Family trip to Carova Beach

Hello,

We, two adults and 2 kids (10 and 8),

are considering renting a house in Carova. We would love to know:

1) How much motor traffic is there on the beach?

2) We have NO experience driving on a beach, and had planned to rent a jeep, but those stories about being stuck as the tide comes in are giving us second thoughts. Really, is it basically okay with a jeep

3) How likely is it that we might see the wild horses?

4) Other wildlife?

5) What is is like there in bad weather? We are planning to go the third week of June, or so.

Very appreciatively,

Susan and family

Family trip to Carova Beach

People have recently answered many of the question you have. And all on the Carova forum. You can do a word search by typing in that little empty box on the top right of these posts (as opposed to the one in green on the left.)

Type in wild horse; driving on beach; driving on sand. I didn%26#39;t use quotes in checking just now because that leaves rooms for driving UP the beach, driving IN the sand; SAND driving, driving 4X4, etc., all of which and more will come up.

Lots of good info...and very important things to consider, like tire deflating,etc. Several people feel jeeps don%26#39;t have the oomph in the softer sand.

Family trip to Carova Beach

We stayed in Corolla last year at Whalehead beach, just south of Corova. We rented a jeep for a day and drove up to Corova. Driving in the sand takes some getting used to but I had the hang of it after a little while. I think just exercising some common sense can go a long way. Staying in Corolla and visiting Corova is an option to consider too.

One thing we noticed that there was considerable traffic along the beach until you got quite a ways up. We all said the same thing, in that it would be kind of hard to relax on the beach with 4 x 4’s whizzing by all the time. That’s not for me.

However like the previous poster said, try the Corova forum and you’ll find more answers there. By the way, the horses were very easy to find. Once we got into the area where the roam, we found them in minutes.

Thanks for the tip. Noise and traffic would be a big problem for us, since that%26#39;s one reason we go away. We are into low-tech, highly pristene kind of environments and it is sounding as though this might not be the place for us. Just to make sure, is there any chance the place is less impacted by traffic on the beach in June?

Thanks for the help, Susan

Don%26#39;t get me wrong at all. The beaches themselves are quite pristine in most areas. It%26#39;s not like city traffic or anything.

Like I said, we stayed in Corolla and one reason for that is the homes are more spread out and the beaches less congested. The beauty of it there is, that there is no real public day use access to speak of so you just have the people renting. I%26#39;ve been going to Cape Cod for years and Whalehead beach area reminded me of the National Seashore except the water is warm and there are rental houses on the banks. I don%26#39;t like overcrowded boardwalk laden overdeveloped areas and this fit the bill, and that%26#39;s why we%26#39;re going back this summer and likely more after that.

Now if you go way up in Corova it is pretty spread out and more secluded but I would just avoid the first mile or so where the pavement ends.

Don%26#39;t get me wrong at all. The beaches themselves are quite pristine in most areas. It%26#39;s not like city traffic or anything.

Like I said, we stayed in Corolla and one reason for that is the homes are more spread out and the beaches less congested. The beauty of it there is, that there is no real public day use access to speak of so you just have the people renting. I%26#39;ve been going to Cape Cod for years and Whalehead beach area reminded me of the National Seashore except the water is warm and there are rental houses on the banks. I don%26#39;t like overcrowded boardwalk laden overdeveloped areas and this fit the bill, and that%26#39;s why we%26#39;re going back this summer and likely more after that.

Now if you go way up in Corova it is pretty spread out and more secluded but I would just avoid the first mile or so where the pavement ends.

We seem to continue to gravitate toward Corolla for our stays in the OBX. We find it very active in July and August and less so otherwise...even in the areas south of the 4x4 beaches.

Do that same word search on the NC forum for Swan Beach.

You might also research the Nags Head Woods Nature Conservancy. Something like 1400 acres and miles of hiking, pools, definitely pristine. Here is a site that mentions some of the southern OBX beaches. While we haven%26#39;t stayed in the southern end, I understand there are quieter spots there too. There are places to stay that are near the Preserve.

You asked about traffic in June. A few years ago my family rented a house in Corova, in March, and we were amazed at how many people were driving up and down the beach, at all hours of the day/night, during that time of year.

As someone said the further North you go in Corova, the less ';traffic'; you will see. But that also means you will be further away from places to eat and shop.

Thanks. Your response was honest and helpful. Here in NYC we live with traffic and noise every day of our lives, this could be very disappointing for us. We are thinkink about this. Appreciatively, Susan