Exploring the Pocosin Lakes NWR

  Man did we just scratch the surface of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Here's the deal. We always stop in the town of Columbia, NC - it's one of our favorite small towns around these parts. We sort of stumbled upon the NWR visitor's center here in town - I don't know how we've missed it in past trips to the Outer Banks - but luckily we made it this time.

   After checking out the park headquarters/visitor's center (located just off Hwy. 64 in town and on the river), we took a quick little hike along the Scuppernong River Interpretive Boardwalk. We passed fisherman, folks on a quick stroll like us, and found a sweet kayak launch.

   The actual refuge stretches over 100,000 acres across 3 counties (Hyde, Tyrrell, & Washington). Well over 100,000 migratory water fowl concentrate here in the winter and the refuge is home to the only population of wild, free roaming red wolves in the world. It also is home to one of the densest populations of black bears in the world. Wowza!

   Here's a link to a map with descriptions of great water fowl observation points (best in the winter). These points are accessed via dirt roads throughout the refuge (some may be closed during the winter or peak water fowl migration times). We'll definitely be back in the winter to check things out. If you visit during the fall hunting season use caution and wear your Clemson sweatshirt.

   ~Paul & Amber   everyonestravelclub.com 

P.S. - We'll do a post on our favorite little town of Columbia NC in the winter when we visit the refuge to see some serious bird migration action!
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