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 |
| FWS region | Region 4 |
| Center point | 33.01° N, 79.50° W |
| 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
None of the 3 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. 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. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. 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.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedC-163 Fm Rx
11 mi from the center point · 222 acres
- WildfireHewitt Lane Fire
21 mi from the center point · 109 acres · 90% contained
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
- 5.5 miSt. James Episcopal Church, Santee ↗National Historic Landmark
- under 0.1 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
- 6.5 miOld Georgetown Road ↗McClellanville, SC
- 7.6 miFort Palmetto ↗Hamlin Sound, SC
- 9.5 miChrist Church ↗Mount Pleasant, SC
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for South Carolina
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge?
62,093 acres.
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?
The refuge page says whether camping is allowed here. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 33.008° N, 79.501° W. 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
Is there a fire near Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge right now?
2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest C-163 Fm Rx at 11 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
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?
The National Register has 19 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 and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
- Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
- Photograph: the image Wikidata records for this refuge (Q5035022), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
- 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.