Ramp 2

Best Time to Visit Ramp 2

Like every ramp along Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Ramp 2 is subject to closure for storm overwash, standing water, or seasonal shorebird and sea turtle nesting protections. None of these closures are described as following a fixed calendar, so the ramp's availability can shift with weather and wildlife conditions rather than a predictable seasonal pattern.

Because of this, the best time to plan a visit is whenever you've confirmed the ramp is open — check the National Park Service's beach access status page before making the drive out to Ramp 2, rather than assuming access based on time of year alone.

Ramp 2 Access Tips

• Pedestrians can walk out through Ramp 2 onto the beach without needing a permit.
• Drivers need a National Park Service off-road vehicle permit, purchased through Recreation.gov, before driving onto the beach at Ramp 2.
• Vehicles taken onto the beach must be street-legal, licensed, and insured.
• The driver must carry a valid driver's license and the vehicle's registration.

Getting to Ramp 2 on Bodie Island

Ramp 2 sits directly across from the entrance to Bodie Island Lighthouse in the Coquina Beach area of Bodie Island, within Cape Hatteras National Seashore. That makes the lighthouse entrance the easiest landmark to navigate by — even without spotting a ramp-number sign from the road, you can find Ramp 2 by locating the Bodie Island Lighthouse entrance and looking directly across from it.

Once you're in the Coquina Beach area, look for the ramp directly opposite the lighthouse entrance road — it's the point where the pavement gives way to sand.

What to Expect at Ramp 2

Ramp 2 is one of two numbered off-road vehicle access points onto the beach on Bodie Island, part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore's beach-access system. This is not a hiking trail with mileage, elevation, or a marked tread — it's a designated point where vehicles and pedestrians reach the open beach. As one of the seashore's routine numbered ramps, its purpose is functional: getting people and vehicles from the road onto the sand, rather than offering scenery, overlooks, or trail features of its own. Accessing the beach here comes with a few requirements to keep in mind before heading out.