Where Corolla's paved road ends and a quiet maritime-forest trail along the sound begins
Currituck Banks Reserve sits at the far north end of Corolla, right around where the paved road gives out and the village's shops and cottages fall away behind you. It's one of four sites making up the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve, protecting a stretch of maritime forest, salt marsh, and shoreline along Currituck Sound rather than the ocean side of the island.
This is protected land, not a park built for amenities — come for the walk and the scenery rather than concessions or restrooms. It sits close to where Corolla's paved road ends and the 4x4-only beach access to Carova and the northern communities begins, so factor that in if you're continuing north afterward. Because it's a working research reserve, access and conditions can shift, so it's worth a quick check with the NC Coastal Reserve program before you go.
813 reviews
2 months ago
A large section is accessible by walking or driving through a gate at the beach. There is a nice trail that goes through a forested area. It goes through the nature preserve with the wild horses, so there is a chance to see them here. There is a boardwalk area out to the straight between the island and mainland. There is also a ground trail through the woods. The environment is varied for each section of the hike.
3 months ago
I had such a peaceful experience exploring this area, and it was a great way to connect with nature. It’s a wonderful spot if you enjoy hiking or just watching wildlife, and the chance to potentially see wild horses is really something special. It feels very untouched and serene, which is exactly what I needed to get away from everything for a while. I’d highly recommend it if you are looking for a beautiful, quiet place to spend a few hours outdoors. Currituck Banks Reserve
a year ago
A nice easy walk to the dock. We also enjoyed the hike. It was fairly flat. Got to see lots of wildlife. The only problem is there is very limited parking.
a year ago
Such a pretty place to walk and see the local trees and plants. Boardwalk through the woods and many trees and plants identified with markers. One thing I have found is the OBX or maybe just this time of the year there’s lots of different spiders and webs to check out. The nice thing is most of the trail is shaded. Unfortunately our Boston Terrier was overheated and we couldn’t do the maritime trail.
3 years ago
Such a beautiful nature walk & right across from where we stayed in Corolla too! We were able to see birds, I think they were Osprey, and heard lots of frogs. The pathway looked to have been redone shortly before we arrived as it's in very good condition. What a surprise awaited us at the end of the walk when it opened up out of the wooded area and came to a boardwalk that overlooks the sound! We love Corolla for all the little gems like this. Definitely do this walk if you're in the area. We took babies, a toddler, and some great-grandparents on this walk so our leisurely pace took us about an hour and some change from start to finish. It's a very easy walk and is stroller/wheelchair friendly.