Jockey’s Ridge State Park

Very soft sand on the climb by the pond area. Just amazing! Glad we stopped by. Best part? It’s free :)

Don’t know what we missed but this place was boring. It’s a bunch of big sand dunes. That’s it. Thought I was in the desert except that it was pleasant weather.
Once you trek the dunes of quite-​warm sand, there’s a 360-​degree view of mostly water, houses, and trees.
The welcome center had some stuffed wild animals on display and some signs
The overlook looked over sand
I wouldn’t go back or recommend it. Not sure what all the hype is

Apparently there are sand dunes and then there are SAND DUNES.
I’ve seen dunes in other states but at least in the east there ain’t nothing like this.
The one thing that struck me as I was getting my Moses or Lawrence of Arabia on by crossing the sands was that everything here is big but it’s not THAT big. Don’t get me wrong in that you get a hell of a view but most people that I saw just walked up to one of the higher points for a minute or two and then turned around and left almost in a ho-​hum is this it kind of way.
As others have suggested, I imagine that during the summer the sand most be crazy ass hot as the advisories on the park’s website remind you but going in winter we didn’t have that problem. If anything the sand was cool to almost cold as you would expect for that time of year.
The one regret that I had was not making time to see the visitor center as I’m sure it had some quality stuff in it but seeing as we were coming from paying a visit to Fort Raleigh the children in particular had had enough of visitor centers and wanted to just skip the good stuff by going outside on the sand.
On a not so nice sidebar, I did enjoy watching from a distance the people taking hang gliding lessons. Let’s just say some people were experiencing the agony of defeat by face planting sand or by running into a shrub/​tree or two. It sort of reminded me of this little beauty.
Past that I can’t add anything that Carissa K. didn’t already mention as her review to me is the gold standard for this place. The best advice is simply that it’s free so why the hell not?
If you go:
The park is open year round with the exception of Christmas Day and there is plenty of parking. The visitor center is open from 9 – 5 November-​February and 9 – 6 the rest of the year. The park itself opens at 8 with closing times that vary throughout the year and the high ridge closes fifteen minutes prior to whatever the park’s closing time is.

This was one of our first stops when we got to OBX for a short day trip and boy did we love it! We walked across the sand dunes and it was almost sunset. Absolutely beautiful and it was really empty the day we went. At the top you could see the ocean and Currituck Sound. A great walk and the visitors center had some really interesting info as well!

If you are visiting OBX, this is a must stop, especially at sunset!!!
Gorgeous!
Hang gliding is s huge thing here too, hoping to try it next year.

Hang gliding the dunes was great! Croix our instructor was awesome!

Great place!!! Beautiful!!! Hang gliding, kite flying, walking, people watching, informative museum. Watch out for the hot sand. Best to go after a rain, earlier in the day.

Jockey’s Ridge is a great place to visit, but be prepared to walk. The dune is active and always evolving and with that in mind, it really could care less how close it is to the parking area. You’ll have to walk in by some restrooms and showers (which are very convenient) and hike a long path (or hell, it may be short if the dune is forgiving when you visit). But when you get to the top and look out over the OBX to the Atlantic Ocean, and turn to see the Sound and Roanoke Island — it will be well worth whatever struggle it was to the top.
My tip — always take the short (and steep) way down! It’ll make you feel young again.

Gorgeous! Not as big as I expected, but it was peaceful and worth the hike up the sand dune. Feels like you are on your own isolated desert! Make sure to wear your sunscreen!

I’ve never seen a place like this… I’ve also never been to a desert so the view was a bit shocking at first.
The sand dunes are amazingly gorgeous. It’s very hilly so be prepared to get some exercise.
Some tips for Jockey Ridge:
1. Lather yourself with sun block; there’s zero shade.
2. Bring plenty of water to drink
3. Bring a kite and walk to the top of a hill to fly it. It’s an awesome experience.
4. Wear sneakers. The folks who wore flip flops/​sandals seemed to have a more difficult time walking through the dunes.
5. Be prepared to be covered in sand no matter what you wear.
6. Take lots of pictures and have fun!

