Cape Fear River

A shot of the Cape Fear river bathed in the soft golden glow of sunrise and early morning mist.

The Cape Fear river, 202 miles long,  is located in the east-central part of North Carolina.  The river runs into the Atlantic Ocean at Bald Head Island.  When the river was first explored and charted, the river was named Cape Fair.

Frying Pan Shoals which extends beyond Bald Head Island, is a shallow rock ledge and shifting sands that lines the outflow of the Cape Fear. This is the southern boundary of the "Graveyard of the Atlantic".

In early times of exploration, many ships fell victim to the rock ledge and were shipwrecked which led to calling the river Cape Fear versus Cape Fair. Despite several attempts in the early years to give the river a more gentle name, i.e., Cape Fair, Cape Faire, the fear explorers felt when navigating ships in the area, Cape Fear stuck.

a Great Blue Heron flies across the river

Frying Pan Shoals Light Tower, which marked the outflow rock ledge from the Cape Fear,  is an off-shore "lighthouse"  that was originally operated by the USCG.  The light station was automated in 1976 and deactivated in 2003.  The platform tower was purchased by a private citizen and is now being turned into a unique Bed and Breakfast.