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Circle-to-Periwinkle
Trail near Kitty Hawk
Trail Information
About
Circle-to-Periwinkle is a quiet interior connector inside the Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve, the roughly 1,900-acre maritime forest and wetland tract on the sound side of Kitty Hawk. It isn't one of the reserve's marked, brochure-featured routes like the Ridge Road Trail or the Barlowe Trail — it's a narrower path through live oak, loblolly pine, and dense understory, connecting two points inside the reserve's larger, informal trail network rather than running to a trailhead of its own.
Footing is natural surface — packed sand and soil, uneven in spots with roots and low-lying wet ground after rain. There's no signage, no facilities, and little cell service once you're a few minutes in, consistent with the rest of this dedicated nature preserve, managed by the North Carolina Coastal Reserve program to protect habitat rather than to draw crowds. Treat it as one option among the reserve's wider network, reached from the Birch Lane, Ridge Road, or Kitty Hawk Park access points.
Best Time to Walk Circle-to-Periwinkle
Cooler months make for a more comfortable walk here — the freshwater wetlands and dense canopy inside Kitty Hawk Woods hold onto humidity and draw mosquitoes as the weather warms, so spring through fall calls for bug spray at minimum. There's no seasonal closure or posted hours for this stretch of the reserve.
Tips for Circle-to-Periwinkle
- Bring bug spray regardless of season — the reserve's wetlands hold water most of the year.
- There's no signage on this connector, so bring a downloaded map or GPS track rather than relying on blazes.
- Wear shoes you don't mind getting muddy; footing turns soft and uneven after rain.
Getting to Circle-to-Periwinkle
This path sits inside Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve, on the sound side of Kitty Hawk. The reserve's established access points are the Birch Lane trailhead, the Barlowe Trailhead at Amadas Lane and Colleton Avenue, the Ridge Road trailhead, and the connector at Kitty Hawk Park on West Kitty Hawk Road — from any of these, the reserve's interior trail network eventually leads to this stretch.
What to Expect on Circle-to-Periwinkle
Circle-to-Periwinkle runs through the live oak and loblolly pine canopy that makes up most of Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve, one of the last large maritime forests left on the northern Outer Banks. It's a minor, unmarked stretch of the reserve's larger trail system rather than a signature hike — quiet, shaded, and buggy in season, used mostly by hikers and mountain bikers already exploring the wider reserve.
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