I am going on vacation to the Outer Banks and was gonna try to head up to Corolla to do some beach driving .. My question is do you need permits and does anyone have any tips on where some good locations are ?

 

No permit needed to drive up there. As for the "good" spots keep in mind give the horses lots of room, I can't remember how far you are required to stay away. Also be mindful of any water crossing and puddles you may encounter they be deep sometimes. Lastly air down because it will cost you a pretty penny to get towed out.

 

im am a very cautious and respectful wheeler I do hope to see the horses and will treat them with respect .. it is their land not mine .. as for water, I always check that before crossing.. do they have areas to air back up?

 

Personally, I would stay out of any water you possibly can when on the beach, especially the ocean. I know people like to drive close to the water and watch it splash up on their wheels or whatever they like about that, but that water is the death of a jeep. The salt will start rusting any bare metal very very quickly.

When you get off the beach, head straight to a car wash and spend a good amount of time with a pressure washer cleaning out as many nooks and crannies as you can. Don't start the rust process early if you don't have to.

I have also heard of guys hooking up sprinklers and putting them under the jeep to wash off the undercarriage. I would personally use a pressure washer though to be sure you get all the hiding spots the best you can.

 

there are water canals that run through the area up there. Combine that with dunes, and a little too much speed and you won't have a chance to check. And by speed, I mean 20mph. You crest a dune and there is the canal. The "town" is laid out on a grid in the sand. My ou aren't allowed to drive on the dunes themselves but with limited usage near the va state line, the sand gets blown and creates these little dunes that are on the "road ways". Have fun!

As for cleaning, hope for a good rain on the way home. DO NOT use a pressure washer. You will blow water into place you don't want water. Pull it onto ramps, spray it down with clean water. The sprinkler is exactly what I always did and never had issues with sand, corrosion or water penetrating unwanted joints, seals, etc.

No go on the pressure washer, unless you want to have more problems.

 

Permits are needed! A fine from a federal park ranger is not cheap. Any NC coast that allows driving on the outer banks requires a permit.

 

The northern part where the road turns into beach does not require a permit as it's the only way to get to some of the houses. It's a nice long strip to drive on. Air down to be safe, definitely if you want to go over the dunes into the housing area. It's nice there because you can park in the middle of the beach and walk down and set up to fish or just chill.

 

Just drove up north of Carolla today. No permit needed. I know you need one for Ocracoke. We saw four groups of horses. You have to stay 50 ft away and if you come within that distance, you have to be moving. There are lots of tours up there now so it's quite busy. The first section of beach was all loose stuff and it's best to drive in the tracks. As you get close to the life saving station, it evens out and is really enjoyable. Pretty bumpy before that but I didn't air down my 35" Fierce Attitudes so that probably has something to do with it. Winks has an air pump. I know Twiddy has one for renters. Or just get a Super Flow portable compressor at Pep Boys for cheap, which you would need anyway if you wheel much. Saw a Traverse getting pulled out with a ratchet strap, of all things. I stayed the hell away from that.

 

If you drove on the outer banks from hatteras to kill devil hills you were driving on the beach illegally

 

I drove with a tour last year and the guide recommended not driving through standing water in the areas behind the dunes. It was most likely stinky, stagnant water that you really don't want on your Jeep. The same guide said the people making the most money in Carova are the tow trucks and the trash haulers. It supposedly costs $25 per can, per week for trash removal. Off topic, sorry.