Christine ~ Travels North Carolina ~ Jockey’s Ridge State Park

Jockey’s Ridge State Park

Outer Banks North Carolina

Found at Jockey’s Ridge State Park are the highest sand dunes on the east coast, about 90 feet tall. The sand is mostly quartz rock which came from the mountains millions of years ago. Jockey’s Ridge has about six million dump truck loads of sand on its 420 acres. Sand temperatures can get up to 30 degrees higher than the air temperature. The dunes don’t blow away because they northeast and southwest winds blow the sand back and forth.

Animals found in this area are the six lined race runner, the fastest lizard in North America. Also found there are the gray fox, hognosed snake, spadefoot toad, white-footed mouse, and the tiger beetle.