“When people come to the Outer Banks, they think they are coming to the beach. They don’t realize that they’ve come to one of the wildest places on the East Coast,” Jamie Moore says, who owns and operates Outer Banks Adventures. Through Outer Banks Adventures, Moore leads people on airboat tours of the local waterways and guided bus tours through the pocosin wetlands of Alligator River National Refuge.
Not counting the beach, these barrier islands contain hundreds of square miles of wild, unspoiled nature preserves. There are brackish ponds and salt flats, the tallest active dune system on the East Coast, protected swathes of dense maritime forest — you get the idea. You can experience these wild, secluded settings along nature trails and boardwalks over salt marsh. Or, to experience the area’s other offerings, follow the multiuse paths to beach accesses, shops, restaurants, and attractions — no car required.
As the weather starts to cool, you can easily — and without having to battle summer traffic — get out and lose yourself in these awe-inspiring landscapes (just stay on the trails, folks!). Whether you want to spend a day spotting great blue herons or black bears or simply need some fresh air between activities, read on for the variety of ways all interests and abilities can experience the Outer Banks’s outdoor spaces.
Unwind on the pristine, wide-open Outer Banks. These barrier islands, from their charming seaside communities to historic landmarks, are the perfect spot to gather for new, boundless adventures. Plan your visit today.
Explore Etheridge Point Beach, the home of The Lost Colony drama, accessible trails, and monuments at Fort Raleigh National Historical Site. Photography courtesy of Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
In many areas, nature is accessible to everyone. Wright Brothers National Memorial, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore all offer universal access features including an ADA-accessible duck blind, a mobility-friendly kayak launch, and beach wheelchairs available for loan. And the North Pond Trail at Pea Island Visitor Center has a half-mile-long, ADA-compliant boardwalk trail and a wheelchair available for personal usage.
Of the eight nature trails in Nags Head Woods Preserve, a favorite is the half-mile-long ADA Trail. From the parking lot, the trail is an easily navigable mix of concrete sidewalk and wooden boardwalk with overlooks of brackish marsh and a freshwater pond, where fishing is allowed from the boardwalk.
“It’s a small loop, but the neat thing for a trail of this size is that the habitat changes several times, so you can see different wildlife: red-winged blackbirds and ospreys in the marsh, pileated woodpeckers and neotropical migrants in the pine forest, Monarch butterflies and ruby-throated hummingbirds in the butterfly pollinator habitat, yellow-bellied sliders in the pond,” Aaron McCall says. He works as the northeast regional steward for The Nature Conservancy, which manages Nags Head Woods. “Anyone who has spent time here knows how nice it is to have a location like this and be able to share it with everyone. We get around a thousand users a month on this trail alone.”
Go on an adventure down the Alligator River with Outer Banks Adventures — you never know what wildlife you might spot! Photography courtesy of Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
Outer Banks Adventures is the only private company licensed to guide bus tours in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, home to an astounding variety of wildlife such as alligators, the largest population of black bears on the Eastern Seaboard and the world’s only wild population of endangered red wolves. The red wolves are a rare sight, but on a recent tour, Moore’s group saw one, as well as several black bears, in the same night.
Terri Kirby Hathaway is a naturalist and retired award-winning educator with North Carolina Aquarium and North Carolina Sea Grant. She leads tours with Outer Banks Adventures.
Fitting for its name, the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is home to American black bears, various bird species, red wolves, and American alligators. photograph by Benjamin Lashley
“The accessibility to wildlife on the Outer Banks is very unusual, especially for a coastal community,” she says. “I just love opening people’s eyes to the natural world we have here, observing and sharing information about the plants, flowers, wildlife, and ecosystems.”
Hathaway says people are lured to the refuge to see the black bears, only to be surprised by all the other wildlife they see. Her favorites include a bobcat sighting and great horned owl silhouetted in the moonlight.
Wildlife sightings are common in the refuge. “In the four summers I’ve done this, there was only one time we didn’t see anything,” Hathaway says.
We all can use a nap sometimes. Visitors are most likely to spot bears in the early morning and evening when temperatures are cooler. photograph by Benjamin Lashley
A big part of the Outer Banks Adventure guides’ job is educating people about interacting responsibly with wildlife. “It’s very important not to alter an animal’s behavior,” Moore says. “We don’t want them acclimating to people.” To assist with the wildlife sightings, he stocks the tour bus with telescopes and binoculars so people can view the refuge’s residents from a respectful distance.
During the fall months, you can explore the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday van tours and Saturday tram tours. However, if you prefer to be on the beach, head to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on Friday mornings for guided bird walks. And every year in late October, the Wings Over Water Festival brings avid outdoors folk and nature lovers to dozens of guided nature and wildlife tours in both of the wildlife refuges as well as throughout the Outer Banks.
A bird’s-eye view of Duck. Photography courtesy of Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
Herman Hall, owner and operator of Kitty Hawk Kayak and Surf School, and his team of guides regularly share the local waters with wildlife.
Paddling the Pamlico Sound in Salvo, his tourgoers see rays, bottlenosed dolphins, birds, and occasionally sea turtles. He recently spotted a tricolored heron in Currituck Sound in Duck for the first time. “You can randomly score a wildlife sighting just about anywhere,” he says.
One summer morning in Kitty Hawk, his tour group in Ginguite Creek heard a pack of coyotes howling, yelping and growling. “It was spooky and primal,” he says. “The hair on the back of my neck stood up.”
Hop in a kayak and paddle down the river to become one with nature at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Photography courtesy of Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
His paddlers are hugely appreciative of the chance to see or hear wildlife. “People get so stoked to be outside and to see animals and learn about them,” he says.
No matter where you are outdoors on the Outer Banks, the experience is never the same twice. And with an ever-growing number of ways to discover a new side of the natural environment, the must-do list just keeps growing. Click here to learn more about visiting these inspiring scenic spaces and experience their wonders for yourself.
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