Public lands in North Carolina

24 units whose boundary reaches North Carolina. They are 11 national wildlife refuges, 12 wilderness areas and 1 national forest, largest first within each type.

National wildlife refuges: 429,314 acres
Wilderness areas: 112,700 acres
National forests and grasslands: 3,026,237 acres

Each figure is the acreage inside North Carolina for one kind of unit, summed over the units listed below. A unit that crosses into another state counts only the part of its boundary that lies in North Carolina. Wilderness often lies inside one of the other kinds, so the figures overlap and should not be added together.

National wildlife refuges

All national wildlife refuges →

Refuge · USFWS

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

153,637 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

116,496 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

114,142 acresAlso VA

Refuge · USFWS

Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge

49,850 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge

21,312 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge

16,689 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge

14,360 acres2 campgrounds near

Refuge · USFWS

Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge

8,735 acresAlso VA

Refuge · USFWS

Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge

8,621 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Currituck National Wildlife Refuge

7,985 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

4,862 acres1 campground near

Wilderness areas

All wilderness areas →

Wilderness · USFS

Southern Nantahala Wilderness

23,364 acres9 campgrounds near

Wilderness · USFS

Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness

19,246 acres14 campgrounds near

Wilderness · USFS

Shining Rock Wilderness

18,477 acres11 campgrounds near

Wilderness · USFS

Pocosin Wilderness

11,801 acres1 campground near

Wilderness · USFS

Linville Gorge Wilderness

11,653 acres2 campgrounds near

Wilderness · USFS

Sheep Ridge Wilderness

9,315 acres1 campground near

Wilderness · USFWS

Swanquarter Wilderness

8,784 acresWilderness

Wilderness · USFS

Catfish Lake South Wilderness

8,490 acres1 campground near

Wilderness · USFS

Ellicott Rock Wilderness

8,300 acres6 campgrounds near

Wilderness · USFS

Middle Prong Wilderness

7,482 acres8 campgrounds near

Wilderness · USFS

Birkhead Mountains Wilderness

5,065 acresWilderness

Wilderness · USFS

Pond Pine Wilderness

1,692 acres1 campground near

National forests and grasslands

All national forests and grasslands →

National Forests in North Carolina

3.0 million acres87 campgrounds near

Boundaries come from the agencies’ own layers. A unit is listed in every state or territory its boundary reaches. Data refreshed November 1, 2026.