USFS · North Carolina

Catfish Lake South Wilderness

North Carolina's Croatan National Forest is a unique coastal ecosystem set between the Atlantic Ocean and the Neuse River and interlaced with the sea's nurseries, called estuaries, where oysters, shrimp, and crab reproduce and grow to maturity. Croatan's Catfish Lake South Wilderness is primarily raised bogland, where biting insects try to steal the spotlight from the American alligator and the cottonmouth, canebrake rattler, eastern diamondback rattler, pygmy rattler, copperhead, and other poisonous snakes. You may see deer, bears, squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons, all of which may be hunted according to state law. Sleek muskrats, minks, and otters are common. On the Atlantic Flyway, Catfish Lake attracts ducks and geese.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness8,490 acresUSFSNCDesignated 19841 campground within 10 mi
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Catfish Lake South Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateNorth Carolina
Size8,490 acres
Designated1984, by Congress
Center point34.92° N, 77.15° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

1 outline

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 Catfish Lake South Wilderness40°50°60°70°80°January: 4.02 inches of precipitationFebruary: 3.51 inches of precipitationMarch: 3.38 inches of precipitationApril: 3.71 inches of precipitationMay: 4.35 inches of precipitationJune: 5.60 inches of precipitationJuly: 6.18 inches of precipitationAugust: 7.54 inches of precipitationSeptember: 7.27 inches of precipitationOctober: 4.04 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.50 inches of precipitationDecember: 4.06 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 45.6°F averageFebruary: 47.9°F averageMarch: 53.5°F averageApril: 62.1°F averageMay: 69.3°F averageJune: 76.6°F averageJuly: 80.0°F averageAugust: 78.5°F averageSeptember: 73.9°F averageOctober: 64.3°F averageNovember: 55.2°F averageDecember: 48.8°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Perrytown, 10 miles from the center point at 28 feet, station USC00316676 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 57 inches a year.

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.

FS · 9.9 mi
Flanners Beach Campground
Reservable41 sites

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 54 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.

  • 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
  • Best Hikes near Asheville, North Carolina
    Johnny Molloy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking North Carolina
    Randy Johnson, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best of the Blue Ridge Parkway
    Nye Simmons, 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 Catfish Lake South Wilderness?

8,490 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Catfish Lake South Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Catfish Lake South Wilderness in?

North Carolina.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Catfish Lake South Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1984.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Catfish Lake South Wilderness?

Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Catfish Lake South Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.923° N, 77.148° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Are there historic places near Catfish Lake South Wilderness?

The National Register has 54 listings within 15 miles, including Lavender, Bryan, House and Sanderson House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • 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.