Best Handicap Accessible Beach Access in Outer Banks, NC

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This post was written May 27, 2022, so accesses may or may not have changed since then.

This is from Kitty Hawk to the top of Nags Head.

I have POTS, and use a wheelchair when I’m otherwise too tired to do things; but I can get up and walk a bit if I need to. Just so you know the perspective this is coming from. 🙂

You can click each heading to get the Google Map link.

The problem is the Outer Banks dunes. The dunes are piled up so high (to stop the ocean), that there have to be stairs to get over the dunes.

This list should also help anyone who doesn’t want to do stairs to get to and from the beach.

Most of these beach access points have bathrooms.

The one at Jennet’s Pier is the best, followed by Bonnet St.

Jennette’s Pier

You can walk straight out to the beach between these two buildings.

The pier is straight ahead, and the bathhouse is to the right. Currently the bathhouse is locked up at 6p, but there are bathrooms in the pier building to the left (in the photo above). You may have to pay $2 (for the day) to get on the pier to use the bathroom. I didn’t go on the pier this trip. www.ncaquariums.com/jennettes-pier

Jennet’s Pier, OBX, view from the beach back towards the bathhouse — That’s the bathhouse mentioned earlier on the right. The ocean is behind us.

There is an actual beach mat on the sand you can get a wheelchair out on. You go up the ramp to the bathhouse and then you can get to the mat from there. It’s actually clear of sand.

end of the beach mat on the beach at Jennet’s Pier — The end of the mat.

Forrest Street Beach Access

Forrest St is a mile from Jennet’s Pier and they have a ramp out to the ocean and a port-a-potty it looks like someone takes care of. You could use that if the bathhouse closes at Jennet’s Pier.

The view from the end of the ramp at Forrest after sunset — The view from the end of the ramp at Forrest.

Be careful of the connection between the ramp and the parking lot, it doesn’t look like there’s a dip, but there is and you could go flying. You don’t need the ramp to use the port-a-poty, it’s to the left in the parking lot.

Caution dip between the asphalt and the boardwalk.

Epstein Public Beach Access

NOT handicap friendly, the handicap access at Epstein is only for the bathrooms. There’s one handicap parking space. To get to the beach there are stairs. The stairs are particularly steep.

Ocean Bay Lifesaving Station

The beach access is to the left of the lifesaving station. The sand path to the right of the building is for lifeguard atvs only. The ramp is steep and there’s multiple switchbacks. The ramp is only wide enough for one wheelchair or beach wagon. There are bathrooms between sections of ramp at the back of the building.

The end of the Ocean Bay Lifesaving Station beach access ramp is covered in sand, but there’s technically a mat down there to the left.

Bonnet Street Beach Access

Bonnet St beach access OBX on a sunny day

Bonnet St has a short ramp, that is not as steep. I would choose between this and Jennet’s Pier beach access as my favorites.

There’s a bathroom at the front of the building here, and you can see the ramp to the left in the picture, wraps around the front and to the right it goes straight out to the beach. The sand itself on the beach is steeper than at Jennet’s Pier.

There were biting flies at Bonnet St, but that looked to be the case all up and down the beach, with everyone leaving at once as far as we could see. It was a lovely beach day until the wind shifted, and I think that brought the flies, and that would have been at any beach access.

View from the end of the ramp at Bonnet St. over the dunes. The actual path is just out of frame to the left.

Avalon Beach Kitty Hawk Bay Boat Access

Avalon Beach Boating Access has handicap spaces to the right here facing the sound side.

Avalon Beach Boating Access dock, with a sound-side view of sunset — Avalon Beach Boating Access sound side view of sunset. You can get straight from the car to here to watch sunset without stairs. I was so happy the sun cleared and we could see an actual sunset while we were here.

Me watching the sunset sitting on the dock at Avalon Beach Boating Access OBX — One of my favorite photos of me, watching the sunset

Wright Brothers Multi Use Path

Looks from the car to be a great spot to see the sound side, and sunset. There’s a ramp here to the left, and a multi-use path (dog walking, bikes, etc presumably) to the right. Check the sign at the entrance to see when it closes, as they say they’ll lock your car in when it closes.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

I’m also going to add to this list, Bodie Island Lighthouse. It has a wheelchair accessible pathway to an overlook, and the view from there is worth getting up there.

Me photographing the Bodie Island Lighthouse OBX at sunset from my wheelchair — Photographing the Lighthouse from the overlook

The pathway is a little bumpy, but is passable by multiple people.

the wide bumpy path to the overlook at Bodie Island Lighthouse — Path to the overlook. It’s a little bumpy.

Thanks to Keep your Daydream we found out about the ramp to the overlook. Here’s their youtube episode with it.

Wright Brothers National Memorial

The Wright Brothers Memorial is also handicap accessible, except for the top of the hill. It’s really steep. But it’s great to look at from the ground, and you can do the grounds by pathway.

side of the Wright Brothers Memorial museum building — I noticed today looking through my photos that the left side of the building (pictured here) has handicap signs on the doors so maybe they’re easier to get through than the front door I went though which was hard to get over the threshold.

view from the museum lobby of the Wright Brothers Memorial up on the hill — View from the museum lobby

Wright Brothers Plane in the museum — It’s really cool to see the size of the plane in person

Currently, a one year pass specific to this memorial park gets in the pass holder and 3 guests, making that cheaper than paying per person for the day. It costs just to get into the park now, and that covers what’s inside, including the museum/visitors center. The lady at the front gate really enjoys her job which was cool to see.

You can get a look at these buildings by pathway, and see the monument up on the hill from here. The visitor’s center is behind us.

There’s an actual Life is Good store, and the lady in there was really nice and let us move things around on the floor to get the chair through there to shop.