by Judith Bailey on the Hidden Gem of Sandy Run Park
Here is a hidden gem so wonderful I almost don't want to share it.
I'd rather keep this secret all to myself. I have been a long time fan of Sandy Run Park in Kitty Hawk, NC and now it is improved to the point that it is a different world altogether from the rest of the Outer Banks. The Park is maintained by the town of Kitty Hawk. There are a few amenities like a basketball hoop, an outdoor pavillion and outdoor grill with picnic tables.
There is a handicapped accessible portajohn too. Originally, there were three walkways that all went a little way into Kitty Hawk Woods, past a large body of water.
It is a small estuary off Kitty Hawk Bay. I thought it might be a great place to fish but there are about a million turtles and so it is more like a great place to meditate on nature and its beauty.
The turtles are fun to watch though, as they can be seen sunning themselves on logs and swimming around under the walkways. This park is new and almost unknown, even to locals. I was there on the busiest day of the year, with traffic backed up on the bypass in a 3 hour wait to get across the Wright Memorial Bridge and I ran into only 4 people. You can view many of the flora that makes Kitty Hawk Woods so pristine. There are also some swales and ridges beside the walkways that are the hallmark of this part of the Outer Banks, having formed in prehistoric times.
They installed a bird house on one of them (see photo). Butterflies and dragonflies were buzzing around the leaves and there are quite a few crabs too.
There is a crabbing dock near the pavillion for those who want to try their hand at catching their own supper (see my last article). I didn't have a problem with bugs but certain times of the year, that is a problem on the Outer Banks, so bring bug spray.
To get there, take the Woods Road either off the bypass just across from Kitty Hawk Elementary school or you can find it in old Kitty Hawk village off Kitty Hawk Road. It is just after you turn onto the Woods Road, or coming from the north, at the very end of the Woods Road.
