Confirm current access status at NPS Cape Hatteras beach access before you drive.
Where It Is
Ramp 32 is on the ocean side of North Carolina Highway 12, the two-lane road that runs the length of the Outer Banks, between Salvo and Avon. It sits across the highway from the old Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station, about three and a half miles north of Avon. Older maps call it Ramp 32.5; the Park Service renamed it Ramp 32 in the 2016 ORV rule.
The Route
North of the ramp is a year-round ORV route all the way to Ramp 30. South of it you get only about 0.3 mile of sand before the route ends. The next stretch, from a mile north of Ramp 34 down to Ramp 38, is seasonal and opens only October 15 to April 14.
Ramp 32 is a non-priority ramp: open to vehicles 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. from May 1 to November 15, and around the clock from November 16 to April 30.
What’s Typical Here
The beaches around Avon give up sea mullet, spot and puppy drum, with bluefish and bigger red drum in the spring and fall runs. For what is biting this week, see the Avon fishing report and the Hatteras Island report.
The Read
A quiet ramp. Most drivers head for Ramps 30, 34 and 38, and the year-round route north makes 32 an easy way onto the Salvo–Avon beach when the seasonal stretch to the south is closed.
Access Requirements
NPS ORV permit required ($50 for 10 days, $120 for the year, sold online at recreation.gov). See the ORV permit walkthrough for details.
Flying in, or driving something that can’t go on the sand?
Beach4x4 — our rental company, based in Kill Devil Hills — rents beach-ready 4WD Jeeps and SUVs for Ramp 32 north of Avon and the rest of the seashore, with the ORV permit already on the windshield and the required recovery gear in the back. See what’s available →
Parking and Walk-On Access
A six-vehicle lot sits at the start of the ramp; the Park Service suggests using it to carpool onto the beach or to air down. Just south is the Little Kinnakeet Beach Access, an 18-car lot with a sandy path to the beach for walk-on fishing. No restrooms are listed at either.
Current Closure Status
Erosion has closed Ramp 32 before, most recently in 2021 until repairs held. After the late-September 2026 nor’easter the Park Service closed every ramp on the seashore; Ramp 32 was open again in both directions as of October 30, 2026.
Closure status changes weekly during nesting season (typically March through August) and after major storms. Always check the live NPS status before you drive:
