On our recent trip to North Carolina - we made a quick stop at Jockeys Ridge State Park. The main attraction here is a large sand dune. In fact - the largest sand dune on the east coast of the United States. This park, which is the most utilized park in the whole State of North Carolina, sits on 426 acres. The park is only 43 years old being established in 1975 by the State. The really cool thing about it is there are 3 different ecosystems: The Dune System, Maritime Forest, & Roanoke Sound. Due to my wife having a broken arm; hiking (especially in loose sand) was not possible. So we were only able to visit the Roanoke Sound portion of the park. There is a short trail and walkway to the soundfront beach. When we return for future visits the Maritime Forest trail hike is a definite! To tackle the dunes it would have to be during cooler weather.
The formation of the "ridge" is believed to be from quartz eroded from mountains in the western part of North Carolina which washed down stream into the ocean & became sand. Storms eventually piled up sand and formed the large dune system. At one point around the 16th century; the dune ridge or system extended way north almost to the Virginia border. It was visible and used by navigators offshore. Due to ocean winds the dunes shift a few feet to the southwest each year. The Maritime Forest helps stabilize the dune system and in return the dunes protect the forest from the strong ocean winds and salt spray.
The Roanoke Sound portion of the park is not as well known to the massive crowds that use Jockeys Ridge (especially in the summer months). Accessible through a small Nags Head, NC neighborhood - there is a small parking lot. From this area you can access the sound or the Maritime Forest hiking trail. The day of our visit was bright, sunny, but a cool Autumn day. Shot a couple pictures of the view. Hopefully you enjoy and I can't wait to return to get more pictures from the Maritime Forest trail next year!
