A Virginia Beach-based hiker’s guide to the wonders of winter treks through some of the most enchanting natural areas on the Outer Banks
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, whether you are looking for a quick and easy outdoorsy getaway from Coastal Virginia or own property on the Outer Banks and want to try something new, these preserves and reserves are geographically close, but worlds apart, from its other attractions. Many of us are familiar with the beautiful beaches, charming lighthouses and historical sites, and small, friendly communities that dot the island from north to south, but these enchanting natural areas are more of a hidden treasure.
Hiking in the OBX could be considered “hiking lite.” The payoffs aren’t in mountain peaks, sweeping valley vistas, and tumbling waterfalls, but 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—these trails 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.
Included here is 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
Corolla
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), and the Maritime Forest Trail veers to the right and heads northwest stopping just short of the Sound with a small loop (1.5 miles out-and-back).
The Experience
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.
Pine Island Sanctuary and Audubon Center Nature Trail
Corolla to Duck
The Details
Accessed from well-marked parking behind the Pine Island Racquet & Fitness Center, which seems like it can’t possibly be right, but is, this 5-mile out-and-back roundtrip 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.
ACCESS FOR ALL: The Nags Head Woods Preserve ADA Trail offers small children and those with disabilities a chance experience its freshwater ponds, maritime swamp forests and brackish marsh. Photo by Besty DiJulio
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 Experience
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
Manteo
The Details
Parking for this forested 2.25 mile out-and-back roundtrip 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.
The Experience
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. Ample public parking in downtown Manteo offers access to the charming and winding boardwalk over to the Marshes Light marina and back.
Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve
Kitty Hawk
The Details
The most straightforward access to more than 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 the Reserve’s website). Note: hunting is allowed Monday-Saturday, September to January.
The Experience
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 soundview spur, you can catch a mere glimpse of said Sound.
Bonus
Sandy Run Park. This is about the prettiest .5-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
Kill Devil Hills
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. (Photo of Nags Head Woods at top of page by Ben Herndon, courtesy of The Nature Conservancy)
The Experience
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.
Photo of Nags Head Woods at top of page by Ben Herndon, courtesy of The Nature Conservancy.
Betsy DiJulio
Betsy DiJulio is a full-time art teacher, artist and curator with side hustles as a freelance writer, including for Coastal Virginia Magazine, and a vegan recipe developer, food stylist and photographer. Learn more on her website thebloomingplatter.com.
