Unbelievable: After 30 Years Coming to OBX, I Discovered a Hidden Gem – the Kitty Hawk Covered Bridge
After more than three decades of vacationing in the Outer Banks, I thought I had seen it all — the wild horses of Corolla, the endless dunes of Jockey’s Ridge, the historic lighthouses, and every sun-drenched beach between Duck and Hatteras. I had explored every nook of this cherished coastline, or so I believed. That’s why what happened this past weekend left me utterly stunned: I found myself standing before a place I had never seen or even heard of — the Kitty Hawk Covered Bridge.
Yes, you read that right. After 30+ years, a brand-new discovery in a place I considered my second home.
It all started as a spontaneous detour. Tired of the usual traffic on Highway 12, I took a quieter back road through Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve, a lush, peaceful area I’d somehow always overlooked. As the trees thickened and the road narrowed, I felt transported back in time — a world away from the tourist-filled beaches and bustling boardwalks. That’s when I saw it: a rustic, wooden structure arching over a sleepy creek, partially veiled by the shade of towering pines and oaks.
The Kitty Hawk Covered Bridge is small and unassuming, nothing like the grand covered bridges of Vermont or Pennsylvania, but it was magical in its own way. The wooden planks creaked underfoot. The air smelled of moss and marsh. The stillness was broken only by birdsong and the gentle trickle of water below. For a moment, I stood there frozen, half in awe, half in disbelief. How had I never known this was here?
Apparently, the bridge is part of a little-known nature trail that threads through the reserve. It’s beloved by locals but rarely mentioned in guidebooks or online reviews — one of those special secrets the Outer Banks still keeps close to the chest. And honestly, I’m grateful it’s been kept under wraps. It was exactly the kind of quiet, serendipitous beauty that feels like it was waiting just for you to find it.
As I stood on the bridge, the weight of all those years washed over me — the family vacations, the fishing trips, the sunburns, the storms. And yet, here was something completely new, reminding me that even in the most familiar places, wonder still waits if you’re willing to look differently, drive slower, or take a turn you never had before.
For anyone who’s visited OBX for years and thinks they’ve “done it all,” I offer this: there’s always more. Maybe it’s a hidden cove, a quiet marsh, or, like in my case, a humble covered bridge tucked away in Kitty Hawk. The Outer Banks never runs out of surprises.
And now, after 30-plus years, I feel like I’ve fallen in love with this place all over again — thanks to one unbelievable little bridge I almost didn’t find.
