Who decided the trucks had to leave the South End? The Town of Topsail Beach's September 11 notice reads like the town made the call. It says that balancing protection of the preserve "with our Town's traditional uses was a difficult decision." The fuller answer sits in a short FAQ on the state's new preserve webpage. The ban was written into the funding that bought the land, and nobody on Topsail Island can vote it back.
That changes how this fall works at the Point. The red drum are in the surf, the paid-parking season ends with October, and the only way out to New Topsail Inlet is on foot.
What the September notice changed
The notice covers the beach strand of the Topsail Nature Preserve. The state's Division of Coastal Management bought the land in partnership with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. On that strand, vehicle driving, horseback riding and off-leash dogs are no longer permitted. The town will no longer issue or renew beach driving and horseback riding permits. Only emergency, municipal and coastal management vehicles can drive there. Dogs now have to be leashed at all times at the South End.
The town didn't play down what was lost:
For decades, driving down to the inlet to fish, spend time with family, and enjoy the coast has been a treasured tradition.
The same notice is clear that the shoreline is still open to anglers, walkers and nature lovers on foot.
Why the ban is out of local hands
The Coastal Land Trust closed on the purchase on April 29, 2025. The tract is roughly 150 acres. It came from the McCullen, McLeod and Oppegaard families. The purchase price was never disclosed. The roughly $8 million figure people cite covers the whole conservation effort, transaction costs included.
Private money mattered. The Trust reports more than $1.6 million from nearly 800 private donors. Grants added to that, through NFWF/Walmart Acres for America, the NC Land and Water Fund and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs. NC DEQ said a $1 million U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coastal wetlands grant was the last piece of the roughly $8 million.
Those grants explain the driving ban. According to the Division of Coastal Management, each grant has its own management conditions. A grantor can take back its money if those conditions aren't met, and if even one grant prohibits an activity, the whole site has to prohibit it. Three of the four large government grants don't count beach driving as an allowable use.
So undoing the rule would put grant money at risk, and that money is the reason the land is a preserve and not a subdivision. In 2025, Coastal Land Trust Executive Director Harrison Marks called the purchase a "once-in-a-generation victory." Mayor Frank Braxton said the South End would be "protected forever." The driving ban comes with that promise.
The name can also cause confusion. The Trust's FAQ says the state planned to seek dedication under the State Nature Preserves Act, and the Division of Coastal Management didn't plan to add the property to the NC Coastal Reserve system. The correct name is the Topsail Nature Preserve. The Division of Coastal Management took over management from the Trust in May 2026. Director Tancred Miller said in a report by WECT that the preserve's long-term protection "depends on both thoughtful management and responsible stewardship by those who enjoy it."
Getting to the Point when the walk is the only way
All foot trips start at one lot. That's the South End Parking Lot, also called Sound Access #1. It sits on the sound side where Shore Line Drive and Inlet Drive end, near the Serenity Point Townhomes. The town kept control of it. When the purchase closed, a one-acre piece holding the existing parking area was sold to the Town. The state lists restrooms at the preserve entrance, and the town plans to add more restrooms and an ADA-compliant ramp "soon." No date has been given.
Here are the rules that affect a fishing trip this month:
| Item | What the town and state post |
|---|---|
| Paid parking season | Enforced daily, March 1 through October 31 |
| Enforcement hours | 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Visitor rate | $7 per hour up to four hours, or $35 for the day |
| Lot hours | Closed 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.; no overnight parking |
| Vehicles on the strand | Emergency, municipal and coastal management only |
| Dogs | Leashed at all times at the South End |
The lot closes at night, which matters more now that nobody can drive out. Without a truck parked on the sand, staying past 10 p.m. means parking somewhere else and walking even farther.
The walk itself is all sand. A Sierra Club listing for a guided outing describes no paved or built-out trail at The Point, just about 1.5 miles of soft sand along the natural shoreline. That listing doesn't say whether the 1.5 miles is one way or round trip. Either way, carry only what you can haul through loose sand, since a cooler, sand spikes and a cart once rode in a truck bed. The town asks visitors to use designated walkways and stay off the dunes.
The state's list of prohibited activities covers more than vehicles. Several items apply directly to a long day of fishing:
- No glass beverage or food containers
- Nothing left overnight, and no overnight camping
- No open fires or fireworks
- No entering dunes, wetlands or posted areas
- Pet waste counts as littering
Why October lines up
Fall is when the rules ease and the fish arrive at the same time. The NC Wildlife Resources Commission ropes off waterbird nesting habitat on the preserve from March 1 to September 15. Least Terns are the best-known nesters there. That posting window has closed. Paid parking enforcement runs through October 31. The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue lists May 1 through October 31 as nesting season, so this is the last month of it.
The fishing report for the same weeks is good. The Fisherman's Post Topsail and Sneads Ferry report from October 1 says surf and pier anglers are catching slot-sized red drum, with some over-slot fish in the mix. It also reports plenty of Spanish mackerel and bluefish, and it names red drum as the main inshore target around creeks and inlets. Speckled trout reports were mixed. Some anglers saw no clear run yet, and others found a few scattered fish early in the morning.
Check the regulations before you keep a fish. Recreational speckled trout harvest reopened July 1 under the current proclamation. The slot is 14 to 20 inches, with one fish over 26 inches allowed, and the daily limit is three. The 2026 recreational flounder season ran only from September 1 to September 14, so flounder are catch-and-release this month. Red drum, spotted seatrout and flounder all fall under North Carolina's recreational harvest reporting requirements.
If you'd rather not walk, Jolly Roger Pier at 803 Ocean Blvd. is a good option. The same report notes several king mackerel up to 32 pounds there, and night bottom fishing that turned up red drum up to 31 inches. For bait and tackle before either trip, East Coast Sports is at 409 Roland Avenue in Surf City.
Dates on the South End calendar
- October 7, morning: The preserve, its beaches and the parking lot close while a contractor sprays herbicide on invasive common reed. The work should take a few hours, and the preserve is expected to reopen the same day. NCDEQ will post on its Facebook page once it reopens.
- October 17, 10:30 a.m.: The Coastal Land Trust leads a public Sierra Club educational beach walk at The Point.
- October 31: South End paid parking enforcement ends for the season, and so does sea turtle nesting season.
- November 27 to 29, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Center opens for guided public tours. Reservations are required, and the gift shop is open during tour hours.
The state says the preserve webpage will be updated as new guidelines come out. Questions about management go to Jonathan Lucas at the Division of Coastal Management, (252) 515-5420. If you find a new sea turtle nest, call the Karen Beasley hotline at 910-329-0222.
If you own on the South End, or you're thinking about buying near it, preserve rules like these come up in a transaction and deserve a careful read. Neal Anderson brings legal training to documents like the preserve's grant conditions, and he can walk you through how access rules affect your use of the property. Lake to Coast Real Estate is glad to help. Schedule a Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
