The ride’s a bit bumpy in the cage built in the bed of a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Z71 off-road model traveling along the sandy beach that is N.C. 12. The truck loaded with a dozen passengers is headed toward the Virginia state line in search of the elusive Corolla wild horses.
“Are any of you afraid of roller coasters?” tour guide Emory Andrews shouts through the open back window of the truck’s cab. “Well, you’re going to have the most fun.”
The ups and downs over the dunes felt like a Tilt-a-Whirl at the N.C. State Fair. “I drive this road four times a day. I’m a true professional,” Andrews, 23, says in a reassuring response to one particularly bumpy stretch of a two-hour tour. The ride produced enough jerks to record more than 4,000 steps on one passenger’s Fitbit, without her leaving the vehicle.
Andrews has worked for about two years for Back Country Safari Tours, one of seven businesses offering wild-horse tours on the northernmost section of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
“I figure it’s so expensive to live on the Outer Banks, this is one way I can be on the beach every day,” he says. Along with horses, Andrews often sees porpoises and, occasionally, whales and coyotes.
The paved portion of N.C. 12 ends in Currituck County. It continues unpaved along a narrow path of dunes to the west and the ocean to the east for another 11 miles until reaching Virginia. Here, about 100 or so feral horses, descendants of colonial Spanish mustangs brought by explorers more than 400 years ago, roam freely on 7,500 acres of sandy land. They are joined by about 700 residents in nearby beachfront homes.
Travelers with an appropriate vehicle can travel the road to look for horses or just enjoy the secluded beach. Possibly getting stuck is part of the danger, says Andrews. “For a lot of people, this is their first time driving on the sand when they come out here, and they make some questionable decisions.”
A 1950s-era car draws the attention of passengers for its ability to travel through the sand. “A lot of the people who live down here will buy the stupidest vehicle they can find on Facebook Marketplace and then turn it into a beach vehicle,” Andrews notes. “The moral of the story is, there’s always a bigger redneck.”
Today’s a good day for the tour. Within a half-mile of the pavement turning to sand, four horses are gathered at the water’s edge. Groups see horses on most trips. “If we know it’s going to be one of those days, we’ll drive around the entire area searching for them. Sometimes there’s a chance where you just don’t find one,” the guide says.
The horses and majestic beaches reign, but Currituck is also known for its lighthouse and Whalehead, a restored 1920s-era mansion that is now a museum. In 2023, tourists spent more than $573 million in the county, which has about 32,000 year-round residents.
North Carolina’s official state horses are a unique Outer Banks experience.
A sign on the company truck says Andrews works for tips, and he’s earned something extra today. Our group saw about 20 horses in six different groups, including two foals, both less than 8 weeks old.
“I really enjoy it and being able to show it to other people,” he says. “It’s one of the most touristy things to do, but not in a bad way.”