Plant lovers will appreciate the woods year round. The forest is lush with ferns, pines, oaks, red bay, blueberry, grasses, bamboo, sassafras, gums, and hundreds more species. Several species rare to North Carolina thrive in the forest, including the wolly beach heather, water violet, southern twayblade, and mosquito fern. Arguably, the most diverse population of reptiles and amphibians on the Outer Banks have found a permanent home in Nags Head Woods. This unusual forest provides nesting spots for more than 50 species of birds and is home to a wide variety of mammals including raccoons, river otters, gray fox, white-tailed deer, and opossum.
Insiders like to enter the forest in the fall and spring.
Cooler weather and fewer mosquitos make the trek more appealing, and you have plenty of visiting birds and waterfowl to look for. The great blue heron and green heron are common to the woods. Hikers can traipse over five miles of trails. The Center Trail is a quarter-mile long and features scenic pond overlooks. The Sweetgrass Swamp Trail takes over an hour to hike through rolling hills of forests, dunes, and ponds.