Yes — you can take our rentals on the ferry. That’s worth saying first, because it isn’t true of the rentals on Ocracoke itself, which stay on the island. Ours rides the boat.
The ferry
The Hatteras–Ocracoke vehicle ferry is free, runs year-round, and loads first-come, first-served — no reservations on this route. The crossing takes about 70 minutes, departures run roughly hourly from early morning at the Hatteras village terminal at the south end of NC-12, and dogs are fine aboard (leashed or in the vehicle). In summer, lines build midday — catch an early boat going over and don’t cut the last return too close. Check the NCDOT ferry page for the current schedule and live status before you go.
On the island
The ferry lands at the north end of Ocracoke; the village is about 13 miles down NC-12. Your Cape Hatteras ORV permit — already on the vehicle — covers Ocracoke’s beach ramps too. The beaches over there are the emptiest driveable sand on the Outer Banks: bring the cooler, the rods, and the dog, and you can have a mile to yourself on a weekday.
A day that works
Early ferry over, morning on the beach north of the village, lunch in Ocracoke village around Silver Lake, afternoon back on the sand, late-day boat home. Or flip it: fish the morning at Hatteras Inlet, cross midday, dinner in the village, evening ferry back. The rental doesn’t care — same permit, same vehicle, both islands.
For park rules and closures on the Ocracoke beaches, check the NPS beach access map — same system as the Hatteras ramps in our ramp guide.