The Nature Conservancy in North Carolina - Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

Alligator River Map LOCATION:
Coastal Plain
Dare and Hyde Counties

SIZE IN ACRES:
152,195

INVOLVEMENT IN ACRES:
141,433

Red wolf (© Hart Matthews)

TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP:
Buffalo City, East Lake, East Lake SE, Engelhard NE, Engelhard NW, Fairfield NE, Long Shoal Point, Mann’s Harbor, Stumpy Point, Wanchese

Topographical maps are available by contacting:
NC Geographical Survey.
1612 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612.
(919) 715-9718
www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/

ACTIVITIES & AMENITIES:
Birding / Fishing / Small Boats / Boat Ramp

OWNERSHIP & ACCESS:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 1969
Manteo, NC 27954
(252) 473-1131

SITE INFORMATION:
Primarily a tangle of low pocosin and nonriverine swamp forest, this refuge contains almost all of the wetland habitats associated with peatlands. Pocosin means "swamp on a hill," an apt description of these dense evergreen shrub bogs that develop over deep wet layers of peat. The swamp forests are characterized by loblolly pine, pond pine, and white cedar.

You have a good chance to see black bear by just driving slowly down the dirt roads. Birders will be interested in the area’s abundant avifauna, which includes many neotropical migratory birds, such as Swainson’s and black-throated green warblers, as well as the federally listed endangered bald eagle and red-cockaded woodpecker. The refuge is the northernmost locality for the American alligator.

Containing over 1,000 miles of estuarine shoreline, as well as many miles of slow-moving blackwater streams, this wild area offers a great place to hone your paddling skills. Alligator River, Milltail Creek, Sawyer Lake, and the connecting creeks and canals comprise an excellent canoe trail system that provides the easiest access to this expansive refuge.

In 1987 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released captive -bred red wolves in the refuge. Once common in the Southeast, this species became extinct in the wild because of hunting and loss of habitat. The red wolf population in the area is now recovering, with between 50 and 100 free-ranging wolves. The red wolf is an elusive nocturnal animal, so you probably will not see it on your visit to the refuge. But check with the refuge office to find about their wolf howling excursions, which provide opportunities to hear the wolves’ unforgettable call as they roam through the swamp forests.

Be warned that ravenous deer flies emerge in the hotter months. Spring is a good time to go birding and fall and winter are pleasant times to visit, temperature-wise.

CONSERVATION HIGHLIGHTS:
First Colony Farms once owned this area, but its efforts to convert the land for agriculture and peat mining proved too costly. From 1980 to 1984 The Nature Conservancy helped create the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge by arranging a gift from Prudential Insurance Company of 118,000 acres and purchasing 25,000 acres of adjacent land. At the time, the Prudential donation was valued at more than $50 million and was the largest conservation gift in history.

In a milestone effort in 2007, The Nature Conservancy acquired 3,376 acres along the Alligator River on behalf of the state, and the Wildlife Resources Commission acquired 5,101acres. These parcels represent the last remaining large tract along the Alligator River shoreline. With their conservation, the entire shoreline--approximately 75 miles---of the Alligator River is permanently protected.

DIRECTIONS:
If you plan to drive into the refuge, we advise you to use a four-wheel-drive vehicle, since rain can turn the roads into mud soup. US 264 traverses the refuge’s southern and eastern sections and offers good views of wetland habitats. US 64 passes through the northern sector, where unpaved side roads lead into the refuge. There is an information kiosk, a handicapped-accessible half-mile trail, and a paved parking lot at the Milltail Road entrance, 4.4 miles west of the 64/264 intersection. The Buffalo City Road runs south from US 64 to a boat ramp on Milltail Creek 4.2 miles east of the Alligator River (7.7 miles west of the 64/264 junction).

There is a canoe/kayak trail at this point that is part of the Albemarle Region Canoe Trail system. For information about obtaining a guide to the trail system, see the State Parks description in the Appendix. Other paddling trails can be found off of NC 94 at the bridge just south of Gum Neck. You can either paddle upstream on the northwest or southwest fork or head downstream to more open water. We recommend these areas for day trips only, as there is very little high ground for getting out of your boat and stretching your legs.