Sheep Ridge Wilderness
All that remains of Sir Walter Raleigh's lost colony is the word croatan, Algonquian for "council town," carved on a tree on Roanoke Island. This raised bogland or pocosin lies in the heart of Croatan National Forest, with Catfish Lake Road to the north and Great and Long Lakes to the south. A high water table keeps the black muck of the pocosin wet and agreeable enough to grow dwarf swamp vegetation. Hazards include biting insects, poisonous snakes, and alligators. The reptiles are generally shy, retiring, and uninterested in humans, but the biting pests will be happy to greet you. Visitors who venture in to see the plants and animals usually make it a quick trip, as the Wilderness doesn't offer campsites or trails.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | North Carolina |
| Size | 9,315 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 34.91° N, 77.04° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11) |
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 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.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 8.8 miMount Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church ↗New Bern, NC
- 9.3 miSloan, Dr. Earl S., House ↗Trent Woods, NC
- 9.9 miLavender, Bryan, House ↗Pollocksville, NC
- 10 miPalo Alto Plantation ↗Palopato, NC
- 10.4 miFirst Baptist Church ↗New Bern, NC
- 10.4 miYork-Gordon House ↗New Bern, NC
- 10.5 miHarvey Mansion ↗New Bern, NC
- 10.5 miSt. John's Missionary Baptist Church ↗New Bern, NC
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.
- Great Day Hikes on North Carolina's Mountains-To-Sea TrailFriends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and Jim Grode, 2020Find at Bookshop.org
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Sheep Ridge Wilderness?
9,315 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Sheep Ridge Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Sheep Ridge Wilderness in?
North Carolina.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Sheep Ridge Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Sheep Ridge 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 Sheep Ridge Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 34.912° N, 77.040° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Sheep Ridge Wilderness?
The National Register has 53 listings within 15 miles, including Mount Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and Sloan, Dr. Earl S., 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.