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2016 Map of Kure Beach

Name: 2016 Topographic Map of Kure Beach
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2016
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2016

About this map

The complex coastal geography of the Cape Fear River estuary is defined here by a network of marshes, shoals, and islands where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. Stretching across the center of the sheet, the Intracoastal Waterway cuts through a shifting landscape of sounds and marshes, including the expansive Snows Marsh and The Basin. This area serves as a critical transit point where the Southport - Fort Fisher Ferry provides a direct maritime link between Southport and the southern tip of Pleasure Island.

Navigation remains the dominant theme across these waters, with numerous specialized channel ranges such as the Reaves Point Channel Range and Snow Marsh Channel Range guiding vessels past hazards like Midnight Shoal and Horseshoe Shoal. To the south, Smith Island and Bald Head Island guard the river mouth, while the community of Kure Beach occupies the northern barrier strand. The map documents a landscape of intricate tidal creeks, from Fishing Creek to Bald Head Creek, alongside modern military and transit facilities like Sunny Point.