North Topsail Beach: Beaches, Nature and Parks

North Topsail Beach combines coastal activities with nature watching and parks along the sound. If you’re looking for hotels in North Topsail Beach, your travel plans can help you decide what to focus on: beach time, a visit to a park or sea turtles? These priorities lead to different ways of experiencing the area.

Beach Activities and Wildlife

Along the coast, visitors can walk, sunbathe, swim, look for shells and fossilized shark teeth, surf and enjoy water sports. If you’d like to plan your time by the shore, you can focus on walking and looking for shells or fossilized shark teeth; surfing and other water sports shift the focus to the water. Choosing between shore activities and water sports gives a beach day different points of focus.

Dolphins, sea turtles and coastal birds are regularly seen in North Topsail Beach. Sea turtles also play a special role: North Topsail Beach is considered a sanctuary for these animals. Historically, it has had the most nests and hatchlings of any of the other communities on Topsail Island.

Parks Along the Sound

Richard C. Peters Park has two piers on the side facing the sound. Richard C. Peters Town Park has a kayak launch and a nature trail. W. Rodney Knowles Park also has a kayak launch, as well as a sound-side observation deck and a picnic area. These features offer different highlights: the nature trail is at Richard C. Peters Town Park, while the observation deck and picnic area add to W. Rodney Knowles Park. Both parks have a kayak launch.

Public Beach Accesses

Onslow County offers free parking year-round at three public beach accesses in North Topsail Beach. Beach Access Site No. 2 is on NC 210, four miles southeast of the North Topsail Beach high-rise bridge. The access features a raised wooden oceanfront pavilion, a ramp to the beach, concessions, restrooms and showers. There are also gravel parking areas for 250 vehicles across about four acres. If you’re planning a beach visit, the location and amenities can help you include this access in your day’s plans. Before you go, it may be helpful to check the county’s current information about the access.

Seasonal Turtle Talks

The sea turtle theme also includes the seasonal Turtle Talks program. Weekly sessions take place on Tuesdays from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at Town Hall, from the first week of June through the last week of August. Admission is free for residents and visitors of all ages. If you’d like to plan your trip around a session, confirm that year’s schedule in advance. Unlike the year-round free parking at the three public beach accesses, Turtle Talks is a seasonal offering.

Discover more destinations: Pumpkin Center, Swansboro, Sneads Ferry.

For the main travel overview: Onslow County.