Operating Hours & Seasons

NPS Photo/Ed Burgess

Cape Lookout National Seashore is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Operating hours for visitor centers and other services will vary throughout the year.

Harkers Island Visitor Center

• Summer Hours (April 1- December 1) Open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Closed Thanksgiving Day)
• Winter Hours (December 1- April 1) Open Monday - Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Closed Sundays, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.)
• Learn more about the Harkers Island Visitor Center...

Light Station Visitor Center & Keepers' Quarters Museum

• Summer Hours (2nd Friday in March - November 1) Open daily from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
• Winter Hours (November 1 - 2nd Friday in March) Closed
• Learn more about the Light Station Visitor Center...

The Cabin Office at Great Island

• Summer Hours (2nd Friday in March - last weekend in November) Open daily from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
• Winter Hours (December - 2nd Friday in March) Closed
• Learn more about the Cabin Offices at Great Island...

Portsmouth Village Visitor Center

• Summer Hours (April - October) Open, hours vary
• Winter Hours (December - March) Closed
• Learn more about the Portsmouth Village Visitor Center...

Park Administrative Offices

• Year-Round Hours Open Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Closed all federal holidays)
• Park Administrative Offices are located at Park Headquarters in the Harkers Island Visitor Center

Services Available Seasonally

Ferry service for passengers to Shackleford Banks and to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse is available all year (weather dependent). Passenger ferries to Portsmouth Village, and passenger and vehicle ferries to Great Island Cabin area and Long Point Cabin area is available from mid-March through December. Check directly with the ferry service for availability, schedules and fees.

Beach shuttle transportation from the Cape Lookout Light Station to the point of Cape Lookout is available from mid-May to mid-September.

Cabin rentals are available from mid-March to the end of November.