I got to the island yesterday, arriving on the ferry from Cedar Island. That one requires a reservation. 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] read more

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If you are already on the island and came by vehicle, this is one of the ways you get back to mainland. Sometimes you can get on the next ferry or you might have to wait for the one behind. Depending on weather the ferry's run often. Make sure you find out on the NCDOT website. read more

Ocracoke-Hatteras Ferry Terminal - Public Transportation Near Me

This is a great option for those who need to get from Hatteras to Ocracoke Island. It's free, so it comes with a few quirks that you should know and plan for ahead of time. The ferry is first, first served. Plan ahead and check the website for departure times (which change for each season) and be prepared to wait depending on time of day and year. If you have to wait, the Terminal has shops, restaurants and drinks you can get you out of the car and relaxing for a bit. Once ready to load, there is a lot of direction and help from the crew to get your car loaded and parked. Be aware that the ferry itself is nice but sparse. There are no snacks or drinks and it is about 1 hour to shore so come prepared. It's free though and you can't beat a free, comfortable ferry to an island. read more

Ocracoke-Hatteras Ferry Terminal - Ferry full of cars headed to Ocracoke Island. - Public Transportation Near Me

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The passage itself is a relaxing event, even if you really don't have a destination in mind- which in this case is obviously Ocracoke. Free fairy provided by the department of transportation, ie taxpayers, to get you to and from Ocracoke and Beyond. Very well organized and efficient. Just roll down the windows and enjoy the lovely ocean views for an hour or so. read more

Ocracoke-Hatteras Ferry Terminal - Waiting in the queue - Public Transportation Near Me

One of things I love about Yelp is that people create multiple listings for the same thing, or they just drop reviews in at one spot when it should be somewhere else, etc. This one is no different. The map marker is for the ferry dock on the Eastern side of Ocracoke but I swear some of the pictures and reviews are talking about the Silver Lake dock on the Western Side of the island or about the dock over at Hatteras. All good. It's just amuses me. Ok, some people clearly need a reality check and/or also clearly in the 21st century age of the Internet still don't use it to do any research before leaving their house. First, the ferry schedule changes seasonally. It's runs every 30 minutes for part of the year but for about half of the year it's either hourly or at certain times of the day, it'll be every two hours in winter. Go here first: www.ncdot.gov/travel-maps/ferry-tickets-services/routes/Documents/ferry-schedule.pdf That same website page for the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry also clearly mentions that they ferry is free and first come, first served. The below tourism page has everything you could want to know and more regarding the ferry. www.outerbanks.com/hatteras-ocracoke-ferry.html In my experience, it's harder to get to Ocracoke then it is to get to Hatteras. Granted, I have never gone in season as my trips over have always been during Christmas week but as an example, last week on Thursday I got to Hatteras a little before 10am and the staff were telling people maybe they could get non-priority cars on the 2pm but more than likely it would be the 3pm. But the next day on Friday the ferry from Ocracoke to Hatteras at 4:30pm was maybe 2/3 full of cars and obviously no one was left waiting. It's all hit or miss. The part I left out is that if you really need to get over to Ocracoke and you're staying somewhere in OBX proper like KDH, Manteo, Nags Head, etc, you can always make a reservation and drive the 90ish minutes to the ferry in Swan Quarter. Guaranteed passage and the drive there plus the longer ride are very nice and quiet. I recommend it. Sure it takes longer but at least you know you'll get there. Oh right, the terminal here. Fairly spartan but then again that fits the vibe of Ocracoke in general and overall it's fairly consistent with the ferry terminals I've seen in NC's system. read more

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Nice trip going in and out of Ocracoke via the ferry system. The ferry runs every half hour, which is nice and convenient. It also runs pretty late. I saw online that it ran until midnight but then one of the boarding members said it ran until two in the morning. That was a relief not to be rushed into touring the island and having to leave so soon. The terminal itself is clean but could use some upkeep. But I'm sure as summer progresses, it will probably look better. The crew was super nice and friendly. Overall a pleasant experience. read more

Ocracoke-Hatteras Ferry Terminal - Waiting in line - Public Transportation Near Me

Terrible Experience. We rented the separate cars in the Ocracoke island for Jeep rides on the beach. Came at 8AM to make sure we had time to make our 10AM rental on the island. 11AM and still waiting. DO NOT COME!!! read more

A small terminal, but just as efficient as the other terminals where they load your vehicle efficiently by guiding you on and giving you clear instructions. We had to line up pretty far, over a mile, on a Saturday at 6:00pm when returning to Hatteras. But, we got on the second ferry, just barely. read more

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Didn't have to wait long which is a plus when traveling!! Ferry arrival and departure is pretty quick turnaround so we didn't spend much time waiting! Ferry boarding crew worked very efficiently and were polite! read more

Ocracoke-Hatteras Ferry Terminal - Lovely place and free to ride! Wait was not long in December! - Public Transportation Near Me

Love this island! They do this trip several times a day, but still they were very helpful. We always enjoy visiting the Outer Banks.

