Horizon of Islands

Horizon of Islands. . Across the shallow waters of Core Sound and Back Sound a low string of islands appears to float on the horizon, barely above the waves. Those islands, along with their soundside marshes and surrounding waters, are the park, Cape Lookout National Seashore, reachable only by boat., Out on those barrier islands you quickly discover the park’s land is but a thin edge, much of it less than a few hundred yards wide. The experience there is dominated by what lies beyond: the wild Atlantic, with winds and longshore currents that constantly reshape the islands and the life that cling there., (captions) , (left to right) , South Core Banks, one of Cape Lookout National Seashore’s three barrier islands, stretches for 20 miles. From where you are standing you can see only about one-quarter of it., Core Sound is deceiving. Shallow and everchanging, it demands the right boat and an experienced pilot., Competing currents here at Shell Point are a small-scale version of the dramatic island-shaping forces that occur out at Cape Lookout., Distance to Shackleford Banks: 3 miles , Distance to Cape Lookout Lighthouse: 4.5 miles, Cape Lookout Lighthouse, a symbol of the enduring effort to guide ships through intense storms and shifting shoals, became operational in 1859., Despite its dynamic nature, Cape Lookout has a long history of human settlement. There is much to explore, including the lighthouse Keeper’s Quarters, historic Coast Guard Station, and the surviving structures of the Cape Village Historic District., Shackleford Banks is a wider island, with dunes tall enough to shield a maritime forest where wild horses find shelter., Back Sound’s waters, protected by barrier islands, provide breeding grounds for a rich array of marine life.