Top 10 FREE Thing To Do on the OBX - #6
#6 - Visit the Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve
Sometimes even the most devout sun-worshipper needs a day away from the beach. On that day, I recommend checking out Nags Head Woods and the Nature Conservancy. Well over 1,000 acres, this ecological preserve is unique on the Outer Banks because of its many habitats. Anchored on the south end by Jockey's Ridge and the north end by Run Hill, the Woods contain forested dunes, freshwater ponds, and marshes. The wildlife here is abundant--you're likely to see deer, river otter, turtles and some of the 100 documented species of birds that find respite here. You can choose from several walking trails to take you through this unusual maritime forest.
I love to go to Nags Head Woods to get a glimpse of Outer Banks history. A long time ago--we're talking the 1800s to as late as the 1930s--there was an actual community of people that lived in Nags Head Woods. I think about the Outer Banks and what it must've been like to the early settler... a very inhospitable place, indeed. Sandy, windy, sun-drenched, unpredictable weather--all are reasons why the early Outer Bankers chose to live in this protected hamlet. Today, all that remains of this once thriving village is a cemetery and a few home foundations. Walking through Nags Head Woods, I always feel a little like a trespasser, looking in on the remains of these villagers' lives. I silently commend them for their boldness and their rugged spirit... living here on this wild barrier island before the necessities of weather forecasts, bridges, sunscreen, telephones, everything. Walking through the Preserve puts that all in perspective for me... all the while taking me through a wild terrain unlike any other.
To get to the Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve, turn west on Ocean Acres Drive in Kill Devil Hills (around milepost 9.5). The Preserve is down that road about one mile.
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