Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 

Outer Banks, North Carolina



August 2023

Address: I used Google Maps to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at 14500 NC Highway 12, Rodanthe, Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Parking: Paved, Room for 15+ vehicles

87 degrees at 12:17 PM-1:00 PM, sunny

Public toilets available at the edge of the parking area

The visitor center and trail is free.


No pets allowed on this trail.

The path is a flat boardwalk, concrete, or sandy path that reaches out for approximately .72 mile one way.  My step counter on my phone recorded 1.44 miles but may include climbing the stairs at the viewing tower at the end of the trail.  I enjoyed the visitor center.  The ranger inside was very pleasant and answered my questions.  Also inside are paper copies of the trail map.

Depending on the tires, a stroller or wheelchair might be able to navigate this area.

I passed a few families and small groups on the trail.

There was no shade on most of the trail.  For a short time, I was able to pretend that I was walking on the surface of the sun.

I did not see any trash.

I was not troubled with mosquitos here.

This is an area where shorts would not be a problem. 

I saw deer, turtles, the tails of brown lizards scurrying away, birds, trees, grasses and flowers.

More information: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/pea-island



Deer right by the parking area!

The visitor center

View of the Atlantic Ocean from the porch of the visitor center

View of the parking lot and the restroom building from the porch of the visitor center

Turtle pond to the right of the boardwalk

Turtle

Turtle

Viewer tower

Turtles sunning as I returned to the parking lot