Outer Banks Named in AOL’s Top Ten “Secret Beaches”

Outer Banks Sunrise

AOL Travel has named the Outer Banks one of the top ten “secret beaches,” or quieter locations for beach-goers looking to avoid the crowds of popular shore destinations.

The OBX, specifically Carova Beach, was selected for its unpaved roads, 4×4 driving, wild horses, wildlife preservation, and close proximity to all the great attractions of the Outer Banks as a whole.

Other secret beaches named were Ferry Beach, in Maine; Sunset Cliffs, San Diego, California; Guemes Island, Anacortes, Washington; Estral Beach, Monroe County, Michigan; Kaihalulu Beach, Maui, Hawaii; Enderts Beach, Redwoods National Park, California; Dry Tortugas, Florida; and Cumberland Island, Georgia.

Here’s what AOL Travel had to say about the Outer Banks & Carova Beach: 

Part of the country’s first designated National Seashore, this barrier island, caught between the Atlantic and Currituck Sound, remains blissfully undeveloped, with communities refusing to permit paved roads. Past “bustling” Carolla north to the Virginia border, the 11 miles of beaches are only accessible via four-wheel drive, with dirt tracks dancing in and out of scrub pine forest. Much of the area is protected wetlands and wildlife reserve, offering sensational bird, dolphin and sea turtle watching. Activities along the coast range from kayaking to kite boarding. Kitty Hawk, home to the Wright Brothers museum and the world’s largest hang-gliding school, is also close by. It’s one of the premier mid-Atlantic spots to glimpse wild horses, descendants of shipwrecked colonial Spanish mustangs, galloping amid the surf and dunes.