Nags Head Woods Preserve — Attraction in Kill Devil Hills

I disclose a sanctuary in the Outer Banks. I've kept this a secret to myself for too long and will share this gem. Nags Head Woods is known, but not widely at all. Its a 750 acre oasis in an otherwise developed beach town. The hiking experience is phenomenal, it's trails pristine, it's dunes ancient.

The extensive ecological preserve in Nags Head North Carolina protects a remarkable range of unique habitats, including forested dunes, interdune ponds, marshes, and wetlands. The preserve offers a welcome natural respite from the busy coastal scene not only for wildlife, but also for its human visitors. It’s location off the bypass road is marked, then it’s another several miles deep into the forest prior to arriving at a small parking lot.

The park is shielded from the ocean winds by the dune ridges, Nags Head Woods features a diversity of plant and animal life that is unusual to find on a barrier island. Towering oaks, hickories, and beech trees, hundreds of years old, rise from the sand and create a canopy of trees more typical of the mountains of the eastern United States.

Nags Head Woods was once a thriving village community with 13 homesites, two churches, a school, a store, farms, a gristmill, and a shingle factory as early as the 1930's. Artifacts remain of village life. A home foundation, cemeteries, and other signs of previous human habitation in the forest. During my hikes over the past decade I've yet to locate the cemetery.

Over 100 species of birds have been documented at Nags Head Woods. The preserve is an important nesting area for more than 50 species, including green heron, wood duck, red-shouldered hawk, clapper rail, ruby-throated hummingbird. Fifteen species of amphibians and 28 species of reptiles have been documented as well. The freshwater ponds are inhabited by seven species of fish and many reptiles and amphibians. An extensive marsh system bordering Roanoke Sound on the west preserve supports a wealth of wildlife including river otter, egrets, herons, and many species of migratory waterfowl.

The preserve was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974, and protecting its unique habitats was one of the Conservancy's first priorities in North Carolina. Between 1978 and 1986, the Conservancy acquired about 420 acres in the northern section of the forest. Another almost 400 acres was acquired in 1992.

When visiting keep in mind a few things. Time of the day and weather. You would never want to be caught in the dark or adverse conditions. Length and terrain of trail your choosing. Maps are at the trail head and color coated. Firing range day. There is a range in a certain part that must be avoided when active. Finally take everything out that you bring in. There are...

This area felt as close to “hiking” as you can get on the Outer Banks. I did two dog friendly trails with the pups (4 and 5) as a loop. In the afternoon it was cool and I didn’t have a big bug issue like we did at the nearby Alligator River NWF. The trails are all very easy and flat; anyone can walk them. The trails are well maintained and a breeze to follow.

The audio tour on the Roanoke Trail (trail 5) was interesting and talked about the history of some of the former homesteads in the woods. It ends at the sound and you retrace back to 4 to complete the loop to the parking area.

Roads to get here are partly gravel. Any car should be able to navigate, but mostly in case you’re worried about rock kickups or a dirty car. The parking lot has Rivian chargers. I have an EV but I didn’t hook up so I can’t speak to their...

This is the best place to hike in the Outer Banks in my opinion. I realize most people don't come to the Outer Banks to hike, but we aren't really sit on the beach all day type of people, so we found lots of trails.

This is a pretty big area and had the longest trails for us to hike. We did the Center Trail, Sweetgum Swamp Trail, and Blueberry Ridge Trail. They all connect and it's about 3.7 miles total.

It's still not very long and pretty easy, but this was the closest to a real hike that we found in the Outer Banks. The green ponds are really pretty in the marshy areas. It's entirely wooded (as the name suggests).

If you're looking to do something more active on your trip, I recommend...