Bottom Line: A utilitarian ferry terminal on Hatteras Island for taking your car to Ocracoke Island via "highway" 12. As far as the ferry terminal itself, I don't have too much to say. It basically consists of approximately seven lanes or eight lanes (I think) for queueing up traffic to board the ferry. I feel like the employees are organized snd professional and the boarding and disembarkation processes go well. In the busy summer season I'd estimate that the ferry is about 80% vacationers and day trippers and 20% locals and commercial traffic. There are two lines to board the ferry - the priority line (for locals and commercial traffic) and the non-priority line (everyone else). For the common folk, there are about six lanes for queueing up the cars, I believe. Someone will direct you on which lane to get into and it is based on a first come, first serve basis. After cars are queued up and the incoming ferry is unloaded, it's time to board. The ferry employees will make an announcement for drivers to return to their cars (more on that later) and board the priority traffic first. Then the ferry staff will cue the common folk, by lane number, to board. Drivers need to pay attention to directions from the ferry guys and may need to provide a drivers license as part of DHS's random inspection security measures. After the klunk-klunk sound of driving over the ramp to the ferry, an employee will direct you where to park on the ferry. The busiest summer days for the ferry is Wednesdays. Tuesdays and Thursdays can be busy too. If your timing is just tight, you won't have to wait long to board but during peak times it could be a few hours. Given that, people tend to park their car in their queueing spot and go to the shops next door or perhaps even the museum on the other side of the terminal. For that reason, the nice ferry people will announce when various lanes need to return to their cars for boarding. Don't be late!!! There are additional helpful Yelp reviews under the "Ocracoke Island Ferry" page. read more

Warning: you might need to wait 3-4 hours in line for a spot! We tried to take this ferry, but apparently it was peak season and time, so it pretty much ruined our travel plans back to Wilmington. They should probably have a larger boat for the amount of people that use it, and I'd happily pay to be able to reserve a ticket and time. I've taken other barrier island ferries and they let you buy a ticket to secure your spot. read more

Great little ferry, with super staff who are well trained and professional. The ferry itself was clean and in good condition, and also, the restrooms at the boarding site were in good shape, too. Very pleasant little trip! read more

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One of the worst experiences in travel. The line is always long and they let certain cars that drive up last minute get on and take all the spaces on the ferry. We had a large rv pull up behind us in line after we'd been in line for 45 minutes. When the ferry finally arrived they had the rv that was BEHIND US get on and guess who got left behind now because it took up all the room?! That's right! Stupid us thinking that since we were in front of them and had arrived to wait 45 minutes before they showed up that maybe we would board before them. But alas, no, we had the great opportunity to wait almost two more hours for the next ferry. Good thing they have a Restroom and vending machine. Lucky us! read more

We had a long wait going but coming back the wait was much shorter. The ride was pleasant and you couldn't beat the price, free

We used both the Hatteras to Okracoke ferry as well as the Okracoke to Cedar Island ferry. Both rides were great! On the Cedar Island ferry you do need to make a reservation and check in at least 30 minutes ahead of time. Zach Wheeler was especially helpful and very accommodating! Thank you Zach for some excellent customer service! read more

We love taking the long way to visit family in Wilmington! The NC Ferry system is the best and this line is free for you and your car, so we get to visit the outterbanks on our way from Jersey and connect up to Oak Island in the other end. The best trip and this leg, boards quickly and runs often enough that even if you miss one you don't mind waiting for the next. read more

Ocracoke-Hatteras Ferry Terminal - Public Transportation Near Me

seamless transition to go from main land to island. Get there early as permit holders will board before you even if you are first on line. The ferry is free and the best way to get to Ocracoke and I say winter is also nice as the lines are shorter read more

We waited over 90 minutes each way on a not busy day in April. I was grateful we didn't have a child with us, or a person with a medical condition. I recognize there are things beyond their control but a system to update those waiting in line would be helpful. We weren't sure we were going to make it back to Hatteras and began frantically looking for accommodations on Ocracoke. I'd happily pay for the service if it meant they'd find a way to give realistic updates! read more

Clean restrooms and information. The vending machines take visa or MasterCard. When it works lol

Do NOT take the hatteras to ocracoke ferry. You will sit for HOURS to get on. Ruins any visit to Ocracoke. Better off paying with the Swan Quarter ferry. read more

Rolled right up to ferry terminal area, waited in line maybe 20 minutes. Ferries are free from Ocracoke to Hatteras and constantly running. read more

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Very simple boarding process. The attendants are quite amusing. Absolutely stunning views of the sound and all for free! I would recommend this as a day trip to anyone with a family wanting to explore the other island. read more

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Long lines and even longer wait times are to be expected- it's a ferry not a drive through. But rude attendants are never, ever acceptable. I've never met a group of such unhappy, visually bitter people in my life. If you hate your job or hate tourists then move out of a tourist town or don't work at a tourist-heavy occupation. It was worse that it was all of them, not just one or two. read more