A unique way to experience the Outer Banks
The Outer Banks of North Carolina encompass more than 100 miles of coastline across three counties. The northernmost of these is Currituck County, home to the idyllic town of Corolla (pronounced cuh-rawl-uh, saying it like the Toyota model is short-hand for “out-of-towner”) and a stretch of public beach open to drive-on access by four-wheel drive vehicles. This post has everything you need to know for accessing this beach legally and safely.
What you’ll need
A 4×4 vehicle. Hopefully this is self-explanatory but the beach is only open to vehicles with four-wheel drive and is best for SUVs and trucks that ride higher up off the ground. The last thing you want is to be stuck in the sand with your tires spinning and have to arrange for an expensive tow. We road-tripped to North Carolina in a Subaru Crosstrek, which worked well on the beach.
A permit from Currituck County. If you are visiting between the last Saturday of April through the first Saturday in October, you’ll need a county-issued Beach Parking Permit must be properly displayed to park on the beach.
If you’re renting a house along the 4×4 stretch of beach, your house may come with a permit for use during your stay, check with the host or rental company. If not, you’ll need to purchase a pass on your own from https://currituckcountync.ticketspice.com/currituckbeachparking. Once you arrive, you can pick up your pass up at the Corolla Visitor Center. A one-week pass is $50, and there are 300 passes available for each week, so they do sell out.
Before you go
Pack snacks and shade. The benefit of a drive-on beach is that you can bring everything you need for the day and don’t have to worry about carrying it down from your vehicle. We packed a cooler full of drinks and snacks, towels, and a frisbee. To protect yourself from a day of sun exposure, I highly recommend some type of collapsible shade.
Fill your gas tank. There are no gas stations on the 4×4 beach.
Lower the air in your tires. This is critical for driving on the sand, is required by the county, and makes it less likely that you’ll get stuck with your tires digging into the sand. Average-sized cars and trucks must reduce their tire pressures to no more than 20 pounds per square inch (psi). There are several places to safely pull off prior to the beach entry to lower the air in your tires (and air them up when you leave), the county recommends using the Corolla Village Road public access facility, which is located on the east side of N.C. 12.
Check the tides. At low tide, you’ll be able to drive on the hard-packed sand closest to the water. At high tide, you’ll want to drive in existing ruts where the sand has been packed down by other drivers.
While you’re there
Follow instructions for driving and parking on the back of your pass. The beach has its own “rules of the road” and your parking pass has a handy guide on the back you can follow. Be aware of where you are along the beach by spotting the mile marker signs. The speed limit maxes out at 35 mph if you’re the only one around, and drops to 15 mph when there are other people or animals around.
The county’s guidelines for driving on the beach can be found at https://www.visitcurrituck.com/visitor-info/beach-driving-tips/
Protect the dunes. Dunes, and the beach vegetation that grows on them, provide critical protection against beach erosion and storm surge damage to the structures behind them. They also provide shelter to wildlife like sea turtle nests.
See Currituck’s famous wild horses – but don’t approach or feed them. Currituck County and the 4×4 beach in particular is home to wild horses, which are descendants of mustangs brought by Spanish colonists over 500 years ago. There are a number of wild horse tour companies that you can book a tour of the 4×4 beach, though there’s no guarantee that you’ll see horses on a tour and you might get lucky and see them on your own. County ordinance prohibits coming within 50 feet of the wild horses, so be sure to admire them from afar.
When you leave
Pack out your trash. As always, practice #leavenotrace and take with you everything you brought.
Air up your tires. Now that you’re back on paved roads, you want your tires back at their optimal tire pressure. The best place to do this is the same spot you lowered your air earlier: Corolla Village Road public access facility, which is located on the east side of N.C. 12, once you turn into the parking lot just follow the signs. The county provides free air compressors or you can use your own if you have one (portable air compressors can be found for as low as $30). Check the inside of your car’s driver-side door for the target air pressure for each of your tires.
Spray down your vehicle. If you’re driving your own vehicle, you’ll want to wash it off at the end of your time in the Outer Banks. Spraying down with a hose or going through a car wash will rinse all the salt and sand that has collected on your chassis.