Nags Head Woods Preserve

Today Noelle, Sierra, Mom, Dad and I headed out for a short hike at the Nature Conservancy's Nags Head Woods Preserve. We decided to hike the Roanoke Trail which leads through the woods to Roanoke Sound. We followed a sandy road for a short distance before heading into the woods on the narrow trail.

We passed by several small shallow ponds

and then came to a road crossing.

On the other side of the road was a small cemetery belonging to the Tillitt family. There were several very interesting old headstones, some dating back to the 1700's.

After exploring the cemetery we moved further down the trail.

We came to an old tree with a huge trunk.

Nearby the tree were the ruins of the Tillitt home. All that was left were a few sections of brick foundation.

From the house ruins we headed towards the sound, passing through a grassy wetland on a boardwalk.
When we arrived at the sound we saw a small crab

in the sand near the water's edge and took a few family photos there.

Then we retraced our steps back to the parking lot and visitor center. There were two interpreters showing off some of the natural curiosities of the preserve, including a rat snake.

After checking them out we got back into the car and headed home.