Swanquarter Wilderness
Established in 1932, Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge encompasses around 16,500 acres of islands and coastal marshland on the north side of Pamlico Sound. The Swanquarter Wilderness makes up more than half of the refuge: Judith Island, Swanquarter Island, Great Island, Marsh Island, and portions of the mainland along Juniper Bay. Judith, Swanquarter, and Great Islands are entirely estuarine, dominated by black needlerush, intermittently under water usually due to wind tides. Marsh Island is almost entirely estuarine, with a small upland forest section on the extreme northern boundary. Along the mainland of Juniper Bay, the Wilderness is approximately half estuarine and half upland forest.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | North Carolina |
| Size | 8,784 acres |
| Designated | 1976, by Congress |
| Center point | 35.36° N, 76.28° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees
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
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 4.3 miLake Mattamuskeet Pump Station ↗Swanquarter, NC
- 10.9 miInkwell ↗Lake Landing, NC
- 12.6 miWynne's Folly ↗Engelhard, NC
- 13.2 miDavis School ↗Engelhard, NC
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for North Carolina
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- 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 Swanquarter Wilderness?
8,784 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Swanquarter Wilderness?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Swanquarter Wilderness in?
North Carolina.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Swanquarter Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1976.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Swanquarter Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 35.358° N, 76.283° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Swanquarter Wilderness?
The National Register has 4 listings within 15 miles, including Lake Mattamuskeet Pump Station and Inkwell.
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.