1000 Loggerhead Road, Kure Beach, NC 28449
(910) 458-5798
fort.fisher@ncmail.net

Education and events, fishing, hiking, off-road vehicles, swimming

Education and events
Rangers hold regularly scheduled educational and interpretive programs about Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. Program titles include Shell Stroll, Turtle Talk, Salt Marsh Exploration, Bird Hike and Surf Fishing Basics. Click here to search our database of park events.

To arrange a special exploration of Fort Fisher State Recreation Area for your group or class, contact the park office.

Educational materials about Fort Fisher State Recreation Area have been developed for grades 4-6 and are correlated to North Carolina's competency-based curriculum in science, social studies, mathematics and English/language arts. The Fort Fisher program introduces students to the habitat and life history of colonial-nesting coastal birds. The program also focuses on endangered, threatened and special-concern bird species. Accompanying the program is a teacher's booklet and workshop, free of charge to educators. To learn more about environmental education or to search our database of upcoming workshops, click here.

Fishing
Common ocean catches include bluefish, puppy drum and Virginia mullet. Spot and flounder share the estuary with numerous shellfish.

Hiking
Explore Fort Fisher State Recreation Area by foot. A short trail meanders through the marsh, allowing hikers a chance to view sound-side flora and fauna.

Off-Road Vehicles
For visitors wishing to fish, sunbathe or view nature in the southern portions of the park, four-wheel-drive vehicles are allowed to operate within a limited corridor along the beach, at certain times of the day and with a valid permit ($10 per day or $40 for annual permit allowing unlimited visits). Drivers must follow designated routes, avoiding dunes, vegetation and marked nesting areas. Only registered motor vehicles are allowed in the four-wheel-drive access area (no ATV's). Exercise caution, portions of the access may flood at high tides; soft sand and sharp drop-offs are common. Click here for more information on permits and regulations.

Swimming
More than seven miles of beach provide all of the sun, sand, sea and sky you can soak up in a day. Experience the ocean away from the crowds; walk along on one of the few remaining undeveloped stretches of shoreline on our southern coast.

From the recreation area parking lot, an elevated boardwalk leads over the sand dunes to the beach. The adjacent visitor's center includes a refreshment stand that is open during summer months, the park office, nature exhibits and restrooms. Lifeguard service is provided in a designated ocean swimming area from Memorial Day to Labor Day.