Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve

So wonderful. I didn’t know what to expect but it was amazing. The scenery changes so much it was amazing. Highly recommend it, it’s a awesome thing to add to your trip. It’s a change to the beach feel. Just beware of snakes haha.

This was one of the more pleasant finds during our trip to the OBX area as it runs counter to what most people/​tourists are in the area to do. I mean to a point who goes to the beach to take a walk in the woods and/​or how many beach areas even have woods by them?
There are seven main trails ranging in distance from a quarter mile to nearly four. We didn’t have the daylight or the inclination to do the hard stuff so we stuck with the easier ADA, Discovery and Roanoke Trails which collectively equal according to the map two and a half miles.
The Roanoke Trail to me is the star of the show as it gives you many different looks in terms of topography in a very short distance. Woods to swampy/​marshy ending at a small sandy beach along the Roanoke Sound.
I should also point out, assuming that Unilocal doesn’t change the name on this listing, that the name of this place is NOT The Nature Conservancy. That would be the name of the large Billion dollar organization that owns/​manages the land. TNC has been around for over sixty years and has preserved over 100 million acres of land in all fifty states and thirty countries so know that this is not some type of fly by night operation. FWIW, the actual name of this place is the Nags Head Woods Preserve.
The Preserve overall has 1,400-acres of maritime forest which house more than 300 species of plants more than 50 species of birds and various types of snakes, lizards, turtles, salamanders, frogs and toads all free to do what they want without the possibility of any type of development on the land.
If you go:
The visitor center is staffed Monday-​Friday from 9 – 5 but the trails are free (although donation and membership options abound) open daily year round from dawn until dusk. The only negative thing that I encountered was that their only parking area is a very small dirt lot that was packed when we went and if that were truly full I don’t know where you would go as both Ocean Acres Drive and Old Nags Head Woods Road are very narrow.
As an unintended bonus, if you’re in the area during the Christmas season the small road (Ocean Acres Drive) that leads to the preserve also happens to be the same road that the infamous Poulos Family Christmas Lights display is on. It’s been on HGTV and it truly needs to be seen to be believed. The town that I’m from is known as «The Christmas City» and locally I’ve seen bigger displays but all things considered, if you’re into Christmas it’s worth a stop as it’s free.

This is a wonderful hidden treasure in the Outer Banks. We have a toddler and were just looking for something to do on a very hot day once said toddler was bored of being on the beach. The Nature Preserve was a little hard to find (only one sign on N Croatan Hiway, and then you have to drive through a residential neighborhood), but it was worth looking for. It’s a beautiful little place, full of natural beauty. The staff at the conservancy were amazing, taking the time to show our daughter the various critters they had (crabs, turtles, a snake, and other woodland creatures). The trails are all well shaded, and the short trails are perfect hiking distance for a 21 month-​old toddler (there are plenty of little loops that take you over bridges, all under half a mile). If you prefer to do longer hikes, there is supposedly a really nice one that takes you out to the sound.
This is a great place for kids if you’re looking for something easy and different from the beach. Definitely recommend it!
We didn’t have ours, but you could easily take a jogging stroller on the shorter loop trails. A regular stroller would not work though. Also, be aware that you are in nature so there are plenty of ticks and mosquitoes. Make sure to do a thorough tick check once you’re done here.

Not what I expected. I’m from virginia and the only thing we have that attack as aggressively as the flies and Mosquitos are called hornets. I’ll give the flies credit tho even slapping them doesn’t slow them down unless you kill them. Once the trail turns into what we call in Virginia a power line we gave up and fought out way back to the car. We’re not from around here so maybe they have some kinda spray or gasoline product to keep stuff from chewing on you as you admire the high voltage power lines over head.

Nice place for a walk when you’re visiting the Outer Banks. The only reason they don’t get 5 stars is because their signage is confusing. The map & website say that dogs are allowed on three of the trails. The sign at the visitors center says dogs are not allowed. We took ours, and hoped we wouldn’t get in trouble.
The trails are pretty and well marked. One of the ones we took, took us to the water. It was a beautiful day, so that was enjoyable. There was also a graveyard in the middle of the woods. Random, but very cool.
Definitely worth checking out!

Best natural wonder of the outer banks. A rare representation of the beauty this island once embodied, before tacky crap littered the landscape.

Ecological preserve @ outer banks nags head nc-​magnificent:) (@ Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve)

Wonderful natural area tucked away in an almost hidden area of the island. If you enjoy walking, hiking or even running on trails throug a beautiful, quiet, serene, natural area with woods, dunes, bogs, and lots of wildlife you owe it to yourself to visit the Nags Head Woods Preserve the next time you visit the Outer Banks. Just a short drive up Ocean Acres Drive from the 158 Bypass.

Great two hour or so excursion if you are visiting Outer Banks. Quite a few short trails that go thru the forests and swamps of the Outer Banks — landscape you will almost never see from the main drag.
The trails are very well done with some nice boardwalks. There may be ticks and are definitely mosquitoes so be prepared for that.

The Nature Conservancy owns this preserve. There are some hiking trails (beware of ticks), and there are some offices on the property. I could not get a map of the preserve, but the trails were easy enough to follow and get back to the parking area. This is a little place that’s off the main roads.