USFWS · North Carolina

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge located on North Carolina's Pea Island, a coastal barrier island in Rodanthe, and part of a chain of islands known as the Outer Banks, adjacent to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The sanctuary is located 10 miles (16 km) south of Nags Head, North Carolina on NC 12.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge4,862 acresUSFWSNC1 campground within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Vbofficial, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNorth Carolina
Size4,862 acres
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point35.70° N, 75.49° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 7)

Boundary map

8 outlines

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Pea Island 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, 19 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 inch 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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

NPS · 1.9 mi
Oregon Inlet Campground
Reservable245 sites

Most refuges do not allow overnight camping. The campgrounds listed are outside the refuge.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Site · 10 mi
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
National Memorial · 13 mi
Wright Brothers National Memorial
National Seashore · 17 mi
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
National Register listings within 15 miles · 12 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for North Carolina

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • North Carolina Birding Trail
    2011
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Waterfalls North Carolina
    Melissa Watson, 2025
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Great Day Hikes on North Carolina's Mountains-To-Sea Trail
    Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and Jim Grode, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge?

4,862 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in?

North Carolina.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Pea Island 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 Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 35.699° N, 75.495° W. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is 10 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge?

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (10 mi), Wright Brothers National Memorial (13 mi) and Cape Hatteras National Seashore (17 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 12 listings within 15 miles, including Bodie Island Lighthouse and Midgett, Rasmus, House.

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 (Q3423294), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Pea Island 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.