In 1999, it was moved on railroad tracks ½ mile inland because of the encroaching Atlantic Ocean.

The beach at Cape Hatteras is continually recognized as one of the most beautiful in America. It’s an excellent place to shell and fish. Keep in mind that anyone older than 16 will need a Coastal Recreational Fishing License which costs $30 for out-of-state visitors and $15 for North Carolina residents. Pier and charter boat fishing are covered by a blanket license so you won’t need an individual one.

Though it might be hard to imagine with all the modern development, Hatteras Island is steeped in Civil War history. The Union won its first battle here, and the island was home to North Carolina’s first safe haven for African Americans, the Hotel De Afrique. Diamond Shoals is one of the reasons the Outer Banks is murder on mariners, with more than 2,000 shipwrecks. This so-called Graveyard of the Atlantic has its own museum, displaying salvaged items from wrecks like the USS Monitor, a battleship that sank in an 1862 storm.

Cape Hatteras is the end of the road but the Outer Banks Scenic Byway and NC 12 don’t stop here. A free vehicle ferry makes several runs a day to Ocracoke Island. It’s first come first serve, no reservations taken, so plan accordingly. The hour-long sailing passes through the Pamlico Sound. Lying entirely west of the Outer Banks, it’s the largest saltwater lagoon on the East Coast.

Ocracoke can only be reached by boat or plane but NC 12 still gets you where you need to go once you reach the island. Sand dunes line the road’s ocean side, forming a protective backdrop at Ocracoke Campground. Like Oregon Inlet, this campground is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and run by the National Park Service. Ocracoke is just 16 miles long and varies from three to less than a ½ mile wide. The eastern side is pretty much entirely beach. But there are woods here, too, and the Hammock Hills Nature Trail is a short hike that feels more like Appalachia and western North Carolina, until you reach the marsh.

The byway reaches the end of the island at the village of Ocracoke, quite possibly the most attractive of all Outer Banks towns where quaint inns, seafood, sweets, art and a kite shop are big draws. But the most popular tourist attraction is the fifth and final lighthouse of our road trip, and at just 75 feet high, it’s also the second smallest. The 200-year-old Ocracoke Lighthouse is North Carolina’s oldest and the nation’s second oldest operating lighthouse. Now fully automated, there’s no keeper per se. Today it’s run by the US Coast Guard, and unlike the other Outer Banks lighthouses, you can’t climb it.

Another ferry takes vehicles away from Ocracoke and the Outer Banks toward mainland North Carolina. This route has fewer sailings than the Cape Hatteras ferry, charges a fare and requires reservations. It lands at Cedar Island where NC 12 passes through Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge before ending at US 70.

Researched and written by Greg Phillips. Original itinerary created for RVshare and then adjusted to include all travelers.