Seaside Strolls
5 Winter Hikes on the OBX
By Betsy DiJulio
Like the wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia or the rabbit hole in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, trailheads are, for me, portals into an enchanting world. And that makes day hiking its own subgenre of “portal fantasy.” Though you are more likely to encounter a wild horse than a white lion, hiking the wooded tracts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks is akin to traveling through C.S. Lewis’s Wood Between the Worlds where shimmering forest-ringed pools of water offer access to other realms. And these OBX preserves and reserves are geographically close, but worlds apart, from its other attractions: beautiful beaches, charming lighthouses and historical sites, and small, friendly communities that dot the island from north to south.
While hiking on the OBX could be considered “hiking lite” and the payoffs aren’t in mountain peaks, sweeping valley vistas, and tumbling waterfalls, there is plenty of gold at the end of the rainbow or, more to the point, native goldenrod at the end of the storied sunset. While I find the moving meditation of hiking to be its own reward—an opportunity to understand anew myself and the places I live with every rhythmic footfall—trails through our woods boast a picturesque backdrop of less grandiose, but still awe-inspiring, natural wonders: glorious glittering color, especially in fall, magnificent wildlife, and indelible water views.
With a strong cold-weather bias, especially for a southern gal, I find the bracing chill of fall and winter preferable to the sticky, relentless heat of summer for whom our perpetual breezes are no match. Plus, I am drawn to the brittle beauty of late autumn and winter, a crystalline composition of edges: light and shadow, trunks and branches, tall grasses and surface reflections. And if that isn’t convincing enough, it is when temperatures drop that we are less likely to encounter things that sting, bite, or track their caustic oils across our skin and outerwear.
Hikes on the island are generally considered “easy”—short and fairly flat—with Nags Head Woods offering the most dramatic elevation changes.
Hiking boots aren’t necessary, though some trails are laced with roots, so closed-toe shoes are recommended. As a woman, I almost always hike with a close pal—because you never know if the intentions of others are as benign as your own—and we crave these opportunities to cover at least as much emotional as geographical territory. If not accompanied by a friend, my husband, a resolute non-hiker, parks and waits, enjoying the natural world his way—with a smoke—tracking me on his phone.
Following are a quintet of my favorite treks with a pair of bonus options. At least a couple of them offer ADA accessible trails, and dogs on leashes are generally always welcome, provided you pick up after them, but feeding—or taking—any wildlife is prohibited.
Boardwalk/Sound Overlook & Maritime Forest Trails, Currituck Banks Reserve, Currituck National Wildlife Preserve in Corolla. Maintaining a distance of 50 feet from these equine denizens of the Reserve helps ensure that future generations of hikers can experience the wary wonder of these magnificent animals. Photo by Betsy DiJulio.
Corolla
Boardwalk/Sound Overlook & Maritime Forest Trails, Currituck Banks Reserve, Currituck National Wildlife Preserve
deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/coastal-management/nc-coastal-reserve/reserve-sites/currituck-banks-reserve
252.262.8891
The Details: Both trails are accessed from an ADA-accessible boardwalk through the woods. The Boardwalk/Sound Overlook Trail continues as a boardwalk with interpretive signage to the Currituck Sound (2/3 mile out-and-back roundtrip), and the Maritime Forest Trail veers to the right and heads northwest stopping just short of the Sound with a small loop (1.5 mile out-and-back roundtrip).
The thick carpet of pine needles underfoot—dotted with a few roots and pinecones—makes for a plush hiking experience along wide trails marked with blue blazes on posts. Naturally growing, but regularly spaced trees in a seemingly endless stretch lend an almost arboretum-like feel to this expanse of forest. After a pleasant meander to the end, I recommend following the sign to loop around and head back rather than, like me, succumbing to the allure of the Sound just beyond a barrier of thick grasses and accessible—not!—by crossing a piece of timber laid over a bog.
As I stepped off the end of that make-shift footbridge, I heard a piercing shriek, which turned out to be mine. I had sunk ankle deep into the cold, insistent bog. Determined to plod ahead after the initial shock, I was instead sucked in deeper with every step until I whipped around to high step it back from whence I came. I later learned from a local that “some people have gotten stuck out there.” Though that cautionary tale has the whiff of an urban legend, it doesn’t seem entirely implausible, so consider yourself forewarned.
But I forgot about my wet feet and muddy shoes when I noticed a couple up ahead, frozen in place. Just a few yards away were a pair of feral horses, eyeing us with a hint of wariness as we reached for our cameras in slow motion. But they didn’t charge away as we tried to capture their portraits—light and shadow playing off their coats—framed between the outstretched arms of live oaks.
