Things To Do in Nags Head: Running & Walking

Getting around on your own two feet is fun here. Walking and running in Nags Head, NC, are made easier with the town’s series of multi-use paths and sidewalks, in addition to quiet side streets between the highways. But there are also parks, dunes and ecological preserves that make great spaces for hiking, walking, running and similar things to do in Nags Head.

Featured for Your Visit

Outer Banks Sporting Events

Running, Walking & Hiking in Kill Devil Hills, NC

P.O. Box 265, Kill Devil Hills

(252) 599-6997

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Outer Banks Sporting Events is an event-planning nonprofit that organizes multiple fitness events throughout the year. One hundred percent of the net proceeds of these events supports two Outer Banks nonprofits – Outer Banks Relief Foundation and Dare Education Foundation – and this is why the slogan of Outer Banks Sporting Events is Run for a Reason. This organization hosts races like Running of the...read more

Outer Banks Sporting Events is an event-planning nonprofit that organizes multiple fitness events throughout the...read more

Outer Banks Sporting Events

Running, Walking & Hiking in Kill Devil Hills, NC

P.O. Box 265, Kill Devil Hills

(252) 599-6997

Website

Facebook

Outer Banks Sporting Events is an event-planning nonprofit that organizes multiple fitness events throughout the...read more

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Running, Walking & Hiking in Nags Head, NC

Contact info

Pronounced “body,” this horizontally striped lighthouse is on the soundside at the southern end of Bodie Island in Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It re-opened from a major renovation project in April 2013, and visitors can climb to the top of the 156-foot-tall lighthouse from late April through Columbus Day in October. During the lighthouse climbing season, reservations to climb the lighthouse must be made at...read more

Dowdy Park

Running, Walking & Hiking in Nags Head, NC

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The 5-acre Dowdy Park is a popular place for relaxation, play and entertainment. The park includes an amphitheater, green space, restrooms, a fitness trail, basketball and pickleball courts, a bocce area and an unusual playscape/playground for kids, and it's the site of local events, festivals and live music. You'll find it on the Bypass in Nags Head, next to Nags Head Elementary School on the...read more

Jockey's Ridge State Park

Running, Walking & Hiking in Nags Head, NC

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Nags Head is home to the tallest natural sand dune on the East Coast. Jockey’s Ridge, currently a series of five dunes, is a natural wonder that’s continually changing in shape and height. With the highest dune varying from 62 to 80 feet tall, this system of sand is a haven for adventure. Colorful kites waver over its majesty regularly, and hang gliders climb to its summit to swoop...read more

Nags Head Dog Park

Running, Walking & Hiking in Nags Head, NC

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The Town of Nags Head established a new dog park in 2017. The park includes two fenced areas, one for large dogs and one for small dogs less than 30 pounds. The park is shaded and provides ample space for dogs to make new friends, exercise and sniff to their nose's content. A water station is a nice touch, and a double-door entrance/exit system prevents...read more

Nags Head Town Park

Running, Walking & Hiking in Nags Head, NC

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This shaded park has a playground, picnic shelter, restrooms and an open field. To find it, turn west on Barnes Street off the Bypass at Ace Hardware. The trailhead for the Nags Head Town Trail is accessible at the south end of the parking lot. Part of the Nags Head Woods Preserve, the trail is a .8-mile hike through the varying landscapes of sand dunes...read more

Nags Head Woods Preserve

Running, Walking & Hiking in Kill Devil Hills, NC

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A beautiful place for hiking, trail running and birding, Nags Head Woods Preserve is one of the best remaining examples of a mid-Atlantic maritime forest. The 8 miles of hiking trails in the 1,200-acre preserve are open and free to the public every day from dawn until dusk. There are lushly wooded dunes, peaceful ponds, brackish marsh and an upland maritime forest complete with live oaks...read more

Outer Banks Family YMCA

Running, Walking & Hiking in Nags Head, NC

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This 28,000-square-foot facility offers a 25-meter indoor lap pool and a wellness center with state-of-the-art weight and cardio equipment. You'll enjoy group exercise classes including cycle, yoga, Barre, Zumba and more. Aquatic classes are also available, and you'll find racquetball courts and a full-court gymnasium for pickleball, basketball, soccer and volleyball. Activities include summer camps for kids, wellness programs, swim lessons, youth and adult sports leagues...read more