Wright Brothers National Memorial · North Carolina

WB TR Historic Monument Trails

10 ft of descent · 77 ft–87 ft · concrete surface · trail class Fully Developed · hiking

Walk to the Monument the Park Service's write-up

dogs allowed

Start Wright Brothers Monument

Visitors walk along a sidewalk towards a large green, grass covered hill where the monument sits.
Visitors make their way to the monument and Big Kill Devil Hill. Photo: Kurt Moses/NPS

The Wright Brothers Monument stands atop Big Kill Devil Hill.

This Monument was built here on Big Kill Devil Hill, where Orville and Wilbur did hundreds of glider tests between 1900 and 1903. It was completed in 1932 and Orville Wright was fortunate enough to be here and see its dedication to him and his brother, Wilbur.

The monument is inscribed with the following:

"In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright conceived by Genius, achieved by Dauntless Resolution and Unconquerable Faith."

Spend some time climbing to one of the highest points in Kill Devil Hills and imagine soaring off hundreds of times on a handmade glider and the achievements made here by the Wright Brothers.

Accessibility The paths to the monument are paved sidewalk. At the monument, there is a set of stairs to the monument doors. There is no ramp, but a paved sidewalk goes around the monument for access to views from all sides of the hill. The grade of the sidewalk up to the monument is steep and not recommended for manual or motorized wheelchairs. Bicycles, skateboards and motorized vehicles are not allowed on the hill or the paths to the monument. Bike racks are located at the base of hill.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 2 trails in Wright Brothers National MemorialFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.