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All the United States North Carolina Nags Head Jockey's Ridge
AO Edited

Jockey's Ridge

This shifting North Carolina sand dune is an odd little desert surrounded by oceanic forest life.

Nags Head, North Carolina

Added By
Thomas Harper
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Jockey’s Ridge   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Jockey’s Ridge   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Roanoke Sound from the Ridge   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Top of Jockey’s Ridge   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Jockey’s Ridge   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Adventuring with my daughter to Jockey’s Ridge.   Rindy99 / Atlas Obscura User
Adventuring with my daughter to Jockey’s Ridge.   Rindy99 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

A 400-acre large and 100-foot high shifting sand dune brings a swath of desert to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Near milepost 12 of the South Croatan Highway, Jockey's Ridge covers Bodie Island next to Nags Head. While the Atlantic Ocean is just one block away at points, the dune is hot and dry. No plants live on the shifting sand, and animals only visit it at night. The northeast and southwest winds keep the dune in place and prevent it from being slowly blown into the sea.

A maritime thicket surrounds the dune on land and the Roanoke Sound abuts it to the west. During migration season, many kinds of waterfowl may be seen there, and recovering populations of brown pelicans and osprey also live there. Early morning visitors to ridge may see the tracks of red and gray foxes and the six-lined racerunner,  North America's fastest lizard, with a sprint of 18 miles per hour if threatened. The top of the dune is the highest point in Dare County, and is a popular spot for kite flying and hang-gliding.

Part of Jockey's Ridge was being bulldozed in 1973 when Carolista Baum successfully got the operator to stop by standing in the bulldozer's path. Her efforts helped the dune become part of Jockey's Ridge State Park, created two years later, and now the most visited state park in North Carolina. In the developed tourist destination of the Outer Banks, a wild patch of desert remains. Sometimes the wind exposes the remains of an old mini-golf course.

Related Tags

Deserts Nature Natural Wonders

Know Before You Go

Popular activities here include sandboarding and kite flying (bring your own), nature trails, sunset viewing, and learning to hang-glide. There are no entrance fees to enjoy the park. But keep in mind, this is a day-use only park with no campgrounds.

Go past the sand dunes to West Soundside Rd, it goes to a nice beach on the sound where you can walk in the water forever.

Community Contributors

Added By

thomasharper

Edited By

meltingknight, ryanrealestate27, jessecbethea, anjohnst...

  • meltingknight
  • ryanrealestate27
  • jessecbethea
  • anjohnst
  • Rindy99
  • Brewdiggy
  • RogueSuit

Published

August 25, 2014

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Sources
  • https://raleighrealty.com/blog/beaches-near-raleigh-nc
  • https://raleighrealty.com/blog/beaches-near-raleigh-nc
  • https://www.homesraleigh.com/blog/best-beaches-raleigh/
  • HomesRaleigh.com
  • http://www.jockeysridgestatepark.com/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jockey%27s_Ridge
  • https://365atlantatraveler.com/things-to-do-in-outer-banks/
  • https://daily.365atlantatraveler.com/kitty-hawk-hang-gliding/
  • https://thisisraleigh.com/things-to-do-in-obx/
  • https://www.raleighrealtyhomes.com/blog/beaches-near-raleigh-nc.html
  • https://www.uphomes.com/blog/beaches-near-charlotte-nc.html
  • https://www.uphomes.com/blog/moving-to-outer-banks-nc.html
  • https://www.uphomes.com/blog/best-neighborhoods-outer-banks-nc.html
Jockey's Ridge
300 West Carolista Drive
Nags Head, North Carolina, 27959
United States
35.962405, -75.633902
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Mother Vine

Manteo, North Carolina

miles away

Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island

Manteo, North Carolina

miles away

William B. Umstead Bridge

Manteo, North Carolina

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of North Carolina

North Carolina

United States

Places 199
Stories 34

Nearby Places

The Mother Vine

Manteo, North Carolina

miles away

Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island

Manteo, North Carolina

miles away

William B. Umstead Bridge

Manteo, North Carolina

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of North Carolina

North Carolina

United States

Places 199
Stories 34

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