New Ferry Schedule for Re-Opening

With re-entry restrictions now lifted on Ocracoke Island, the North Carolina Ferry System will be adjusting its Ocracoke-bound schedules to accommodate visitor traffic. 

While roads in Ocracoke Village are open and accessible, N.C. 12 north of the village is open only to four-wheel drive vehicles. The highway is scheduled to reopen to all traffic within a week.  

The schedule for sound ferries, beginning Dec. 4, will be as follows:

• Ocracoke to Cedar Island: 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Cedar Island to Ocracoke: 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Ocracoke to Swan Quarter: 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Swan Quarter to Ocracoke: 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The routes between Cedar Island, Swan Quarter and Ocracoke will remain toll-free until N.C. 12 opens to all traffic. Reservations for these routes are highly recommended, and are available by calling 1-800-BY-FERRY. The schedule for ferries between Ocracoke and Hatteras is as follows:

• Hatteras to Ocracoke-Silver Lake: 6 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., 4:30 p.m.
• Ocracoke-Silver Lake to Hatteras: 8:45 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
• Hatteras to Ocracoke-South Dock (4WD ONLY): 6:15 a.m. and 9 a.m., 4:45 p.m., 6 and 7:30 p.m. 
• Ocracoke-South Dock-Hatteras (4WD ONLY): 4:30 a.m., 7:30 and 10:15 a.m., 6 p.m., 7:30 and 9 p.m.  

Once N.C. 12 reopens to all traffic, the Hatteras-Ocracoke Silver Lake route will be discontinued, and the Hatteras-Ocracoke South Dock route will begin on the following schedule:

• Hatteras-Ocracoke: 5 a.m., 6, 8, 9 and 11 a.m., 12, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7:30, 9 and 10 p.m., midnight.
• Ocracoke-Hatteras: 4:30 a.m., 6:30, 7:30, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30, 3:30, 4:30, 6:15, 7:30, 8:45 and 10:30 p.m., midnight.

Tolling will resume at the regular rates on routes between Cedar Island, Swan Quarter and Ocracoke once N.C. 12 is reopened to all traffic.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.