Bald Head Woods Maritime Forest Preserve

"I spent 5 months living on BHI and as a tourism consultant I can honestly say the conservative efforts on this island are beyond average. Based on some of the environmental analysis I looked on daily BHI is trending in the right way regarding destination sustainable. The trails are amazing, now and then you will come across deers on the road and in the woods. A few natural phenomenons such as mosquitoes when the rain falls, strong winds and storms in the summer is expected however, it’s not that crazy. In 2020 there was a tornado close to the island it did a few damages but nothing too serious. The access to health care is readily available and in the event of a server medical emergency you will be airlifted off the island. It’s about 25 minutes ride to the island on a ferry from Southport. The locals on the island are very friendly and welcoming. All together, if you are about environmental sustainability and tranquility BHI is the place to visit."

"We enjoyed hiking on this trail. Wonderful to see so much of the island protected from development. It was however an extremely narrow trail. You cannot walk it without being hit by brush on both sides. There were also countless large spiders with elaborate webs along the trail to walk into. Poison ivy coming out onto the trail as we walked. Topped off with very low lying trees and branches across the trail that my sister and I both knocked our heads on because we were trying to avoid poison ivy and spiders. Aside from that (ha!) we did actually enjoy the hike. It was nice to have something to do since we were on the island during the busy summer season and nearly everything to do was booked before we arrived. We hiked in the Preserve about two miles and then we did Old Baldy and the Smith Island Museum."

"Very neat preserve with a rapidly disappearing habitat in North Carolina. As another reviewer notes, it was very over grown when I visited in late-October, but it was mostly due to a hurricane that blew through just a few weeks before we apparently visited. Downed trees and branches strewn about made it sort of fun to go through the trail among the old and beautiful oaks, pine trees, and beautiful palmettos. I would recommend a visit if you’re interested in plants and animals, and if you’re lucky enough, you may even encounter an alligator. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes are absolutely everywhere for most of the year unless it’s too cold, so please be sure to wear insect repellent (the greater the amount of deet, the better). Let’s hope houses cannot encroach on the wilderness preserve any more, so all can enjoy the space for years to come. Cheers."

"please go here!! It is still cool and it's not tiring walking because you have so much to looks at. The trees are so cool shaped and my family and I went into a hollow tree and stood up without being harmed."