Jockey’s Ridge State Park - North Carolina
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Jockey’s Ridge, adjacent to the town of Nag’s Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, is the tallest natural sand dune on the East Coast. Continually shifting, it moves an average of 3-6 feet each year and now sits 1500 feet southwest of where it did 25 years ago. The height of its 3 peaks also changes. The tallest was 110 feet in 1974 and shrunk to 87 feet in 1995. To preserve this phenomenon for all of us to enjoy, it became Jockey’s Ridge State Park in 1975.
A big sand dune, you say. Ho-hum. NOT! It’s the equivalent of a mountain at the beach and you can do a lot of things here that typically are done on mountains, like hang gliding and sandboarding, which is very much like snowboarding only in sand, of course.
There are also plenty of opportunities to explore the ecosystem of these golden sand dunes, with self-guided hiking trails and ranger-led bird walks, crabbing expeditions, nature hikes and a daily Sunset on the Ridge program - all free and all sure to be a hit with the kids.
from Bethany L King
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