USFWS · North Carolina

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a 152,000-acre (620 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in eastern North Carolina along the Atlantic Coast. It was established on March 14, 1984, to preserve and protect a unique wetland habitat type—the pocosin—and its associated wildlife species.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge153,637 acresUSFWSNC
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
2fires
active
Outer Dome · 9 mi from the center · 10 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNorth Carolina
Size153,637 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point35.7727, -75.8349
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10)

Boundary map

3 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.78 inches of precipitation, 0.7 inches of snowFebruary: 3.16 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowMarch: 3.80 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowApril: 2.93 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 3.52 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 4.46 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 5.26 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 5.64 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.54 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.24 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 2.88 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 3.34 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 43.1°F averageFebruary: 44.9°F averageMarch: 50.6°F averageApril: 59.6°F averageMay: 67.4°F averageJune: 75.5°F averageJuly: 79.6°F averageAugust: 78.2°F averageSeptember: 73.9°F averageOctober: 64.8°F averageNovember: 54.5°F averageDecember: 47.5°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Manteo AP, 13 miles from the center point at 13 feet, station USW00013766 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 47 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 1 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18
  • Wildfire
    Outer Dome

    9 mi from the center point · 10 acres

  • Wildfire
    Wild Boar Point

    10 mi from the center point · 30 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Site · Adjacent
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
National Memorial · 6 mi
Wright Brothers National Memorial
National Seashore · 13 mi
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
National Register listings within 15 miles · 14 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge?

153,637 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in?

North Carolina.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 35.773, -75.835. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Outer Dome at 9 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 10 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge?

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (adjacent), Wright Brothers National Memorial (6 mi) and Cape Hatteras National Seashore (13 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge?

14 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Daniels, John T., House and Meekins, Thedore S., House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.