Cape Hatteras National Seashore Photo Gallery

With its striking spiral bands of black and white, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a shrine for maritime buffs and the most recognized landmark not only in North Carolina's Cape Hatteras National Seashore, but the whole of the Outer Banks. Built in 1870, the lighthouse gained even more notoriety in 2000, when it was elevated onto rails and moved inland 2,870 feet to protect it from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, which increasingly threatened the lighthouse due to steady erosion.  

The bright red spiral stairs and black-and-white checkerboard tile inside the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse are just as distinctive as the structure's exterior.  

A fishing boat sets out for the deep Atlantic waters off Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  

Windblown sea oats on the beach near Cape Hatteras Lighthouse  

The beach at Ocracoke. A popular vacation destination, Ocracoke lies just outside Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  

A summer thunderstorm lights up the night in North Carolina's Outer Banks.  

The narrow barrier islands that make up North Carolina's Outer Banks and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore are known for their beachfronts, but there's a quieter side to the west, where the sun sets over tranquil Pamlico Sound.  

Evening settles on Ocracoke's Silver Lake Harbor  

The Ocracoke Island Light is almost 50 years older than its more famous Cape Hatteras counterpart.  

Moonrise over Cape Hatteras Lighthouse