Tracks in the Sand Trail

The Tracks in the Sand Trail traverses the largest active sand dune system on the East Coast of North America, climbing the ever-shifting slopes of Jockeys Ridge to a summit that reaches between 80 and 100 feet above sea level and offers spectacular views simultaneously of the Atlantic Ocean and Roanoke Sound. The dune is classified as a medano, a large isolated dune mass that migrates slowly over time as wind reshapes its profile, consuming forest on its advancing edge and revealing buried trees as it passes. The trail name references the animal and human tracks preserved in the sand overnight and erased by daily foot traffic and wind, creating a constantly renewed record of the ridge ecosystem. From the summit, kiteboarders and windsurfers are visible on Roanoke Sound to the west, the waters of the sound perfectly framed against the distant forested shores of Roanoke Island where the first English colony in America was established in 1587. The Outer Banks barrier islands stretch north and south in both directions, their narrow profiles dramatically emphasizing the fragility of the coastal landscape. Hang gliders launch from the dune face in a tradition dating to the Wright Brothers, who practiced their early gliding experiments on these same slopes before their powered flight at Kitty Hawk. The dune surface changes color through the day from pale gold at midday to vivid orange and purple at sunset.