Nags HeadOuter Banks, NC

Visibility is an estimate — wind, rain, tide & water alerts.

Getting in

Shore access, walk in off the sand

Best conditions

A beach and jetty break along the pier pilings, with surfable waves most of the year. It works best on a groundswell out of the northeast with an offshore wind from the west, and waves break both left and right off the pilings.

Getting through the gate

The beach is free. Walking out on Jennette's Pier costs $2 (free for North Carolina Aquarium Society members); fishing from the pier is $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under all day, plus $15 for a cobia or king mackerel pass, with rod rentals at $12. The pier's blanket license covers anglers fishing from it, so no separate North Carolina fishing license is needed there. Pier hours run 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. May through October, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in November and April, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. December through March, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. Driving a vehicle on the sand within Nags Head needs a town permit valid October 1 through April 30 only. Property owners and residents pay $50 a season, sold only at Town Hall with proof of ownership or residency; visitors pay $100 a season, sold at Town Hall, local tackle shops, or online.

Parking

Free lot at Jennette's Pier, with accessible spaces near the pier house.

On site

restrooms, parking lot, gear rentals nearby

Watch for

Rip currents are the Carolinas' single deadliest weather hazard, with close to 200 deaths since 2000, about 8 a year, per the National Weather Service office that forecasts for Dare County; the standard escape is to swim parallel to the shore rather than fight the current, Lifeguard coverage is a seasonal allocation across the town's public accesses, fullest from mid-June through mid-August and reduced at the shoulders, with only a roving patrol in October and no coverage from November through April; the Town's live access list shows which stands are staffed, Nags Head's double red flag means the ocean is legally closed to swimming, under a town ordinance. Yellow marks moderate surf or currents and red marks rough conditions where the town discourages all swimmers from entering; flags fly at public accesses from Memorial Day weekend through October 15, Spearfishing is banned under the pier by Nags Head town ordinance, per Jennette's Pier's own posted rules

Checked 2026-08-27. Sources: North Carolina Aquariums, Jennette's Pier: hours, fees and driving directions, North Carolina Aquariums, Jennette's Pier: fees and licensing, North Carolina Aquariums, Jennette's Pier: pier rules, North Carolina Aquariums, Jennette's Pier: accessibility information, North Carolina Aquariums, Jennette's Pier: about, Town of Nags Head: beach driving and ORV permits, Town of Nags Head: Ocean Rescue (lifeguard season, warning flags), Town of Nags Head: public beach accesses (amenities and lifeguard-stand list), National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City: rip current safety, Surf-Forecast: Jennette's Pier surf guide.