Cape Hatteras National Seashore ORV Ramp 23

Ramp 23 is one of the National Park Service's numbered beach-access points along Cape Hatteras National Seashore, sitting on NC-12 just outside Rodanthe on Hatteras Island. Like the other numbered ramps strung along this stretch of the Outer Banks, it's a designated entry point for both 4x4 vehicles carrying a valid NPS ORV permit and pedestrians heading out to the beach — not a standard parking-lot access, but the seashore's official system for driving onto the sand.

Vehicle access means airing down your tires and carrying the recovery gear the Park Service expects every ORV permit holder to have on hand, and routes near the villages are subject to seasonal closures the NPS uses to protect nesting shorebirds, so it's worth checking the current-conditions page before you load up. NC-12 is the only road linking Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo to the rest of Hatteras Island, and it washes out during storms with some regularity, so conditions at this ramp can change with the weather.