What a great find. Currituck Banks Reserve is located north of Nags Head, North Carolina on the Outer Banks. This is an estuary for hiking and wildlife viewing. There are two short trails totaling 2.1 miles, but don’t ignore the trail and boardwalk because it’s short. Hike in the late afternoon and watch the sunset on the sound.

If driving from Nags Head take Highway 12 through Duck, pass the Currituck Beach Lighthouse (might want to stop and see it as well), eventually reaching the reserve.

My recommendation for this hike is to walk the boardwalk until you see the Currituck Banks Maritime Forest Trail. Take the trail first and then return to the boardwalk to watch the sunset.

The Maritime Forest Trail (1.5 miles round trip) weaves through wonderful trees with their gnarled branches twisting and turning in marvelous ways. A small herd of deer traveled past, and we enjoyed sharing the trail with them. Due to the heavy rains before we arrived, mushrooms were easy to find.

Note: Due to a photo app crash, I lost most of my photos of the the trip. The one depicted above is from my phone.