It is 0.63 miles (1.01 km) long and is entirely in Dare County and the town of Manteo on Roanoke Island.

The route traverses from its western terminus at US 64 to the Elizabeth II vessel (State Historic Site) docked on Ice Plant Island, located in Shallowbag Bay.

Unlike other state routes, all of the NC 400 markers have brown recreational backgrounds.

The route is split among two one-way streets: eastbound and westbound.

There, the now two-way street heads eastward as Festival Park, crossing Dough's Creek and entering the Roanoke Waterfront, where the Elizabeth II, a ship declared historic by the state of North Carolina, is docked.