Just a short walk through maritime forest, transports you to a vast desert landscape. Hiking across a seemingly endless stretch of dunes was a truly unique experience. This is arguably one of North Carolina's coolest state parks!
Music featured in this video: “Wisdom in the Sun” by Kevin MacLeod, “Neptunian Princess” by Bryan Teoh, and “Clusticus the Mistaken” by Doctor Turtle
Visiting the Park
The incredible thing about Jockeys Ridge is the "choose your own adventure" nature of it. Hike the dunes, have a picnic, or even hang glide! Best of all, visiting the park is completely FREE. The initial hike/walk from the parking lot to the dunes is about 0.40 mile. From there, explore as much or as little as you like. A few other important things to know - Restrooms and picnic shelters are located a short distance from the parking lot. And dogs are welcome but must be kept on a leash no longer than 6 ft.
For us, this was a great family activity. We visited with a large group of varying ages and activity levels, and everyone had a fun time. If you find yourself in the Outer Banks this site is a must see!
For more information check out the following resources:
Hike Overview
Type of hike: Loop (sort of)
Difficulty: easy
Trails hiked: boardwalk, Tracks in the Sand trail, and Ridge Top trail
Time span: 1 to 2 hours (leisurely pace)
Our Mileage: about 1.5 miles
Due to the unique terrain (sand, sand, and more sand) there aren't trails in the traditional sense here. Most of our hike was spent blazing our own path. We spent over an hour in the park exploring the dunes and parts of Tracks in the Sand and Ridge Top "trails." We walked about a mile and a half total. Below is a satellite screenshot from Gaia GPS with the exact path we followed highlighted in yellow and a rough outline of the rest of our walk in blue. Hopefully it gives you a better idea of what to expect before visiting.
History
I'm always interested to know the backstory of the places I visit. Jockey's Ridge has a very interesting history. The name "Jockeys Ridge" dates back to the 1700s. Supposedly the early inhabitants of the area captured and raced the wild ponies around the ridge while spectators watched from the top of the dunes.
Even more fascinating is the story of the 1800s hotel the ridge engulfed. Guests were escorted to the hotel in carts pulled by donkeys. But over the time, the sand began invading the property and the upper-class clientele it catered to refused to come back. At one point guests were given shovels and promised a discount for digging their way to the room.
Not long ago, Jockeys Ridge was in danger of destruction. The area was going to be bulldozed for more residential development. In August of 1973 a local resident, Carolista Baum, was made aware of equipment removing sand from the ridge by her children. She stood in front of one of the bulldozers refusing to move. After that, organized efforts to "Save Our Sand Dune" were made by local groups. You can read more about the history at the park's official site and Atlantic Realty
The short film below was created by student at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1976 and can be found on the State Archives of North Carolina YouTube channel.