OBX (Corolla) trail suggestions

myright

myright

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
5,127
Hey fellas

I'm heading out to the Outter Banks in a couple of months for week. We're staying in Corolla and will be there with my wife and son, who will be about 1 year old at that time.

I'm looking for any type of trails in the area. I'm willing to head inland a few miles to hit a trail as well. I know there won't be much on island as far as trails since it's so small, but theres got to be some out there.

We've really got to put together a sticky for all the trail suggestions we've got out there.

Thanks in advance fellas!
 
I would guess that there isn't much in the way of hiking trails too nearby there. From what I recall the majority of the land in that area is farms. I guess it depends on what your definition of "a few miles" is and how long you're willing to drive. Depending on traffic, some years it's take me as long as an hour to 158 from Corolla.
I do hope I'm incorrect though, because I too would love to find some trails around there.
 
A few miles will mean just that when I have an 11 month old on my back and it'll probably be pretty hot and sunny out. I'm willing to take a drive, but not much more than 30-40 minutes to get somewhere though.

I see there are some parks and/or wildlife refuges in the area that have trails, but I can't find where there are any trail lengths listed so it leads me to believe they are very short trails to an observation deck or something.
 
Just north of Corolla on NC-12(up near the lighthouse) there are some wood walking paths that meander a bit through some marshland, best bet for that is to just park at the lighthouse.

If you have a 4WD vehicle going up to the north end of NC-12 and heading up the 4WD beach a bit you can usually find some some of the wild horses that live in the area, but I don't recall there being any real walking trails up there.

From Corolla, if memory serves correctly it is probably going to take a good 20min just to get back down to 158 especially with the amount of traffic the area has been seeing the past few years. My suggestion to you would be head over to the Brew Threw, pick up a 12 pack of your favorite brew and enjoy the beach. :D
 
How far are you from Croatan.

Also, Alligator River Wildlife refuge is a GLORIOUS place from the pics I've seen. I have several friends that have done reptile related research in that area and it looks to be wild and good.
 
Joe, I've driven through that area once(Alligator River refuge) I will admit it did look amazing. I had no idea that it was a designated refuge. I think for myright that might be a bit of a hike though. I remember it being a solid hour and a half drive from Corolla.
 
Joezilla said:
How far are you from Croatan.

Also, Alligator River Wildlife refuge is a GLORIOUS place from the pics I've seen. I have several friends that have done reptile related research in that area and it looks to be wild and good.
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Croatan looks like it's about 4 hours from Corolla. That's a bit far.

Alligator River Wildlife refuge is in Manteo right? If that's the case it looks like it is just about an hour from where we are. That is very doable for us. I'll be there with my entire wife's side of the family so I'll probably need to make a trip like that at some point during the week. :D

Thanks for the suggestions Joe :thumbup:
 
If you have the time to drive to Hatteras you can sometimes walk for miles on the beach and not see another person What week will you be there? We usually spend the second week of June in Kill Devil Hills. The weather isn't too hot and the fishing is usually pretty good. We don't spend much time hiking but do walk on Jockey's Ridge: http://www.jockeysridgestatepark.com/
Our week focuses on fishing, relaxing, and good food & drinks. There are many local restaurants that you can try.
 
Nags Head Woods. I live in Va Beach but my grandparents live there so I spent a good amount of summers fishing and working there. Its not far past the Wright Bros. and its a cool place to check out.

Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve
701 West Ocean Acres Drive
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
 
If you go inland on 158 past Elizabeth City and Sunbury you will come upon Merchants Mill Pond State Park. It is a beautiful area. They have trails that you can do with your kid. They also rent canoes, which is a great way to check out the pond. It might be further than you want to drive, but it would make a great place to get away to for a day. The only negative thing that I can think of about the place would be the MOSQUITOES. There treacherous in the summer.
 
tonym said:
Sorry, I can not help with trail suggestions there.

But if you want a great fishing charter, check out "The Country Girl)

http://www.countrygirlcharters.com/faq.htm

I had an awesome time with them!!!!!!!!
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It's good that you mention that because I want to get my two brother-in-laws and my father-in-law out in the water. I'm the guy that brings all the fishing gear every year so it'll be good to get out on a boat where I don't have to be the "first mate" on the dock or pier.

Although - I plan on doing a good bit of surf fishing while we are there... Pull the Jeep out on the to the beach and have a good ole time.

PIG CHAMPION said:
If you go inland on 158 past Elizabeth City and Sunbury you will come upon Merchants Mill Pond State Park. It is a beautiful area. They have trails that you can do with your kid. They also rent canoes, which is a great way to check out the pond. It might be further than you want to drive, but it would make a great place to get away to for a day. The only negative thing that I can think of about the place would be the MOSQUITOES. There treacherous in the summer.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll check out how far of a drive that is. The wife and I are always up for trying out new and different places to hike, fish, or just bum around outside.

atcgriffin said:
Nags Head Woods. I live in Va Beach but my grandparents live there so I spent a good amount of summers fishing and working there. Its not far past the Wright Bros. and its a cool place to check out.

Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve
701 West Ocean Acres Drive
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
Click to expand...

Great suggestion - Thank you!!!




fishiker said:
If you have the time to drive to Hatteras you can sometimes walk for miles on the beach and not see another person What week will you be there? We usually spend the second week of June in Kill Devil Hills. The weather isn't too hot and the fishing is usually pretty good. We don't spend much time hiking but do walk on Jockey's Ridge: http://www.jockeysridgestatepark.com/
Our week focuses on fishing, relaxing, and good food & drinks. There are many local restaurants that you can try.
Click to expand...

We'll be there 4th of July week. I know, I know - it's the busiest and most expensive time, we didn't pick the week. The people with the older kids didn't want to take them out of school and this is the best week we could come up with.

I'll check out Jockey's ridge since I plan on heading down to Hatteras anyway. There's a BBQ place I really likek down that way.

Thanks :thumbup:
 
myright said:
We'll be there 4th of July week. I know, I know - it's the busiest and most expensive time, we didn't pick the week. The people with the older kids didn't want to take them out of school and this is the best week we could come up with.



Thanks :thumbup:
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I'll be going down to Myrtle Beach for the week of the 4th of July too ! (Miners Vacation) I can't think of the name of the place we are staying but its across from where the pavillion used to be. We made arrangemants back in Feb :D I'm also traveling w/ the N-Laws.
 
Nothing very long, but some interesting scenery to be had...

First off, hit the beach... North or south, either way it'll be nice.

Jockey's Ridge is not to be missed, nor for that matter should you pass by the Wright Memorial!

South of Oregon Inlet, there's a trail that lead west into some of the wildlife refuge.

On Roanoke Island, there is a nice (paved) trail that parallels the main road through Manteo that goes from town all the way to the north end of the island. Great for biking and skating.

There's a nice walk through the park at Fort Raleigh/Lost Colony National park. The stage area is usually open in the off season--- I spent HOURS there as a kid playing on the stage... Cool memory!

At Fort Raleigh, there is a delightful nature trail. At one point, the trail winds up very close to the sound side (east side of the island). There are live oaks there with long horizontal branches that my Dad (now in his 70's) used to play on when he was a boy. In my family, they're know as "The Pirate Trees."

Finally, The Elizabethan Gardens at Fort Raleigh are a joy to stroll though almost anytime of year.

Edited to add: The Aquarium near the airport on Roanoke Island is a worthwhile stop, especially with a young child. A nice break from sun and sand!

In short (oops, too late!) There are many walking opportunities, just none that are very long.

My family is from the Outer Banks, so if I can be of any help, feel free to e-mail or PM!

MP
 
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coaldigger said:
I'll be going down to Myrtle Beach for the week of the 4th of July too ! (Miners Vacation) I can't think of the name of the place we are staying but its across from where the pavillion used to be. We made arrangemants back in Feb :D I'm also traveling w/ the N-Laws.
Click to expand...

I went to Myrtle Beach two years ago. There are some pretty cool places there. We went during bike week, but had no idea it was bike week that week.... quite an experience.
 
knife doctor said:
Nothing very long, but some interesting scenery to be had...

First off, hit the beach... North or south, either way it'll be nice.

Jockey's Ridge is not to be missed, nor for that matter should you pass by the Wright Memorial!

South of Oregon Inlet, there's a trail that lead west into some of the wildlife refuge.

On Roanoke Island, there is a nice (paved) trail that parallels the main road through Manteo that goes from town all the way to the north end of the island. Great for biking and skating.

There's a nice walk through the park at Fort Raleigh/Lost Colony National park. The stage area is usually open in the off season--- I spent HOURS there as a kid playing on the stage... Cool memory!

At Fort Raleigh, there is a delightful nature trail. At one point, the trail winds up very close to the sound side (east side of the island). There are live oaks there with long horizontal branches that my Dad (now in his 70's) used to play on when he was a boy. In my family, they're know as "The Pirate Trees."

Finally, The Elizabethan Gardens at Fort Raleigh are a joy to stroll though almost anytime of year.

Edited to add: The Aquarium near the airport on Roanoke Island is a worthwhile stop, especially with a young child. A nice break from sun and sand!

In short (oops, too late!) There are many walking opportunities, just none that are very long.

My family is from the Outer Banks, so if I can be of any help, feel free to e-mail or PM!

MP
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Great info MP - Thanks :thumbup:

I'll do some research on those places and see what I come up with. I may shoot you an email as I get closer to when I'm leaving.
 
so who wants to do an outing to Masonboro Island some time in the summer?
 
myright said:
I went to Myrtle Beach two years ago. There are some pretty cool places there. We went during bike week, but had no idea it was bike week that week.... quite an experience.
Click to expand...

LOL we were probably their togather then ! We went during Bike week around the same time ! We didn't know it was bike week either :thumbdn:
 
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