Outer Banks National Scenic Byway

The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway is the federally designated route that follows NC-12 the length of the barrier island, and here in Nags Head it marks the southern edge of the corridor tying Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head together. Locally this stretch runs as Beach Road and Croatan Highway, a straight shot with the Atlantic on one side and Roanoke Sound on the other — narrow enough in places that you catch both at once.

What the byway covers in this stretch

• The Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, marking the site of the first powered flight in 1903
• Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head, home to the tallest natural sand dune system on the East Coast
• Open water views on both sides of the island, since this section of the Outer Banks narrows considerably

Where it goes from here

South of Nags Head, the byway continues into the Cape Hatteras National Seashore toward Hatteras Island — a much longer, separate leg of the same designated route that falls outside this stretch of towns. Traffic on the corridor gets heavy in peak summer; April, May, September, and October give you the same drive with a fraction of the cars, which matters on a route better suited to slow, frequent stops than a straight run south.