Ferry Division extends Hatteras-Ocracoke summer route until Oct. 6

Citing continuing heavy demand for the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry route, the North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division has announced that the summer schedule will be extended an additional two weeks.

The initial plan was to cut back from 36 to 26 daily trips each way on Sept. 22. Instead, the full schedule will continue through Oct. 6.

It’s believed the combination of great beach weather, the traditional lower vacation rental prices after Labor Day and low gas prices have kept visitor numbers to the Outer Banks strong so far this month, NCDOT noted.

The Cedar Island-Ocracoke and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke routes began their off-season schedules last week, featuring three round-trip departures daily on both routes.

The Hatteras-Ocracoke route is still scheduled to transition to its off-season winter schedule on Nov. 10.

Year-round schedules for all N.C. Ferry routes can be found on the Division website.