The South End Is Still Open. Here's What Changed at Topsail Beach's Point This Fall.

"Wind and waves." That's how N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson described what should shape the future of The Point at a ribbon-cutting in May, when the roughly 100 acres at the southern tip of Topsail Island became state-managed land. Four months later, on Sept. 11, the Town of Topsail Beach published the change that follows from that phrase. Vehicles, horses and off-leash dogs are no longer allowed on the beach strand in what is now called the Topsail Nature Preserve.

The Town's notice says plainly that this was hard. It calls driving down to the inlet to fish and spend time with family "a treasured tradition" and says balancing that with protection of the land "was a difficult decision." If you're hoping a future board will reverse it, the reason it happened matters. The ban comes from the money that bought the land, and the town can't simply vote it away.

The rule came with the purchase money

The N.C. Coastal Land Trust closed on the $8 million purchase in April 2025. About 800 people donated a combined $1.6 million, and several grants covered the rest. The N.C. Division of Coastal Management, which now manages the preserve, explains on its Topsail Nature Preserve page why those grants decide the driving question.

Each grant sets its own conditions for how the property can be used. Each grantor also has the right to recover its share if a condition is broken. If even one grant forbids an activity, the whole site has to forbid it. Three of the four grants behind the South End purchase don't allow beach driving on land bought with their funds.

That's why the permits are ending, not pausing. The Town's notice says beach driving and horseback riding permits "will no longer be issued or renewed." Only emergency, municipal and coastal management vehicles will drive on the strand. The Town's own FAQ now answers the beach-driving question for all of Topsail Beach in one line: "driving on the beach is no longer allowed."

So the South End is still open, and every visit now starts on foot.

A fall visit now starts at Shore Line Drive

The preserve entrance is at the end of Shore Line Drive, where the Town owns and runs the parking area and restrooms. DCM says the Town plans to add more restrooms and an ADA-compliant ramp there soon.

For an October trip to the inlet, here's what's useful to know:

1. Parking here costs more than at the oceanfront lots. Under the 2026 fee schedule, the South End lot costs $7 an hour or $35 a day. Oceanfront lots cost $6 an hour or $30 a day.
2. Paid enforcement ends this month. The fee schedule runs paid parking from March 1 through October 31.
3. Water customers can get free permits. The Town allows up to two free parking permits per water-utility account.
4. The lot closes overnight. The South End lot is closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., so a pre-dawn arrival for the first fish means waiting for the gate.
5. Most of the roped-off areas are a summer thing. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission posts waterbird nesting habitat on the preserve from March 1 to September 15, and sea turtle nests are marked from May through September.

That last point is why fall is the easiest time to get used to the new routine. Nesting season is over, the posted areas are mostly gone, and the long walk along the shoreline is as open as it gets all year. The things that never change with the season are staying off the dunes and wetlands, leaving glass containers at home and taking home everything you bring. The preserve rules also ban overnight camping, open fires, fireworks and leaving personal items overnight.

The fall fish are still running

The Town's notice speaks directly to anglers and says they "are fully welcome to access the shoreline on foot." What's different is the gear. Everything you used to carry in the truck bed now has to come in by cart or on your back.

The fish are worth the trip. The Fisherman's Post Topsail and Sneads Ferry report published October 1 says surf and pier anglers were catching slot red drum, with some over-slot fish, plenty of Spanish mackerel and bluefish, and king mackerel starting to show at the piers. Inshore, red drum were the main target, mullet were plentiful, speckled trout were scattered, and Spanish mackerel were pushing inside the inlet on high tide. The report covers the whole Topsail area rather than The Point itself. Local sources quoted in it include Nathan at East Coast Sports, Taylor at South End Adventures, Mike at Native Son Guide Service and Ray at Spring Tide Guide Service, plus reports from the Jolly Roger, Surf City and Seaview piers.

If a lighter load helps with the walk, East Coast Sports at 409 Roland Ave. in Surf City carries surf and inshore tackle, rigs, fresh shrimp and worms, frozen bait and seasonal live bait. Its phone number is 910-328-1887.

Dog walks follow two sets of rules

The same grant-funded protections change how the South End works for dogs. Leashes are now required in the preserve at all times. The rest of Topsail Beach still runs on a seasonal leash rule.

So in October, the Town's seasonal leash period has ended on most of the beach but not in the preserve. A walk that heads south from town crosses from one set of rules into the other. DCM's rules also count leaving pet waste as littering.

Where you can still drive on the beach

For families whose South End tradition was the truck, tailgate and inlet all together, the closest place to keep it going is now off the town's beaches. A 2026 regional beach guide lists a 4x4 drive-on area in North Topsail Beach, with daily, weekly and annual passes at $25, $100 and $250 sold through SurfCAST by Otto. Driving hours from October 1 are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. North Topsail Beach has adopted a FY 2026–27 fee schedule effective July 1, 2026, so check current pricing with the town or in SurfCAST before you buy.

Farther south, the same guide lists Freeman Park in Carolina Beach at $30 a day from October through March, with a $235 annual pass, and Fort Fisher at $20 on weekdays and $30 on weekends, with a $200 annual pass.

What's still being decided at The Point

The state is still filling in the details of how the preserve will be run. Before the transfer, the Coastal Land Trust said DCM would write a management plan once it took over, with help from the Wildlife Resources Commission on shorebird areas and continued sea turtle nest monitoring. DCM's page says updates on access, stewardship and management will be posted "as they become available." Volunteers from the Coastal Land Trust's stewardship program are still part of how the land is cared for.

Questions about the preserve 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 Sea Turtle Rescue hotline at 910-329-0222.

Whether you've fished at The Point for decades or you're still working out the new walk from Shore Line Drive, we know how much a place like the South End is part of how a week on Topsail Island feels. If you'd like to talk through life on the south end of the island, from parking permits to how close to the preserve you want to be, Savannah Holman is glad to share what she knows. Let's Connect.