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Down Duck Creek Road, at the end of a gravel drive, is the would-be dream home of many outdoorsmen.

Situated on nearly 70 acres of wooded, waterfront property, cleared paths meant to be walked on foot or traveled via ATV meander through the pines, leading past a target-shooting area here, a place to build a hunting stand there.

It’s tranquil. It’s secluded. And it’s a one-of-a-kind property, perfect for those who love the outdoors.

“It’s going to take a unique buyer. Really, it is a compound. It’s a perfect sportsperson’s paradise. You’ve got hunting, you’ve got fishing — it could be a horse farm,” said Alexis Davis, with Century 21 The Realty Group.

On a landscaped lot dotted with palms, cypress, stands of lilies and natural grasses, set back from a pier that juts out into the Pamlico River, 640 Duck Creek Road is comprised of a cluster of buildings: the brick house with views of the wide expanse of water, a large garage with an upstairs apartment and an enormous barn. The house is solid brick sitting on a rise, out of reach of past hurricanes. A cement-floored covered porch fronts much of it and extends to open decking before wrapping around the corner to a screened-in porch off the kitchen. An outdoor shower awaits those arriving home from a day on the river.

Inside, the lines are simple and elegant. Light bamboo floors stretch across the wide expanse of a living room/dining room: floor-to-ceiling open shelves make up two walls; windows with a view of the woods, another. A large kitchen, extending nearly the depth of the house offers counter seating and a casual, easy space where the ever-changing view of the river is the focal point.

“It’s very well built. It’s very functional and the finishes are good. It’s very low maintenance,” Davis said. “It’s very functional. It’s not luxury — granite, marble, etc.— but it’s got that view from pretty much every room of the house.”

From their home in Delaware, Schalea and Mark Sanders looked up and down the East Coast for the perfect getaway, one that included a lot of land. A writer and a former Navy diver, the couple purchased the house several years ago, and Mark Sanders, an avid, active outdoorsman, set about creating the ideal sporting retreat, complete with a barn to house a home gym, workshop, an upstairs office for Schalea and a media room.

“He was most happy outdoors at Duck Creek,” Schalea Sanders wrote in a text. “This property was his life-long retirement dream.”

The dream, however, was cut short — Mark Sanders passed away last year. Some of those projects remain unfinished, awaiting a new owner with a similar vision of space, and of the time to enjoy the best of nature eastern North Carolina has to offer.

For more information about 640 Duck Creek Road, call Alexis Davis at 252-702-9697 or visit the listing online.