Outer Banks parks continue to set the pace regionally for visitation. Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags was once again the most visited park of the 41 parks in the North Carolina system.
Attracting over 1.8 million visitors, Jockey’s Ridge joins Cape Hatteras National Seashore in setting the pace for outdoor recreation in North Carolina.
At first glance Jockey’s Ridge is just a gigantic sand dune. And that sand dune is huge—the largest on the East Coast. But the park is much more than that.
Relatively small—it’s only 427 acres—it boasts an almost desert like environment on the dune itself, but at the base of the dune innerdunal ponds support a remarkable diversity of grasses and reeds. During particularly wet spells, the ponds support huge population of Eastern spade foot frogs, an interesting species that buries their eggs in the sand at the edge of the ponds. The eggs don’t hatch until the sand is wet enough to support them.
On the soundside of the park, there is a small maritime forest. Interestingly, along the northern side of the park, the forest seems to be thriving and becoming more dense—possibly reacting to a series of slightly wetter years.
Jockey’s Ridge is, of course, best known as the home of the Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School. Hang gliding is an amazing experience and we recommend it to anyone who has even the smallest sense of adventure in them.
The instructors are excellent and the training film and ground school help immeasurably to get students ready to fly. And when your feet leave the ground and there is no doubt that gigantic kite is gliding with you attached—it is a thrill.
The Outer Banks is a great place to experience adventures. Plan your adventure today and be sure to make a reservation for a Brindley Beach Vacations home. The summer is filling up, so don’t wait too long.