An Island We’re Excited About: Shackleford Banks, an island in Carteret County, Crystal Coast, Southern Outer Banks, near Atlantic Beach and Beaufort, NC

Where is Shackleford Banks?
Located at the southern-most barrier island in Cape Lookout National Seashore, just west of Cape Lookout which is the most southern area of the Outer Banks, and just east of Atlantic Beach, NC.

How do I get to Shackleford Banks?
Shackleford Banks is only accessible by boat. Most tourists who wish to reach the island travel there by ferry. However, many visitors and adventure travelers prefer to have a guided tour, not only on the water but on the island itself. With its many trails leading from the protected waters north of the island to the other side where the Atlantic Ocean laps at the shores of Shackleford, many discoveries and memories can be created. For example, looking for wild horses or discovering great shelling without the competitive crowds of a ferry. Make sure you are traveling with an authorized permittee of the National Park Service to provide safe, and legal excursions to Shackleford Banks. *

Can you swim to Shackleford Banks?
Unless your name is Katie Ledecky or Michael Phelps, the answer is NO!

What is Shackleford Banks known for?
Shelling and viewing its Wild Horses
The Shackleford Banks is known for some of the best shelling North Carolina has to offer. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the North Carolina State Shell, the Scotch Bonnet, and the always coveted Sand Dollars. The Atlantic-facing beaches have the best shells.

Can you see Cape Lookout from Shackleford Banks?
From the eastern half of the island looking from the ocean beach, YES.

How large is Shackleford?
About 8.5 miles long and is uninhabited by humans.
Shackleford Banks once had permanent residents. The now-abandoned settlement of Diamond City was located on the Banks, but the last occupants had relocated by 1902. Until 1933, Shackleford Banks was connected to the Core Banks. Barden Inlet was opened by the 1933 Outer Banks Hurricane, separating the Shackleford Banks from South Core Banks.

How wide is Shackleford Banks?
Short of a mile wide
This is one of the few places in the eastern United States where wild horses can still be seen. Shackleford Banks is approximately 8.5 miles long and averages less than a mile wide. It contains many habitats, unique to barrier islands, which support the horses.

Who was Shackleford Banks named after?
The island is named after John Shackleford who acquired the island in the early 1700s. Over the next hundred years or so, parcels of the island were willed to children, some parcels were sold and the population on the banks began to grow through the 1800s.

Photos above by Captain Mark of H2O Captain

* H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions is an authorized permittee of the U.S. National Park Service allowing the company to take passengers to both Shackleford Banks and Cape Lookout. https://h2ocaptain.com/tours