Jockey’s Ridge in the Outer Banks of North Carolina is the tallest natural active sand dune on the Atlantic coast.

It’s a protected environment and home to a lot of wildlife, including snakes, raccoons, the Red Fox and Gray Fox, White-tailed deer, and more.  And although I didn’t see any of these creatures while visiting the dunes, I did see a lot of their footprints left behind in the sand, which you’ll see in the photos below.

It’s a truly unique environment on the North Carolina coast.  The extremely hot temperatures, lack of water, and ever-shifting sands cause it to resemble the Sahara Desert.

And unlike most sand dunes, this one you can walk all over.

The slogan for the state park is “always changing, always beautiful.”  I have to agree.  A visit to Jockey’s Ridge is an experience like no other.

 

Flying kites is a popular pastime on the dunes.

Parts of the dunes resemble huge walls of sand.

I felt happy and free like a child running as fast as I could up and down these giant hills and walking over the seemingly endless expanse of sand.

Afternoon shadows creep over the dunes.

An endless view of sand.

Elusive little creatures’ footprints are scattered all over the sand.

Though I never saw him/her, from researching online I found out that these little footprint trails with the line in the middle were made by a lizard called the Slick-Lined Racerunner– the fastest lizard in North America.

Alongside the footprints, guided by the wind, the long green leaves of plants draw beautiful designs in the sand.

The sand is like a canvas for countless beautiful works of art by mother nature.  This one reminds me of a conch shell.

Other designs are long and sweeping, resembling the leaves of ferns or even the long finger-like leaves of the plants themselves.

To me they also look like fossils, imprinted on the ground.

The footprints disappear into the lush green foliage that leads down to the water’s edge.

The sands of the ridge dip dramatically leading down to the water.

Climbing over the dunes really gets your heart pumping.  The workout is worth it.  Up on the ridge, the views and feelings evoked are truly magical.

Travel to Jockey’s Ridge to feel small, to dream big, to take off your shoes, let your hair down and get lost on an exploration of this unique coastal world.