Cape Lookout National Seashore is a 56-mile stretch of undeveloped barrier islands along the southern Outer Banks of North Carolina, running from Ocracoke Inlet in the northeast to Beaufort Inlet in the southeast. The three islands -- North Core Banks, South Core Banks, and Shackleford Banks -- may look barren from a distance, but they reward visitors with wild horses on Shackleford Banks, excellent shelling, and the kind of solitude that is increasingly rare on the East Coast.
There are no roads, no bridges, and no developed facilities. You reach the islands by passenger ferry from Harkers Island or Beaufort, and you bring everything you need with you. The Cape Lookout Lighthouse, with its distinctive black-and-white diamond pattern, is one of the most photographed on the Atlantic coast.