Paddling Alligator River

Monday morning we woke up a little earlier and got all packed up and took off at about 9. We headed to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge for our kayaking tour with Kitty Hawk Kites and we had to be there by 10. Driving through the refuge on US-64, we turned onto Buffalo City Road. It was pretty easy to find as there is a sign before the turn. Driving down this road, I couldn’t help but think the name was peculiar – it was so desolate here, nothing could be further form a city. We got to the end of the road and parked on the side for vehicles without trailers.

In a few minutes, our tour guide arrived. His name was Tyler and he was a great guide. Sandy and I are in the market for kayaks and he took a lot of time throughout the tour to answer our questions and offer suggestions for buying a boat. He was very knowledgeable about the cultural and natural history of the area. It turns out that at one time, there was a logging town here, Buffalo City. It was once the largest town in Dare County. After World War II, it was mostly abandoned and the land was reclaimed by the swamp, so that there is almost no trace of the city left. From the boat ramp, we paddled to Milltail Creek and turned right, following the yellow-blazed trail. The creek is pretty wide open here and we could see a lot of birds. Tyler pointed out a noisy kingfisher and we saw a couple turtles sunning themselves on logs, despite the chilly weather. Then we headed back and followed the red-blazed trail that makes a loop.

This trail departs from Milltail Creek and follows a very narrow stream towards Sawyer Lake. The swampy forest here was beautiful and the water was so calm, it looked like a mirror, perfectly reflecting that trees and plants. When we got to Sawyer Lake, Tyler told us that as the logging industry in the area was dying off, a new one started up – moonshine. Bootleggers would often hide moonshine in the swamp and it’s rumored that there’s still a lot hidden under the murky waters.

We finished up the loop back at the boat ramp and got out of our boats. We helped Tyler load the boats back onto the trailer and talked for a while longer about kayaks and then said goodbye. We went back to Nags Head and had Mexican for lunch, then went to Jockey’s Ridge State Park. We spent a lot of the day sitting in the car and sitting in a kayak, so I wanted to get a hike in to stretch my legs.

We hiked the Tracks in the Sand Trail over the dunes to the sound and back. The name is appropriate as it isn't really a trail, but rather a path through the dunes.

Markers on posts in the ground direct hikers in the general direction of the trail. Down by the sound, the trail winds through a scrub forest and its a bit more of trail for this part. The skies were cloudy and the late afternoon sun made beautiful colors through the clouds.

From the sound, we hiked back out of the forest and followed the posts back to the visitor center to finish our short hike.

Then we started making our way home. It was getting late in the afternoon and we wanted to stop back in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and try to see a bear. We drove around on the Wildlife Drive and saw more swans in the flooded fields, but no bear. Maybe next time. We got back on US-64 just as the sun was going down and made our way back to Raleigh.