Seven self-guided hunts, each built around a real Outer Banks place: a village that keeps its stories on public signs, a boardwalk town named for a bird, a day out where your dog earns an official title, an island the sea keeps taking, eleven miles of beach that serve as the road, and the water where a pirate met his end.
Each one is a game you play on your phone. Buy a team pass, go to the starting point, and follow the chapters. The game checks you in by GPS at every stop, asks questions you answer from what is actually in front of you, and keeps score. No guide, no schedule, no strangers.
Built and fact-checked on the Outer Banks by the owner-operators of OBX Maps and Beach4x4.
The Corolla Wild Goose Chase
A self-guided walking tour of Historic Corolla, played as a game. Your phone leads the way through Historic Corolla Park and the old village, past Whalehead, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse grounds, the one-room schoolhouse and the little chapel, with a GPS check-in at every stop, photo challenges, and trivia you solve by reading what is actually in front of you. Every stop is outdoors on public ground, so it works any day of the week.
- Start: Historic Corolla Park
- Walking: a flat 1.5-mile loop
- Time: about 2 hours
- Best: daylight hours, at your own pace
$29 per team. Up to six players, on one phone or each on their own. Your team link arrives by email right after checkout.
See the route, photos and team pass
Duck, Duck, Goose Chase
A self-guided walking tour of Duck. Currituck Sound has had no opening to the ocean since 1828. The water turned fresh, the waterfowl came in numbers that are hard to picture now, and men made a living shooting them. This hunt follows how that turned into the village you are walking through: eight stops, all on the sound side of NC 12, most of them on the boardwalk. You never cross the highway.
- Start: Duck Town Park, 1200 Duck Road. Park there; in July and August, arrive before 10am because the lot is small
- Walking: about 2 miles, mostly boardwalk
- Bring: a phone with location on, comfortable shoes and bug spray
- Dogs: welcome on the boardwalk, leashed
$29 per team. Up to six players, on one phone or each on their own. Your team link arrives by email right after checkout.
See the route, photos and team pass
The Salty Dog
The Outer Banks scavenger hunt built for your dog. You drive between stops through Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills: shaded trails at Nags Head Woods, the big dune at Jockey’s Ridge, a dog-friendly stretch of beach, the Nags Head Dog Park and the Wright Brothers Memorial, finishing with a puppy cup at a classic drive-in. Your team name is your dog’s name, every photo challenge stars the dog, and finishers are certified a Salty Dog of the Outer Banks.
- Time: about half a day. Start in the morning and you will finish around lunch
- Know first: Kill Devil Hills closes its beach to dogs during summer daytime hours, so in season the beach stop is on the Nags Head side. See the town-by-town dog beach rules
- Admission: the Wright Brothers Memorial charges admission
- Every stop is somewhere your dog is allowed, with no leave-them-in-the-car moments
$29 per team. Up to six players, on one phone or each on their own, and the dog rides free. Your team link arrives by email right after checkout.
See the route, photos and team pass
Shifting Sands
The Outer Banks is a sandbar, and it is moving. A full day driving south from Jockey’s Ridge to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: a South Nags Head street where the pavement stops at the water, Bodie Island Lighthouse, Oregon Inlet, Pea Island and Rodanthe. You finish on the empty stretch of Buxton beach where the lighthouse stood from 1870 until 1999, then drive to the tower 2,900 feet inland, where it was moved. Our Outer Banks hurricane history lines up the storms behind every stop.
- Car: any car, with no sand driving
- Distance: about 53 miles to the lighthouse, so start early
- Know first: the hunt finishes in Buxton, so the drive home is yours. NC 12 closes in bad weather, so check NCDOT before you go
- The lighthouse: under restoration into 2027, so you cannot climb it
$29 per team. Up to six players, on one phone or each on their own. Your team link arrives by email right after checkout.
See the route, photos and team pass
The End of the Road
The 4x4 beach, driven properly. North of Corolla the pavement stops and the beach becomes the road for eleven miles. You drive it to the Virginia line: the fence that keeps the wild horse herd where it is, Penny’s Hill, the old hunting clubs, and Carova, where people live year-round with no paved road and no store. At the top you walk out to find a boundary marker from a 1728 survey that has no sign on it.
- Vehicle: four-wheel drive, not optional
- Time: a full day
- Before you go: fill the tank, since there is no fuel north of Corolla. You only need a Currituck County beach parking permit if you park on the beach in season
- Driving safety: the driver never works the game while the vehicle is moving
$29 per team. Up to six players, on one phone or each on their own. Your team link arrives by email right after checkout.
See the route, photos and team pass
Renting the 4x4? Every Beach4x4 rental includes a free hunt pass. The link comes with your booking confirmation.
Off-Roading with Fido
A day on the Carova 4x4 beach, built around your dog. Wild horses, the dune that buried a village, and a walk over the Virginia line into a state park with no road into it, with every stop somewhere your dog is allowed. Four-wheel drive required.
$29 per team. Sold on its own site.
Blackbeard’s Gold: The Crossing
Ocracoke’s pirate story, played from the ferry line. The hunt starts while you wait for the ferry, plays out over the crossing, and ends at the water where Blackbeard was killed in 1718. It works from the Hatteras, Cedar Island or Swan Quarter ferries, or the passenger ferry. Plan about 3 hours on the island, plus the ferry.
$29 per team. Sold on its own site.
How it works
- Buy a team pass. $29 covers one team of up to six players, on one phone or each on their own.
- Check your email. Your team link arrives within a few minutes. If it has not landed in 10 minutes, check spam and promotions.
- Go to the starting point any day within 90 days of buying, and open the link when you are ready.
- Follow the chapters. GPS check-ins, questions, photos and points, at your own pace.
FAQ
Do we need to book a time?
No. A team pass is good for 90 days from the day you buy it. Play any day inside that window.
How many people does one pass cover?
One team of up to six players, on one phone or each on their own. Playing with two teams? Buy two passes.
Is a hunt included with a Beach4x4 rental?
Yes. Every Beach4x4 rental includes one free team pass for any of these hunts. The link comes with your booking confirmation.
What if GPS acts up?
The game lets you place yourself on the map manually if your phone blocks location, so nobody gets stuck.
Are the answers really out there?
Every question was checked against the actual sign, marker or building on site.
Is anyone out there with us?
No. These hunts are self-guided, so your group looks after its own safety. Watch the weather, the heat and the traffic, and on the dog hunts, your dog. Every stop is a public outdoor place, and access can change with weather or construction.
What if our team link doesn’t arrive?
Email hello@obxmaps.com and we will sort it out.
Last verified: September 2026.