Cape Hatteras NS - Whalebone Junction Information Station

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

We came to the Outer Banks for one reason this time, to be a passporter. This being said, we were dealing with the remains of Tropical Storm Julia, which dumped several inches of rain to the north of the Outer Banks. We drove in rain all the way from Pennsylvania the day before and were ready to do some exploring.In the hotel, we watched the forecast for the day and it looked as the rainfall was to be south of the OBX, but today we focused on the Northern Beaches/ Bodie Island. We started the morning in Corolla under Drizzle at the Currituck Beach Light (yes, a stamp) After stopping briefly at the Aycock Brown Welcome Center in Kitty Hawk and the Goodwill Store (they call them GCF here) across the road in the Town of Southern Shores, and finished the morning at the Wright Brothers NM. After having lunch in Southern Shores then dodging the raindrops Tropical Storm Julia while doing some Thrift Shopping, we decided to close the day finishing the Bodie Island Sites. 

We stopped briefly here at Whalebone Junction, simply to get the stamp. To my dismay, it has the town Manteo, which is across the sound, rather than the proper town of Nags Head. I have a conversation with the attendant who was nonchalant when I asked when the Bodie closed and whether or not I would have time to visit. He stated "six minutes away, closes at 5:00. Being a couple of minutes after 4, I did not want to linger here, I took a picture of the sign (pictured at left) and visited the modern comfort facility across the parking lot quickly before moving south to Bodie Island.

Synopsis

There are few locales on the Outer Banks where multiple roads cross paths, and Whalebone Junction is one of the main intersections along this barrier island shoreline. The term refers to the area in South Nags Head where three major highways converge, which are US Highway 64, US Highway 158, and NC Highway 12. Both US 64 and US 158 end at this juncture, but NC Highway 12 continues south from this locale, all the way to the end of Hatteras Island, and across the Hatteras Inlet to Ocracoke and Cedar Islands.

If You Go

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore also begins at this point, (as soon as travelers drive onto NC Highway 12), and a rest stop and seasonally opened Visitors Centers, appropriately named the Whalebone Junction Information Station, is located on the soundside just a hundred yards or so after NC Highway 12 begins.

Accessibility

The Information Station and Comfort Facility have ramps to their respective buildings and there are accessible parking spaces to accommodate guests.