Fort Tilden today is largely a natural area of beach, dunes and maritime forest.

It is one of the few remaining maritime forests on North Carolina's barrier islands.

After the shadowy, flickering maritime forest, the beach is blindingly bright and limitless in its horizons.

The park contains maritime forests, dunes, and salt marshes on the western side of the island.

A maritime forest is an ocean coastal wooded habitat found on higher ground than dune areas within range of salt spray.

The maritime forest is the home to most plant and animal life in the park.

Others milled around the front beach or went on short walks in the maritime forest nearby until we began the return journey about midafternoon.

Take this self-guided adventure through the maritime forest famous for its availability of trailside clams.

Trails led behind the dunes into a maritime forest of gnarled black pines, holly bushes and cottonwood trees.

Orchards and maritime forest on the Banks soon began dying from the salt left behind by the storm surge.