Nags Head Woods Preserve
Nature preserve
398 acres1.8 mi of trail
Roanoke Trail (Red)Discovery TrailCenter Trail (Blue)Sweetgum Swamp Trail (Red)+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Yuming Huang · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Kill Devil Hills
29% of Kill Devil Hills’ land is conserved: 1,059 acres
933 acres are parks and preserves, 120 per 1,000 residents. 93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Nags Head Woods Preserve (1.8 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #6 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
29%
1,059 acres · of 5.6 sq mi of land
Trails
3.7 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
933 ac
120 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
3.6 mi lanes · 5.9 mi paths
Highest peak
92 ft
Kill Devil Hill
What kind of outdoors town is Kill Devil Hills?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kill Devil Hills have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kill Devil Hills is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #6 of 290 in North Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Kill Devil Hills’ overall grade.
Conserved land29% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land120 acres of park per 1,000 residents (933 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13AParks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 98%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Nags Head Woods Preserve, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Managed by National Park Service
425 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
Run Hill State Natural Area
Nature preserve
115 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Preserve
Nature preserve
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Nags Head Woods Preserve398 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsWright Brothers National Memorial425 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsRun Hill State Natural Area115 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kill Devil Hills Recreation Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKitty Hawk Woods Coastal Preserve6 acres
Aviation Park5 acres · Town of KDH
DirectionsHayman Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,059 conserved acres
29% of Kill Devil Hills’ land. Who manages Kill Devil Hills’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service426 ac
State natural resources400 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits295 ac
State conservation130 ac
County19 ac
Town or city8 ac
Not recorded765 ac
Private Conservation · 613 acConservation Easement · 468 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 426 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 199 acState Park · 118 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 15 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 18 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright Brothers National Memorial Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 426 | Restricted |
| Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 318 | Restricted |
| Nags Head Woods Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 295 | Open |
| Nags Head Woods Unique Wetland Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 199 | Restricted |
| Run Hill State Natural Area State Park | Not recorded | 118 | Open |
| Town of Kill Devil Hills Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 111 | Unknown |
| Recreation Park Local Park | County | 19 | Open |
| Town of Kill Devil Hills Beach Access Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| Kill Devil Hills Recreation Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Kill Devil Hills
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Kill Devil Hills
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Kill Devil Hills
Aviation Playground
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Kill Devil Hills
Aviation Dog Park
DirectionsOuter Banks Brewing Station
DirectionsBoat launches in Kill Devil Hills
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Kill Devil Hills
Kill Devil Hill92 ft elevation · In Wright Brothers National Memorial
DirectionsWest Hill46 ft elevation · In Wright Brothers National Memorial
DirectionsKill Devil Hills7 ft elevation · In Wright Brothers National Memorial
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.8 mi
Roanoke Trail (Red)0.7 mi
ADA Trail0.3 mi
Discovery Trail0.3 mi
Center Trail (Blue)0.3 mi
Sweetgum Swamp Trail (Red)0.2 mi
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.9 mi
off-road bike paths
1.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
13Tennis
7Baseball
6Soccer
2Skate park
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Kill Devil Hills: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 53 | 59 | 68 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 80 | 72 | 62 | 55 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
April is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Kill Devil Hills →
Next door
Kill Devil Hills and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kill Devil Hills | 29% | 0.7 | 120 | 93% | A+ |
| Nags Head | 32% | 3.9 | 253 | 99% | A+ |
| Kitty Hawk | 29% | 0.6 | 249 | 94% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kill Devil Hills
Where can I hike in Kill Devil Hills?
The longest trail networks: Nags Head Woods Preserve, 1.8 miles; Wright Brothers National Memorial, 0.1 miles; Run Hill State Natural Area, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kill Devil Hills is conserved land?
29% of its land, against a typical 3% for a North Carolina town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Kill Devil Hills’ trails?
Nags Head Woods Preserve and Wright Brothers National Memorial don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kill Devil Hills?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of painted or protected lanes, 5.9 of off-road paths and 1.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Kill Devil Hills?
5,850 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kill Devil Hills or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 933 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kill Devil Hills have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #6 of 290 in North Carolina. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Kill Devil Hills neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →