Hatteras Island

Hatteras Island is a barrier island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States, and is best known for the prominent Cape Hatteras Lighthouse that marks a historically dangerous stretch of Atlantic shoals. The lighthouse visible from much of the island was constructed in the early 1870s and remains its most-significant landmark.

The island offers wide surf beaches, inshore sounds, and access to Atlantic fishing grounds, making it popular for surf fishing, charter sportfishing, surfing and wind sports. The long, low profile of the island contains several small communities and access points to beaches and ferry terminals for Ocracoke and the mainland.

The current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse replaced earlier lights and was completed around 1870; it was physically relocated inland in 1999 to protect it from shoreline erosion. Much of the island’s shoreline is managed as part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, a U.S. National Park Service unit established to conserve the barrier islands and their maritime habitats.

Hatteras Island lies offshore along the North Carolina coast, forming part of the Outer Banks chain. Local population centres on the island include Buxton and Hatteras Village, and the island is reached by roads and ferry links from the mainland and neighbouring barrier islands.

• Lighthouse move in 1999: The lighthouse tower is 64 metres tall and was physically moved inland in 1999 to protect it from coastal erosion.
• Ferry connections: Car and passenger ferries link the island to Ocracoke Island and the mainland, making it a gateway for both tourism and local transport.

What to See #

• Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: A 64-m (210-ft) brick lighthouse originally built in 1870 and rebuilt on the same site in 1870-1871; the tower was moved inland about 880 metres (2,900 ft) in 1999 to protect it from shoreline erosion.
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore: A stretch of protected coastline managed by the U.S. National Park Service as part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which preserves beaches, dunes, and maritime habitat across the Outer Banks.
• Island communities: A string of small communities and villages along the island's length, notably Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras Village, which serve as local service centres and access points to beaches and fishing.