Whalebone Junction is an area within

Nags Head, North Carolina Nags Head is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. It is a busy vacation spot because of its beaches and sand dunes of Jockey's Ridge. The population was 3,146 at the 2020 census. History Early maps of the area show Nags Head as ...

where three major highways converge. The junction marks the eastern terminus of both

U.S. 64 U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ...

and

U.S. Route 158 U.S. Route 158 (US 158) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Mocksville to Whalebone Junction in Nags Head, entirely in the state of North Carolina. It is also a critical route that connects the cities of Winston- ...

, while

NC 12 North Carolina Highway 12 (NC 12) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina, linking the peninsulas and islands of the northern Outer Banks. Most sections of NC 12 are two lanes wide, and there are also two ...

traverses the junction from north to south. The junction is a major landmark on the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...

, as U.S. 64 and U.S. 158 provide the only highway links to the mainland, while NC 12 is the main road linking all of the Outer Banks. North of Whalebone Junction lies the main commercial district of Nags Head as well as the communities of

Kill Devil Hills Kill Devil Hills is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,633 at the 2020 census, up from 6,683 in 2010. It is the most populous settlement in both Dare County and on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The ...

and Kitty Hawk. South of Whalebone Junction begins the

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a United States national seashore which preserves the portion of the Outer Banks of North Carolina from Bodie Island to Ocracoke Island, stretching over , and is managed by the National Park Service. Included ...

and the

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge located on North Carolina's Pea Island, a coastal barrier island and part of a chain of islands known as the Outer Banks, adjacent to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The sanctua ...

. Whalebone Junction Information Station, immediately south of the junction itself, serves as the

visitor center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visi ...

to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and provides information on the National Park and local attractions.

References

Outer Banks {{DareCountyNC-geo-stub