Bald Head Island, North Carolina

Bald Head Island is a loggerhead turtle nesting area situated two nautical miles from the confluence of the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean. It is situated 30 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina, and 60 miles north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. From Southport, North Carolina, a 20-minute ferry ride takes passengers to the southernmost of North Carolina's cape islands. Visitors can travel about the island's beaches, golf courses, maritime forest, and Old Baldy Lighthouse, North Carolina's oldest standing lighthouse and the location of the Smith Island Museum of History, using trams or golf carts. Old Baldy Lighthouse was first commissioned by Thomas Jefferson. Don't skip climbing the 108 steps of the lighthouse to obtain sweeping views of the island.

Nationally renowned as a barrier island where humans coexist peacefully with nature is Bald Head Island. The Bald Head Island Conservancy keeps a close eye on the dunes, salt marsh, maritime forest, and water quality. On one of the wells on the island's west side, the BHI Conservancy and the USGS erected a real-time water quality monitor.

Location: Bald Head Island, east side of the Cape Fear River, Brunswick County, North Carolina