When you're driving on the Outer Banks, it soon becomes clear that your orientation on both the Bypass and the Beach Road is north to south (or vice versa). Same with N.C. Highway 12 that runs through Duck to Corolla. Same with U.S. Highway 64 and N.C. Highway 345 that run the length of Roanoke Island. Same with Highway 12 that connects us to Hatteras Island. Outer Banks maps make it obvious that navigating these roads is pretty simple. Put the beach to your east, then you'll always know the other coordinates. Of course, there are plenty of side roads that connect the Bypass to the Beach Road (btw, in technical terms that's Croatan Highway for the Bypass and Virginia Dare Trail for the Beach Road, but call them by their common names if you want to blend in) running from Kitty Hawk through Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. You'll soon learn that not all of these connectors go all the way through. Some are dead ends used only to get to specific houses. One hint of the ones that do connect Bypass to Beach Road is a stoplight. When you're on Roanoke Island, businesses are either located on the main road that runs through or in the waterfront area of Manteo. Duck's businesses are all found on and directly off of Highway 12, a.k.a. Duck Road, and you access all Corolla businesses off the highway too. On Hatteras Island, the vast majority of businesses are found paralleling Highway 12 there.
Outer Banks Maps and Mile Post Markers
What some Outer Banks maps don't show is the very helpful Mile Post indicators, starting at MP 1 in Kitty Hawk going progressively higher in number as you travel south through Nags Head and onto Hatteras Island. (Yes, that does seem counter-intuitive.) Many businesses include their MP number in their addresses because, once you get the hang of it, you're more likely to understand where a business is generally located that way. For instance, the Aycock Brown Visitor Center in Kitty Hawk is at MP 1. Wright Brothers National Monument is at MP 8. Jockey's Ridge is MP 12.5. Jennette's Pier is MP 16.5. Hatteras Village is MP 72. So, if you’re looking for a business that indicates it’s at MP 15, you know it’s south of Jockey’s Ridge.
