and attractions
Search the site
|
|
Find lodging, dining and attractions Search the site |
|
|
The wild beaches
Masonboro Island This eight-mile-long barrier island is the longest stretch of undeveloped beach south of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. Mostly owned by the State of North Carolina, Masonboro is designated an estuarine preserve. Accessible only by boat, the island is most easily reached at its north end, across Masonboro Inlet from Wrightsville Beach, or at the south end, across Carolina Beach Inlet. With a shallow-draft boat, a knack for reading twisting channels, and a good feel for the rise and fall of the tides, intrepid explorers can also reach the island at several points in between, via creeks and channels through the marshes. Kayaks, canoes or flat-bottomed john boats are best suited for this kind of adventure. The rewards are many for those willing to take the trouble. An undeveloped barrier island shows natural forces at work unimpeded by man-made structures. The natural beach has a texture - and harbors wildlife - not found on a beach renourished by dredged sand. Hardy wild flowers - yuccas and morning glories are among the most recognizable - help anchor low dunes. Broad flat fans of sand show where hurricane-driven waves have washed entirely over the island. Masonboro is a shell hunter's heaven, especially after a storm has thrown new specimens high onto the beach. More on Masonboro: 
Lea & Hutaff:
Bird Island:
|
|
|
|
|