Audubon Pine Island Sanctuary and Center Nature Trail Overlook. This out and back trail offers a pair of overlooks with this view to the north sweeping across a crazy quilt of colors, shapes, and textures. Photo by Betsy DiJulio.
Corolla To DUCK
Pine Island Sanctuary and Audubon Center Nature Trail
pineisland.audubon.org
252.453.0603
The Details: 5-mile out-and-back roundtrip.
Accessed from well-marked parking behind the Pine Island Racquet & Fitness Center, which seems like it can’t possibly be right, but is, this trail is a little tricky to figure out for the uninitiated because it appears accessible from either end. But its southern terminus offers no parking and is only reachable via a short spur that begins at the sound side parking lot of the Sanderling Resort for the exclusive use of their guests. It is also available to residents of Palmer’s Island Property Owners Association and their guests who walk across NC12/Duck Road. So, for all intents and purposes, this is an out-and-back trail whose public trailhead is behind the Racquet and Fitness Center in Corolla.
The trail follows the Currituck Sound through evergreen maritime forests of Loblolly Pine and twisted Live Oaks, stunted Oak, and Red Bay Shrub Swamp, though a few short stretches near the southern end track along the shoulder of NC12. The wide, well-maintained, and diverse trail’s soundtrack is, at times, muffled and unobtrusive road noise and crashing surf. Two overlooks provide dramatic views of the Pine Island and Currituck Sound marshes and the Sound itself where waterfowl rest in winter.
Freedom Trail, Soundside Trailhead. The picturesque Croatan Sound trailhead serves as a portal into Civil War history where natural beauty and a narrative of human hope intertwine. Photo by Betsy DiJulio.
Manteo
The Details: 2.25 mile out-and-back roundtrip.
Parking for this forested trail is at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site at the end of National Park Drive with the northern trailhead located just off the parking cul-de-sac, which is also parking for the Elizabethan Gardens. Parking is also available in a lot located at the foot of the William B. Umstead Memorial Bridge on the Croatan Sound with the well-marked southern trailhead a few yards away at the edge of the woods. A wide, dirt-and-pine-needle allée-style trail with one 90-degree bend offers interpretive signage and life-size silhouettes of freed or runaway slaves which, if hiking alone, can give you a start when first spotted through the trees. The narratives are a sobering account of the trials and triumphs of the slaves who sought protection at the Freedman’s Colony on Roanoke Island between 1862-1867.
Bonus: Manteo Boardwalk. Park in ample public parking in downtown Manteo and walk south along the charming and winding boardwalk over to the Marshes Light marina and back.
Kitty Hawk
Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve
deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/coastal-management/nc-coastal-reserve/reserve-sites/kitty-hawk-woods-reserve
The Details: The most straightforward access to some 2+ miles of trails is at the end of Ridge Road with parking well off the road on the public right of way (others are listed on website). Note: hunting is allowed Monday-Saturday, September to January.
I appreciate the varied topography of this loop trail and its offshoots, some of which date to the 1700s and served as rail lines for timber harvesting. The trails pass through maritime deciduous forests, swamp forests, and freshwater wetlands over ridges and across swales affording glimpses of shimmering interdune ponds. If you stand on tiptoe atop a bench at the end of an east-west sound view spur, you can catch a mere glimpse of said Sound.
Bonus: Sandy Run Park.
kittyhawknc.gov/departments-and-services/parks-and-recreation/
4343 The Woods Road
About the prettiest 1/2-mile loop trail around complete with elevated boardwalks, an observation tower, gazebos, maritime
forest, water views, and a bale of gregarious turtles.
Nags Head Woods Preserve Center Trail. This quarter-mile loop trail located nearest the visitor’s center offers a taste of the natural wonders that lie in store on the longer trails: colorful ponds, enchanting bridges, and thick forests. Photo by Betsy DiJulio.
Kill Devil Hills
Nags Head Woods Preserve
kdhnc.com/1001/Nags-Head-Woods
701 West Ocean Acres Drive, 252.441.2525
The Details: Boasting more than 8 miles of both out-and-back and loop trails this is one of the largest maritime forests remaining on the East Coast.
This preserve, managed by The Nature Conservancy, offers the most hiking options of these five destinations. Ranging from .2 to 3 miles with some notable elevation changes, the eight dirt and grass trails lead through marshes and over wooded dune ridges with beautiful vistas across swales and ponds. But remember to also look down, as there is no shortage of roots.
On a recent visit, we combined the Center, Sweetgum Swamp, and Blueberry Ridge Trails for a heart-pumping march, finishing on the concrete and boardwalk ADA-compliant trail which offers all the aforementioned, save the dune ridge, combined with stop-you-in-your-tracks views of the Sound.
Author: Betsy DiJulio
