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Not too many years ago, the only way to travel the outer banks north of the town of Duck was by four-wheel drive vehicle. Today, you could travel all the way to Corolla on rollerblades if you so desired. Along the way you would pass through one of North Carolina’s fastest growing regions of the coast complete with golf courses, gift shops, jet-ski rentals, and million-dollar vacation homes.

In the midst of this, just to the north of Duck, there is an oasis of windswept dunes, sea oats, live oaks, wax myrtles and bayberries. The Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary includes 6,000 acres of dunes, shrub thickets, forest and marsh. From Ocean to Sound, it is one of very few remaining examples of natural plant and animal assemblages that were once found in abundance on the northern outer banks.

The Pine Island Sanctuary also harbors a great diversity of plants and animals. More than 350 species of plants have been recorded, including at least three rare and threatened species. In addition, 202 species of vertebrates have been recorded, including 7 amphibian species, 17 reptile species, 19 mammal species, and 159 species of birds.

A 2.5-mile, self-guided nature trail through the shrub thickets and forest is open to the public all year. Along the trail, two raised observation platforms offer excellent places to view Currituck Sound and its marshes. The Sound is probably most recognized as one of the country’s premier wintering areas for ducks, geese and swans, but it offers much more. The waters, marshes and surrounding woodlands abound with a great diversity of birds from Brown Pelicans to Prairie Warblers, depending on season.

From Ocean to Sound, Pine Island is one of very few remaining examples of natural plant and animal assemblages that were once found in abundance on the northern outer banks.