If you’re an out-and-out outdoor person, and loves nothing less than trying new things, this place is truly ideal for your getaway. The over a hundred feet Jockey’s Ridge, aside from being a very popular park, is also the tallest sand dune on the East Coast, and offers a wide variety of activities that only few other can parallel.
A very popular location for sightseeing and kite-flying, Jockey’s Ridge offers a spectacular view of that arches between the ocean and the Roanoke Sound. It has a state-of-the-art visitor center that houses a museum, along with a 360-foot boardwalk that regularly features exhibits on the ecology of the dune and acts as a gradual entry to the gigantic dune field.
Apart from sightseeing and kite-flying, one can go sand-boarding (albeit with a permit) and hang-gliding (via vendors only). One can also go to the park’s soundside and do activities such as wading, sunbathing, and paddling, or going on the one-mile nature trail which leads to grassy dunes, maritime thickets and wetlands. Other aerial activities, such as wind-surfing are also available. And if you’re a flying enthusiast, you can even visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial located nearby and see the exact site where brothers Orville and Wilbur’s made their iconic first flight. Although there is no way for staying overnight here, the day’s trip will more than make up for the deficit.
Contact Information:
Address: 300 W. Carolista Drive, Nags Head, NC 27959
Phone: 252-441-7132
Website: https://www.ncparks.gov/jockeys-ridge-state-park