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There are approximately 60,000 free-roaming horses in the United States and Canada.
If you have the opportunity to visit one of the locations where they reside…you should take full advantage.
A couple of years ago, while visiting friends in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, I went in search of the many different horse statues that graced the barrier island.
These statues were placed throughout the different communities to commemorate the wild Spanish mustangs that roam the northern beaches of Corolla and Carova and are believed to be the descendants of shipwrecked horses from centuries prior.
This year, I went in search of the real horses.
Though you can access the northern beaches by four-wheel drive vehicles and search for these beautiful, four-legged creatures by yourself, there is always the risk of getting bogged down in the loose, deep sand. I wasn’t that brave.
For those who are not as adventurous (or do not own a four-wheel drive vehicle), there are safari-type tours that will drive you there (and back) in search of the horses and this is what I decided to do.
Leaving early in the morning, we headed out in the open-air, twelve-seat vehicle towards the end of the Ocean Trail to the North Beach Access Road where the pavement ends and the sand begins at the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge.
Not long after beginning our journey on the sandy expanse, we slowed our trek as we spotted a group of seven mustangs standing along the waterfront. Not to be intimidated by our presence, they stood in two groups, huddled against the morning breeze.
Advised that we would keep our distance, we strove to get the best photos from our viewpoint a short distance away while these creatures alternately stood together and sometimes took a rest on the sand.
After a short while, we said goodbye and moved onward in search of more, scanning the tall sand dunes that protected the beach homes that line the coast and driving inland on the many unpaved roads that harbor additional homes on the inlet.
There were many more horses to be spotted that day; two holding court atop a towering dune, a group of four grazing in a grassy field, the lone male trotting along down a sandy road, a group of three blocking our passage on Sandfiddler Road.
All in all, we spotted twenty-one mustangs during our excursion while also enjoying the amazing, beachfront homes, alluring landscapes and even a bit of history.
The Wash Woods Station provides an interesting change in the architecture along the beach and was built as a lifesaving station in 1917 to replace an outdated station (Deals Island Station #6) a few miles north. It was named for a small village located just north of the Virginia border and housed many guardsmen who kept lookout, especially during times of war when enemy ships cruised along the coast.
After the war, the need for personnel decreased until only a single caretaker remained. The station was decommissioned in late 1954 or early 1955. It served as a private vacation home for a time and then was restored in 1989. Today you can enjoy its construction from afar and occasionally even a horse on the property.
Eventually, we made our way back the way we had come, taking time to stop to enjoy the views from Penny Hill, the second largest dune in North Carolina.
Finally, our adventure was coming to a close and it was time for everyone to head back to their beach chairs and sun!
As I sat in my chair later that day, I turned my head and looked northward. I thought about the magnificent ponies that hold court not that far from where I was seated. Though they were not as colorful as the ones that I had sought out two years before, they were the true color of the landscape.
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Horse Tour Companies
- Back Country Safari Tours http://www.outerbankstours.com/?utm_source=icwnet
- Wild Horse Adventure Tours https://wildhorsetour.com/?utm_source=icwnet
- Bob’s Wild Horse Adventure Tours https://www.outerbanks.com/bobs-off-road-wild-horse-tours.html
- Corolla Adventures https://www.outerbanks.com/corolla-adventures.html
- Corolla Wild Horse Tours https://www.outerbanks.com/corolla-wild-horse-tours.html
- Corolla Jeep Adventure https://corollajeepadventures.com/
To reach the lighthouse, we drove along Ocean Trail, following the signs along the way. There was ample parking near the lighthouse and we were greeted by a volunteer who immediately showed us the best places to capture an amazing photograph of the unusually unpainted lighthouse.
The lighthouse, which had fallen into disrepair, when automation deemed lighthouse keepers unnecessary, has undergone a huge preservation by the Outer Banks Conservationists since 1980. Visitor have been allowed to enter and climb the structure since 1991.
Taking our place in line to await our turn to climb to the top of this towering structure, some members of our group used the time wisely to walk around the grounds and investigate what the gift shop had to offer. In order to keep congestion in the lighthouse to a minimum, only a small number of visitors are allowed inside at one time. So, as visitors leave, others are allowed in.
Finally, our turn had arrived and we began the long, hot, climb to the top…220 twenty steps, stopping only to catch our breath and read the museum-quality displays on each level detailing the lighthouse’s history.
After one last exhausting push, we exited to the top platform into the cool breeze, admiring the expansive views of the Atlantic, the barrier island and the sound. Worth the climb? You bet!
Though access to the lens room is not permitted since the lens (the original) is still a functioning one, it was thrilling to look out over one of the top vacation spots in on the East Coast.
