These free ferries connect Hatteras to Ocracoke Island. They have a few different sizes. Some ( the…read morelarger ones hold about 30-35 cars) with a small air conditioned area upstairs that holds roughly 50 people. While the smaller version holds about 20-25 cars that doesn't have that AC area upstairs. The ride takes roughly 1 hour & 15 minutes each way. There is a small terminal on the Hatteras side almost like a rest area. During the day ferries run every 1/2 hour. Believe they also have a express passenger only ferry which one has reserve in advance and isn't free. The only amenities are restrooms downstairs. Riders are allowed to leave there cars once the ferry has departed the terminal. Enjoy the view. :)

the people working on this ferry treated us like actual garbage when we were first getting on. get…read morehelp!

What a wonderful experience! From booking our tickets with the kindest lady to going on our…read moreadventure with the kindest men/captains of the boat. I didn't catch his name but one man was kind enough to talk to us about the horses, the island, and answer all our questions. He gave clear directions about where to go to find shells and the best spot to see the horses. The boat ride over itself does get faster then I expected so plan ahead for that. We had two small children with us, one being a baby and they enjoyed the boat ride too. The staff was very helpful getting out stroller on and off board. everyone was so kind and helpful and we had a beautiful day!

Overall good experience wait times were a little bit longer than expected but peak season …read more Everyone was helpful

FAVORITE PLACE HERE. We spent hours finding the most amazing shells. The water is crystal clear and…read morethe wanes aren't bad at all. I would come back in a heart beat.

We had so much fun on Shackleford Island. We saw so many horses, found a lot of cool shells, and…read morethe beach was beautiful. It's about a 30 minute ferry ride from Beaufort. There is a restroom but NO amenities or food available for purchase. Bring everything you need with you. Once we arrived, there was a tour guide but it wasn't much of a tour. She walked us to the other side of the island to show us two horses on the beach and then walked all the way back to where we started to show us where to find the best shells. Her "tour" lasted about 30 minutes. We did most of the exploring on our own and that's when we found the majority of the horses. As long as you aren't looking for a super guided tour, this is a great day trip!

The Cedar Island Ferry as mentioned and as advertised connects....well Cedar Island to Ocracoke…read more You're talking 22 miles and about two hours and fifteen minutes door to door. Here's what you need to know. The below link is for the schedule. Note that this run changes its schedule seasonally. 2 RT in winter, 3 in spring & fall and 4 from about Memorial Day to Labor Day. www.ncdot.gov/travel-maps/ferry-tickets-services/routes/Pages/default.aspx Do you need a reservation? In theory, yes. It's $15, for now - more on that in a moment, and at the below link you can make a reservation and you can also see the number of available car slots for each day and time slot if you're not sure. Can you just show up and pay the $15 day of? Absolutely, just be aware, again, that this run is very limited per day in the number of departures. Note that you can call NCDOT up until 6pm the day prior to cancel for a full refund or to change your date and/or time without penalty. ferry.ncdot.gov/reservations/ For my trip last week, I got the MV Sea Level. Only fourteen years old and it more than took care of business. www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:448824/mmsi:367520980/imo:9677727/vessel:SEA%20LEVEL With that said, I was on the 7:30 am departure on a Wednesday with some nasty weather coming in that would shut the ferry system down the next day so the load was light at only 4 cars. We had about a 2:1 staff to passenger ratio. The passenger lounge was more than comfortable. They had the A/C blasting (not at all needed) and I took up two seats facing aft and another couple took two seats facing forward while the rest stayed rocking and rolling in their cars. My trip, I know, was probably abnormal compared to summer and on a weekend. I made the trip from Atlantic Beach to Cedar Island in 50 minutes cruising along with almost no traffic once I got through Morehead City. Same as at the ferry terminal where I was the last of the four cars for the ride and I got there 30 minutes prior exactly. The upside was that we left a few minutes early since everyone was more than there. In better weather, this is a great chance to sit outside and enjoy the sun and the water or in the weather I had, to sit inside and bob around while reading in perfect peace and quiet. No problem doing this one again. (RIght, as for the $15 part. As of 1/1/27, the routes on the NC ferry system that are now free, will all start to charge some type of fare and the two which currently charge (this route and Swan Quarter) will supposedly have their fare increased for the sake of long term maintenance and boat procurement. So if you can, ride 'em while their free or still at $15 because who the hell knows what next year will be.)

The Cedar Island Ferry takes about two hours to journey to Ocracoke and unlike the Hatteras and…read moreMinnesott ferries, this one requires a reservation. You can still show up, as I did, and hope someone cancels but you could be waiting a while. While waiting, enjoy the comfortable and air-conditioned terminal that has snacks and a restroom but no wifi. There are also picnic tables all around and a beach. The ferry is an enjoyable ride and surprisingly only $15 each way. A large passenger area has seating including tables and power outlets. You can bring your own snacks or purchase from the on-board vending machines. There are also restrooms. [Review 772 of 2025 - 4204 in North Carolina - 24332 overall]

Always giving you the star treatment great family fun and memories. Thank you again.read more

This was a great experience out to the lighthouse. We were able to catch the ferry and the driver…read morewas friendly, and gave a little informal lessons about the area. Overall it was great. Just make sure you don't miss the last ferry ride. 2025-07 #558

