[2] The island is only accessible by boat and there are car ferry connections to the villages of Stokka and Forvika on the mainland in Vevelstad Municipality.

There are also ferry connections to the nearby islands of Mindlandet (to the west) and Tjøtta (to the north).

The ferry service from Vevelstad-Rødøya-Mindlandet-Tjøtta is included as part of the Norwegian County Road 17, a main highway on the Helgeland coast.

Rødøya is known for its approximately 5000-year-old rock carvings showing a skier, probably the oldest evidence of skiing found anywhere in the world.

These rock carvings were heavily damaged by vandalism carried out two Norwegian youths in 2016.