Waterfall Hero Hikes: Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a 152,000-acre Wildlife Refuge in Dare and Hyde Counties, North Carolina. The refuge is mostly in Dare County, encompassing much of the mainland portion of the county. The refuge was established in 1984 to protect the pocosin habitat in far eastern North Carolina. The refuge's primary objective is to provide habitat for red wolves, black bears, migratory birds, and other wildlife dependent on the pocosins. Red wolves, once declared extinct in the wild were re-introduced to Alligator River. And the refuge is known as having the highest concentration of black bears on the east coast.

Map:

Trails:

Creef Cut Wildlife Trail:

Creef Cut Wildlife Trail is a half-mile accessible trail that starts from a parking area along US-64 at Milltail Road. The paved trail leads out to a boardwalk through a freshwater marsh.

Sandy Ridge Wildlife Trail:

Sandy Ridge Wildlife Trail is a half-mile trail near Milltail Creek, ending at Sandy Ridge Gut. About half of the trail is boardwalk that runs along the paddle trails.

Wildlife Drive:

The Murphy Peterson Wildlife Drive consists of 15 miles of gravel roads throughout the refuge with excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife. I've seen black bears several times driving the road and we even saw otters in the canal along the road. The best times for wildlife viewing are close to sunrise and sunset.

Wildlife:

North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) can be found in and along the canals in the refuge.

They are very playful creatures.

This one was eating a fish.

Alligator River has one of the highest concentrations of American black bears (Ursus americanus) in the eastern US. The wildlife drive around the fields is a great place to spot bears. They are most active in the morning and evening so this is the best time to drive through.