Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area

Description

Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area protects nearly 300 acres of maritime forest, dune ridges, and sound-side marsh behind the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores — one of the last intact stretches of this landscape on Bogue Banks. Donated by descendants of President Theodore Roosevelt and kept as a nature preserve, it shows families what the barrier island looked like before much of the development arrived.

The free Roosevelt Nature Trail starts at the west end of the aquarium parking lot and does not require an aquarium ticket. The roughly mile-and-a-half walk moves through live-oak and loblolly pine forest, across old dune ridges, and out to the edge of Bogue Sound marsh, where kids can watch for egrets, herons, and other wildlife. The path is mostly flat but not paved, with sandy and rooty stretches where closed-toe shoes and bug spray help.

A shorter Alice Hoffman Trail on the aquarium grounds is a separate option that needs aquarium admission and includes interpretive signs. Parking for the free Roosevelt trail is in the aquarium lot; dogs are not permitted on the trails.