Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Managed by National Park Service
54 acres2.3 mi of trail
Mountains-to-Sea Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
Ellsworth and Lovie Ballance House · Photo: Jasonspsyche · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Hatteras
Few parks or trails are on the map in Hatteras
The biggest trail networks: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (2.3 mi). 13% of Hatteras’ land is conserved, about 125 acres. 98 acres are parks and preserves, 646 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
13%
125 acres · of 1.6 sq mi of land
Trails
2.9 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
98 ac
646 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
125 conserved acres
13% of Hatteras’ land. Water is left out: Hatteras has 1.6 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hatteras’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service125 ac
National Lakeshore or Seashore · 125 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Hatteras National Seashore National Lakeshore or Seashore | National Park Service | 125 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Hatteras
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Hatteras
Village Marina
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.4 mi
Mountains-to-Sea Trail2.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hatteras: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 55 | 56 | 61 | 69 | 77 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 82 | 74 | 65 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
April is the driest month (3.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 7.0 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hatteras →
Questions about parks and trails in Hatteras
Where can I hike in Hatteras?
The longest trail networks: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, 2.3 miles; Hatteras Village Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Hatteras’ trails?
Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Hatteras Village Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hatteras?
8,195 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hatteras or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 98 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Hatteras neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →