Masonboro Island. Adventure awaits.

A boy sitting in a red canoe on a calm body of water with a landscape of trees and hills in the background, paddling with a black oar on a clear day.

Paddle to Your Own Private Paradise: Masonboro Island

One of the most unique perks of staying at our property is direct water access, putting one of North Carolina's most treasured natural wonders within paddling distance. Grab a kayak or canoe and set off for Masonboro Island — a true hidden gem of the Carolina coast.

Masonboro Island is the largest undisturbed barrier island along the southern North Carolina coast, situated just southeast of Wilmington. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway to the west, this extraordinary island can only be reached by boat — making every visit feel like a private escape.

Spanning 5,653 acres and stretching 8.4 miles of shoreline, the island offers a remarkable variety of coastal habitats, including salt marshes, sweeping sand dunes, tidal flats, maritime forest, shrub thickets, and pristine ocean-facing beaches. Whether you're looking to fish, explore, relax, or simply unplug, Masonboro delivers.

The island is home to 10 distinct habitat types and serves as critical refuge for a range of threatened and protected species, including loggerhead and green sea turtles, American oystercatchers, black skimmers, Wilson's plovers, least terns, and diamondback terrapins. Wildlife encounters are a regular highlight for visitors who take the time to paddle out.

Once you arrive, trails allow you to walk across the island to reach the oceanside beach, where you can stroll for miles along undisturbed shoreline. It's also a favorite spot for shelling, birdwatching, swimming, and simply soaking in some of the most unspoiled scenery on the East Coast.

From our property, all you need is a paddle and a sense of adventure. Kayaks and canoes are available for guests, and the calm sound-side waters make for an enjoyable trip out and back. This is coastal Carolina at its most authentic — no crowds, no development, just miles of natural beauty waiting to be explored.

Child standing on sandy beach near small campfire made of logs with dry grass and shrubs in the background under clear sky.
A young boy on a sandy beach, barefoot, holding a fishing rod with a fish attached, looking at it with a smile, with grasses and water in the background under a cloudy sky.
A person standing in shallow water by a red canoe on a calm body of water under a bright sky with the sun shining.
A person sitting near a red kayak on a sandy beach, with grassy dunes and clear blue sky in the background.
A sandy beach with tire tracks and footprints, dunes with grass, and a cloudy sky.
Three children with life jackets walking into the water at a beach on a cloudy day.
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