OK, my fellow cheap, frugal, and thrifty photographer friends, there are two big major takeaways from our day trip to Bald Head Island. First, be ready to drop some major coin without a lot of photographic return for your buck. Second, take a jacket, hoodie or some other clothing from Nanuck of the North, because this is one cold place. I will elorabate on these, but keep in mind that we ventured there in late February so my view may be slightly slanted.
Let’s start with the trip over. The first leg is the state run car ferry from Ft Fisher to Southport. Relax and enjoy the 35 minute trip and take lots of pictures as this will be your cheapest ride of the day at $ 5.00 each way. Did you remember to bring that jacket I mentioned above? The boat rides can get pretty cold just about any time of year. When we left Ft Fisher the temperature was close to 75, but when we arrived at Bald Head Island it was around 35 and stayed that way the entire day. The wind blows constantly and the island sits out in the Atlantic. It’s hard to take pictures while shivering in short sleeves. Make sure to take a jacket. Once you arrive at Southport and depart the ferry, you will drive about ¼ mile to the marina from which the passenger ferry departs. You will park in one of many Disney World looking parking lots and walk at least a mile back to the ferry terminal. If you have someone that has trouble walking, be sure to drop them off at the terminal before parking. So far you haven’t dropped any more coin, but wait. When you get back in your car in the afternoon, it will cost you $ 8.00 to get it out of hock. Proceed to the terminal (if you can find it), and buy your tickets at $ 22.00 per person round trip. This is just for you, as they do not carry cars. At the ticket booth, be sure to pick up a map of the island before you board, as they are near impossible to find on the island. The 35 minute ferry ride over and back is quite pleasant as it should be for the money. There is one small part of the trip that can get a little choppy just about where the mouth of the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean. This part doesn’t last long so hopefully you will not arrive sick.
Please note that when on the island there are only three methods of transportation. You can walk ( not recommended ), you can rent a bicycle ( not bad if you’re in good shape ), or if you are a broken down old man like me, you can rent a golf cart to drive. If you decide to rent the golf cart, exit the ferry terminal, turn left and run (Don’t Walk) past the old English phone booth to a tin shack in the middle of a bunch of golf carts. Why run you ask? There is one guy that rents the golf carts and as many as 150 ferry passengers. Each rental takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, so do the math, and you will quickly realize that you would prefer to be in the front of the line. There is one big circular road around the island, with many little roads in the middle that run between the two sides of the loop, so you really can’t get lost. The map you picked up is more for telling where the shopping, eating, stores etc. are located. Oh, by the way the golf cart your wife jut rented cost $ 79.99 for four hours or $ 80.00 for the entire day. (Not Kidding) Before leaving the area with buildings around the rental area, be sure to visit the restroom because you will not find another for some time. Turn left from the rental area and hit the loop road. Shortly you will come to the split in the loop. The right side of the loop follows the beach through the millionaire’s homes and the left follows the marsh where most photo ops are located. Follow the marsh side and your first stop will be the Old Baldy lighthouse, (oldest in NC) and the chapel next door. These are the top photo ops on the island. Continue on the road in front of the chapel and it will take you back to the marsh loop. There are all types of nature walks for photography people along the marsh road including the one with the boardwalks on the left side of the road. This is the one where the boathouse pictures are taken. A little further down the marsh road, you will find the only grocery store on the island. This is a good place to pickup drinks and snacks for your day of golf carting around the island, without spending an arm and leg. Continue on the loop road making sure to hit all the little trails and other things that your eye catches. Soon you will be on the beach side of the loop. Be sure to walk down some of the many beach access points to view some of the widest, most beautiful and deserted beaches on the east coast. We returned to the marina to find a place to eat lunch. There were on a couple of restaurants there and only one open in the off season. To our amazement the food was excellent and the prices were reasonable. Be sure to utilize your expensive golf cart to the max and explore all the little roads on the island if you have the time. There are a lot of beautiful homes located in some really beautiful areas. When you’re done, just take the cart back to the rental area, and this time you can walk to the ferry terminal instead of running, unless of course the ferry is about to leave.
The Takeaway: Nice place for a day visit if you don’t mind the cost. The photo ops, in my mind, were not as grand as I had hoped, but the off-season visit may have contributed to this. They have rentals so you could leave your car behind and spend an entire vacation week on the island. My wife would love this, but I would be a nut case in a day or two with so little to do. And by the way, as soon as we returned to Ft. Fisher I finally quit shivering as the temperature was again 75 degrees.
Please Visit The Bald Head Island Gallery