If you want to go to Ocracoke and don't have your own boat or a small plane to land at the island…read moreairstrip, then the NC ferry system is the only way to go. The system offers three different routes over to the island from Hatteras (most popular by a lot), Cedar Island and the way we chose for this trip, from Swan Quarter which is the least popular. Why the least popular? I think it comes down to two big reasons: The crossing takes, if everything runs smoothly, at least two and a half hours and there really isn't much of anything to see or do near the Swan Quarter dock area. If you want desolate and nothing, I recommend driving to Swan Quarter from somewhere like KDH, Manteo or Nags Head. Nice loooong drive around the perimeter of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Mattamuskeet. For the first hour, maybe, I saw three cars once I got on to 264. Check in was fast and easy. I made a reservation the day prior (for a standard sized car/SUV you're looking at $15 to make the crossing) and once I gave my name, it was checked off on the clipboard, a receipt was given and then we lined up. ferry.ncdot.gov/#/ We had about 30 minutes to kill and got out and walked around. No real place to go past inside the admin. building to use the bathroom or to walk along water line even if there are signs warning about snakes and gators. The Cedar Island pulled up right on time and the unloading/loading was done very efficiently and we even left a few minutes early. Very smooth ride over with no real bumps or chops. Weather was in the upper 50's, cloudy with some drizzle. Compared to the long lines to board over at Hatteras this one was a comparative breeze. Sure the ride is on the long side but the weather was great and I sat either inside the small passenger lounge or topside reading which was a-ok with me. The other obvious advantage to taking this boat versus Hatteras to get to Ocracoke is the ability to make a reservation. With the first come-first served-priority system of loading at Hatteras you can get blocked out for hours. I know this first hand. The day prior to this we got to Hatteras a little before 10am and they were telling people that maybe...they could get us on the 2pm boat...maybe and if not it would be the 3pm. Hell. No. Overall it was a great experience and in any future OBX trips I would have no problem leaving for Ocracoke from here.

What a great way to travel to Ocracoke! The staff at the terminal were extremely friendly and…read moreengaging...even at 5:30am! The ferry was clean and offers restrooms, indoor cabin seating with a few tables plus outdoor deck seating. The Swan Quarter ferry offers the earliest arrival time to Ocracoke. Make sure to secure your reservation before the trip or else your ship may sail without you! Bon Voyage!

Nice relaxing tour of the bay. Didn't get to see any Carrot Island wild horses though, so I was a…read morelittle disappointed. Easy to make reservations, but its not guaranteed to go unless they have enough people. The boat is huge and accommodates a lot of people. Bathrooms were clean, snacks available, plenty of historic information. It's good for tourists, a nice relaxing ride.

Maybe we were lucky! We saw the wild horses plus a 6 month old foal with its mother and a junior…read morehorse about 2 years old. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and lead us to the wild horses. Well worth the trip! Jeannie, our guide was very helpful and the ferry captain shared a bit of the history of the port as we ferried out to Shackleford Bank.

Fun for all! This is 100% geared towards kids, but Captain Spike definitely throws in some adult…read morehumor too. The trip is perfect amount of time for the kids to not get bored. Mrs Fettuccini was great and remembered every kids name. The treasure was icing on the cake - my kids loved it. Absolutely a must do when in the area.

This tour was amazing. Took the evening Ghost Float tour. It was fun exciting ghostly and had…read moregreat story's the staff was great. Definitely worth the visit.

Welcome to Ocracoke Island (or thanks for visiting, depending on your direction). The Terminal at…read morethe south end of the island will be where you wait to catch the ferry to Cedar Island and rejoin the mainland. The terminal is clean, comfortable and air conditioned. It has restrooms and vending machines for an easy wait. It also overlooks the ferry dock area so you can see it coming and you can keep an eye on your car in the parking lot as well. Be prepared for a two hour journey to Cedar Island though there is a passenger lounge on board with seating and restrooms. Note that there is a NORTH ferry terminal which will be your ride to Hatteras. Be sure you're headed to the correct one! [Review 773 of 2025 - 4205 in North Carolina - 24333 overall]

What a great way to travel to and from Ocracoke! The staff at the terminal were extremely friendly…read moreand engaging...even for the last ferry of the day! The ferry was clean and offers restrooms, indoor cabin seating with a few tables plus outdoor deck seating. The Cedar Island ferry arrives later in Ocracoke. If an earlier arrival is needed, you'll want to drive farther North for the Swan Quarter ferry. The Cedar Island ferry is the better option to return home after a day on Ocracoke. Bon Voyage!

Nice ferry, runs about every 30 mins to every hour on the adjusted schedule. Restrooms available…read morewith ramped accessibility access. Don't be in a hurry, it's island time.

I got to the island yesterday, arriving on the ferry from Cedar Island. That one requires a…read morereservation. This one at the north end of the island, does not. Other than "priority traffic," it is first come, first served, lining up in queue on the roadway. There is a ferry terminal building here with restrooms and vending machines but there aren't any other facilities. No air conditioned waiting room or such. Just wait patiently and you'll be on your way soon enough. [Review 784 of 2025 - 4216 in North Carolina - 24344 overall]