Pathway to Kill Devil Hill at the Wright Brothers National Memorial

Wright Brothers Airfield Attractions

At the opposite end of the field from the First Powered Flight Site is Kill Devil Hill. It is from this hill that the Wright Brothers launched over 1,000 glider flights. Today it is covered in grass, but back in 1903 it was a traditional sand dune that shifted heights and positions daily due to the strong winds. It is now 90 feet tall and is 450 feet southwest of where it was at the time of the Wright Brothers’ glider experiments.

Information panel along the path to Kill Devil Hill shows the original sand dune

At the top is a Goliath of a granite sculpture dedicated in 1932 to the Wright Brothers and their first powered flight. This monument is the reason the hill is now covered in grass. The weight of such a monument could not be sustained by a shifting sand dune, so in order to stabilize the dune, the U. S. Army Engineers carpeted it with grass and wood.

Front face of the Wright Brothers Memorial

Left face of the Wright Brothers Memorial

Right face of the Wright Brothers Memorial

Wright Brothers Memorial, dedicated in 1932

You can get to Kill Devil Hill along the paved path from the Visitor Center, or you can drive to the base on the park road that circles the dune. However, either way you must walk up the hill to get to the top—there is no elevator or escalator. The walk from the Visitor Center is 1-mile, round trip. There are information signs along the way about the different gliders the Wrights developed. Allow 1 hour to walk to and from the top of the hill from the Visitor Center.