Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is a 66,287 acre (267 km²) National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern South Carolina near Awendaw, South Carolina. The refuge lands and waters encompass water impoundments, creeks and bays, emergent salt marsh and barrier islands. 29,000 acres (120 km2) are designated as a wilderness area. Most of the refuge is accessible only by boat. The Intracoastal Waterway passes the Refuge. Mainland facilities include the refuge's headquarters and visitor center which are located on U.S. Highway 17 about 30 minutes by car from Charleston, South Carolina.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Wildlife Refuge |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | South Carolina |
| Size | 62,093 acres (computed from the boundary polygon) |
| FWS region | Region 4 |
| Center point | 33.0075, -79.5006 |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 7) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
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
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.
Where to camp
No federal campground sits inside the boundary. 3 are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Most refuges do not allow overnight camping. The campgrounds listed are outside the refuge.
Trails
3 named Forest Service trails start or end within 5.6 miles of the center point, 16 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Awendaw Passage/Palmetto Trl ↗ | 6.7 | |
| South Tibwin Trail ↗ | 5.8 | |
| Awendaw Creek Canoe Trail East | 3.8 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet. The radius is the one a circle of this unit’s acreage would have, measured from the center point, so a trail listed here can fall outside the boundary.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 5.5 miSt. James Episcopal Church, Santee ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0 miCape Romain Lighthouses ↗McClellanville, SC
- 4.3 miWedge, The ↗McClellanville, SC
- 5.2 miFairfield Plantation ↗McClellanville, SC
- 5.7 miOakland Plantation House ↗Mount Pleasant, SC
- 7.6 miFort Palmetto ↗Hamlin Sound, SC
- 9.5 miChrist Church ↗Mount Pleasant, SC
- 10.9 miWhite Church ↗Cainhoy, SC
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge?
62,093 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 Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
What state is Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in?
South Carolina.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge?
No federal campground sits inside the boundary. The nearest is Buck Hall Recreation Area, 0.1 miles out. 3 in all are within ten miles. Most refuges do not allow camping inside the refuge, so the campgrounds listed are outside it.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 33.008, -79.501. Charles Pinckney National Historic Site is 10 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
How dark is the night sky at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 7 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 Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge?
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (10 mi) and Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park (15 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge?
17 National Register listings within 15 miles, including St. James Episcopal Church, Santee and Cape Romain Lighthouses.
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: Cape Romain 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.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by trail endpoints falling inside a circle of this unit’s acreage around the center point.
- 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.