Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

Our family when here while visiting OBX. Was right after the hurricane, so most waters were closed, but we had a blast! GHOST CRAB hunting was exactly as exciting as we thought it would be!! We were the ONLY ones there for ghost crabs haha. Had the entire area to ourselves! It’s says “day access” but as long as ur not IN the water, police leave u be. Also, we saw a Sea Turtle site roped off…which was on my bucket list. Was too dark to get a pic unfortunately but I have my memories! Very important that u read the signs, going in and those put up ON the beach!! They’re there for safety. I would HIGHLY recommend Pea Island for ghost crabs haha hunting at night & for daytime swimming . Beach is maybe 200 ft walking distance from the parking lot…through the sand. No surprises in there thankfully haha. 10/10, would definitely recommend this location ! And yes, that’s me screaming in the video, where my kids and husband chased some crabs over to me to scare me when I wasn’t paying attention lol

Love this beach. It is wide open, clean, and easily accessible. Very few people any time we went. The folks at guest center are always super friendly and helpful. Be careful crossing the highway. If you like looooonng walks on an uncrowded beach, this is the place for you.

Pea Island is a beautiful wildlife refuge!! This island offers gorgeous views and plenty of nature sight-seeing opportunities!! Across the street from the visitor center, at the beach, you can see an old shipwreck.

North pond trail is awesome. Bring your binoculars or scopes to watch birds. We saw few big fishes jump out of water. Weather was nice. At the end of the trail there is an observation deck with some old viewing scopes. We saw a deer, bunch of turtles and various birds. Parking is very limited so we had to wait a bit to find a spot. There are restrooms there. Visitor’s center also has some binoculars and scopes you can use to view the area.

Beautiful seaside wildlife refuge to watch a variety of birds. If you are lucky you can see pelicans along with terns and other seabirds. There is a pond full with turtles including snapping turtles. But the trails are bushy and don't forget to use bug spray. The people in the visitor center are really nice. However, the bathroom was kinda dark. If you are visiting in the weekends you might have to roam around for parking. The parking lot was not that big, and people who visit the nearby beach always park there.

If you’re driving through this area. This is a great little stop. Really nice volunteer staffed visitor’s center. Great hiking trails that are easy and accessible. Restrooms are fine park style ones. Lots of areas to view wildlife.

What an unexpected slice of paradise this place turned out to be! We always seemed to drive by Pea Island while on our way somewhere else. Because we happened to come down to the Outer Banks a day earlier than originally planned and were only a half hour away, we decided to come up and check out the Wildlife Refuge while in between stops. There is a visitors center with a gift shop, informative displays and brochures on the sights that can be seen, as well as a helpful and friendly staff! (Gerald gave us a brochure outlining the local birds of the Outer Banks that were most likely to be seen at various months of the year). Also worthy of noting: 100% of the proceeds from the shop are donated toward the preservation of the wildlife on Pea Island. We took the 1/2 mile stroll down the wooden path to the beach head and saw turtles, frogs, geese, and much more! Even on a hot day, the way there and back takes no more than 30 minutes, even if taking your time, so be sure to stop and soak it all in! There is a beach across the street on the ocean side that's a quick climb over the dune away. Beautiful clean beachhead with lots of open space! If you're on your way to the southern parts of the Outer Banks, like Hatteras and Ocracoke, be sure to stop here if you happen to pass by during weekday daytime hours. We were so grateful to have such a lovely experience here and will plan on making this a regular stop during our visits in the future!

Beautiful and if you get on the beach you may have it all to yourself!