Many years ago while driving through the Outer Banks, I saw these enormous sand dunes in the distance, and I watched people walking on them. I wanted to know all about them and, more importantly, I needed to find a way to get there. Fast forward to last year when I finally discovered this amazing place called Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head (JR). I couldn’t wait to slip off my shoes and socks, and let my bare feet touch the cool, soft sand.*
How were these magnificent sand dunes formed? Well, they don’t really know, honestly. It probably had something to do with hurricanes and/​or Nor’easters carrying sand from offshore islands. Whatever it was, we were given a gift. JR is the tallest active sand dune system in the Eastern United States, and it stands at roughly 100′.
First off, there is no fee at JR, and plenty of parking. Second, take some time to look through the information at the Visitor Center. It’s a nice set-​up in there and you and your kids will enjoy a few minutes to learn about sand dunes. Then it’s time to head off to the dunes!
Here are some interesting facts**:
— The amount of sand making up the 420 acres of Jockey’s Ridge is equal to about 6,000,000 dump truck loads.
— The Sand is mostly quartz rock, which came from the mountains millions of years ago.
— The dunes never blow away because Northeast and Southwest winds blow the sand back and forth.
— You might find a tube in the sand. Fulgurites are hollow tubes that are formed when lighting strikes the sand. Don’t touch it and notify the staff.
— Jockey’s Ridge has three different ecological environments: Dunes, Maritime Thicket, and the Roanoke Sound Estuary.
JR is a wonderful place – educational, fun for the kids, and a photographer’s dream. My boys and I loved visiting and can’t wait to go back. Definitely put JR on your list when you’re planning a trip to the Outer Banks – and remember to bring a kite!
*Just remember that I went in the winter. The sand during the summer can be extremely hot so they recommend you wear shoes.
**The information was from
.

A fun place to spend an hour or so. The dune climb will help burn off some beach food and once at the top, a nice water view and watching the kiteboarders is a good reward. For those up for it, you can hang glide here too.

Nice place to hike around or picnic and look at the hang gliders. Forgot to bring our kite, will definitely bring it next time.
Lots of nature to explore as well– there are foxes there!

It has been almost 15 years since I frolicked here with a young love. We just brought our kids and they reveled in the wind and glory of it all just as we had hoped. Bring a kite– just do it– don’t think about it! Buy one and hang on like you’re a 7yr old; you won’t regret it.
If you care to walk more, come across from the KittyHawk Kites, like we did. Otherwise head to the official park entrance.
Wear a hood or a hat, the wind can be brutal on the ears.

A friend recommended that I have to go to Jockey’s Ridge — the sand dunes — and my first reaction was, «Sand dunes, really?» One word after going: Wow.
It was a particularly beautiful October afternoon with sunshine and blue skies. JR is the tallest natural sand dune in the eastern US. It was cool to walk around the dunes make believing I’m stranded in a desert. The sights of the horizon at sunset were pretty memorable too.
The state park is free and you can bring a picnic and if you’re up for an adventure, go hang-​gliding.

I have never seen so much sand in my life. My husband signed up for a hang gliding class that was held at this park. The park was dog friendly so we brought our pups to watch the gliders. The endless sand dunes are an amazing sight, I can’t get over how beautiful and exotic it looked while still being in North Carolina. Our dogs we’re very sandy after climbing all over the dunes and the park has little faucets that we were able to wash them off in. The bathroom we not great and needed some sort of drying device, but it didn’t make me dislike our visit. I would recommend stopping by if near, you won’t believe your eyes.

The sand is SO HOT, lots of walking, and it literally feels like you’re in the middle of a desert.
That being said… it’s totally worth checking out.
I was exhausted and cranky, so I didn’t make it very far but I wish I had gone when I had a little more strength because this was a pretty awesome place to see in person.
Don’t forget your sunglasses!

Jockeys Ridge is one of my favorite places to go to while at the beach, its great exercise and a fun adventure for people who enjoy flying kites its literally the best place to deside to flying with an almost constant breeze of 5−10MPH its a treat for both young and one people alike.

You wouldn’t think that a giant hill of sand… literally a giant sand dune… would be such an entertaining state park, but I’ve been going to the Outer Banks for vacation for nearly 20 years now and every year that I’ve gone on vacation here ever since I was a kid, I’ve spent at least one day visiting this park. There’s two ways to climb the dune. A moderate, longer medium grade ascent through a carved trail or the vertical ascent up the face of the slope. Whichever way you decide to make it to the top of the dunes, it’s a great place to be once you’re at the top. Fly a kite, take beautiful pictures of both the sound side and ocean side of the outerbanks from the breathtaking viewpoint, or sign up and take some hang-​gliding lessons. And when you’re all done, enjoy the fun and exciting descent down the slope.
You would think that after 20 years of visiting this park, it would get old… but somehow I still find myself enjoying this trip every time I go.

This park is simply gorgeous. I was concerned that with my bad knees I would struggle to get to the top but I was happily surprised. Yes, it’s a hike and yes it’s a steep hike… but I promise that the view is the best pay off ever. We went to see the sun set (which tonight was kinda cloudy and therefore lame) but what a great vantage point! I will be going back before I leave because it was truly that enjoyable.
A ranger gave a short talk after sunset to explain some about the dunes which was great and informative! Dress comfortably, be prepared to get your work out in — and once you’re at the top… take a breath and look around. Simply… beautiful.