A Wind-Sheltered Kitty Hawk Woods Kayak Tour for Beginners
A slow paddle up Ginguite Creek into Kitty Hawk Woods, with a paddling lesson on land before anyone gets in a boat.
Outer Banks Kayak Adventures starts this tour at the public boat ramp on Bob Perry Road in Kitty Hawk and paddles up Ginguite Creek into Kitty Hawk Woods. Trees line the canal on both sides, and the operator's own description is that they block the wind, even on gusty days, and shade the water from the summer sun.
The company pitches the route at young children and beginner paddlers and keeps the pace relaxed. Everyone gets a paddle lesson on land before the boats go in, and the outing runs ninety minutes.
The tour is guided in English, and the booking includes a kayak, a paddle and a life jacket. The boats are Perception Tribe sit-on-tops, which the operator describes as extremely stable and easy to get in and out of.
Departures leave at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM, with up to sixteen people sharing a tour. Adults pay USD 60 and children 12 and under pay USD 55.
Kitty Hawk Maritime Forest & Marsh Tour90 minutes · USD 60 adults, USD 55 children 12 and under · Outer Banks Kayak Adventureswww.viator.comShelter, shade and slow water
The creek runs through loblolly pine, live oak and wax myrtle. Turtles sunning on logs are the sighting the guides say they usually get, with egrets along the bank and geese, osprey, kingfishers and bald eagles often passing overhead.
A river otter swimming across the creek is the long shot. The state reserve notes that otters, raccoons and owls are mostly active at night and hard to spot, which puts a daytime otter firmly in the lucky column.
Who goes in which boat
No paddling experience is needed, and the operator sets no minimum age. Children 12 and under go in a tandem kayak with an adult unless the family asks otherwise. A child aged 10 to 12 can have a single kayak on request, and the company asks parents to do that only when they are certain the child can paddle the whole trip alone.
The recommended weight limit is 350 pounds for a single kayak and 500 for a tandem, and the booking form asks for each paddler's weight. For paddlers with limited mobility, the operator uses sit-on-top hybrid kayaks that are easier to get in and out of. While the company also runs stand-up paddleboard outings for experienced paddlers, this scheduled tour is set up around sit-on-top kayaks.
A forest growing on old dunes
Kitty Hawk Woods is a 1,890-acre site in the North Carolina Coastal Reserve, bounded by Albemarle Sound to the west and Kitty Hawk Bay to the south. The state lists its maritime deciduous forest, maritime swamp forest and interdune ponds as globally rare plant communities.
These communities sit on the relics of ancient sand dunes, the ridges and low swales that mark old shorelines, a quarter mile from a beach exposed to salt spray and wind shear. That uneven ground holds wetland and upland trees side by side, from bald cypress to American beech.
Times, weather and the cancellation line
Booking closes twelve hours before the start time and is confirmed instantly. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund; inside 24 hours there is none.
The operator paddles in rain and wind and calls a tour off only for thunderstorms, and when weather does cancel it, the company reschedules or refunds. The guides do not wait for late arrivals.
The meeting point is the parking area at 4190 Bob Perry Road in Kitty Hawk. Turn right into the lot at the sign for the Kitty Hawk Recycling Center & Boat Ramp, and arrive fifteen minutes before your start time.
There is no shoe or clothing requirement beyond gear that can get wet. Bring water and a snack, sunscreen, and a hat or sunglasses, with insect repellent and a dry bag as sensible extras. Leave a towel in the car for after the paddle.