Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

My mom and I went to this refuge today and we were pleasantly surprised! We got there around 8:30−9am. The only trouble we had was the lack of signs and direction (although we did not visit the nice welcome center located on manteo– oh well). But we drove around for about 30 minutes, confused as to which roads to take until we came upon a clearing where we saw a huge black bear hanging out in the sunshine. It was so beautiful and it came pretty close to our car (very surprising to us) but I got some great pictures on my Nice camera (and some average pics in my iPhone). We saw a total of 5 bears, masses of turtles, one huge alligator, a snake crossing the road, a family of raccoons swimming, birds of prey, and woodpeckers all within 3 hours. It was fantastic and we will definitely be going back. There were lots of bugs that wanted to «dive-​bomb» into our car when we had our windows open, but that comes with the territory of being in the wilderness. Also– we found a park map at Buffalo Road… After we found the map we knew exactly where everything was and didn’t need to go to the visitors center!

We spoke with a nice gentleman at the Coastal Wildlife Refuge Visitors’ Center who recommended this refuge to us. It turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of our lives! (My family is full of animals lovers).
We were directed to drive down «River Road,» a quiet road in the woods with no traffic. The road is very bumpy and rocky, but it was worth it! One side of the road is forestry and the other is corn fields.
During our drive down this road (one mile or less) we saw nine black bears in their natural habitat! We even had one that sat about six feet away from our car staring at us. It was unbelievable! We kept our windows up and felt perfectly safe the entire time.
I guess it’s the corn fields that draw the bears. Many of them were eating corn when we drove down the road. Once they heard the cars coming, they peeked their heads above the corn husks to see us. They didn’t seem scared of the cars, but they didn’t approach us for food either.
Among our sightings were two families. Each family had a mom watching over two baby bear cubs. It was one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever seen. Moms are obviously very protective over their cubs, so it’s important to stay safe and not do anything stupid or impulsive. Any sudden movement could be interpreted as aggressive by a mother bear.
The refuge also has swamps and creeks that have alligators in them! We unfortunately did not see any, but we only looked along the roads. The refuge offers a guided canoe tour through the water that pretty much guarantees you to see alligators and snakes.
Tip: Please drive slow and exercise caution! Although they are beautiful and adorable creatures, it’s important to remember that these are wild animals.

We attended several programs at the park during a recent vacation: bears, wolf howling and canoe trip. We saw several black bears and heard faint wolf howling. The poor wolves were probably hiding underground as the swarms of biting flies in the area were menacing. The canoe trip led by refuge interns was educational and fun.

I love this refuge! It is one of my go-​tos for birding and wildlife viewing. I have been multiple times and seen black bears, alligator, snakes, raccoons, and a wide variety of birds (including owls, my favorite). It is easily accessible by car or foot. There is also a wonderful marsh boardwalk hidden by one of the entrances. The visitor center is nice and new and I found the employees to be friendly and informative.

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge — worth it
If you don’t like looking for, and seeing, wildlife. Don’t go. If you don’t like scenic vistas, don’t go. If you want paved roads, don’t go. If you need excitement, don’t go. The refuge is a beautiful — we were there on two different stormy fall days — saw lots of different butterflies and birds, deer, turtles, and a close look at a black bear. And another bear was seen far off in the distance.
You’re not always going to see a bear or other animals, but you will always see something interesting. I wish I lived closer so I could visit more often. Looks like a great place to kayak.

Friend and I drove to the refuge in hopes of seeing the bears. What we found was an empty vastness. We drove and drove on the marked (rough stone) drive, and didn’t see as much as a bird! I know by my home in Virginia, the preserve are teaming with cranes, turtles, birds, etc. Only thing we encountered were a bazillion mosquitos! Don’t dare open your windows or get out of the car UGH! The ad does not state early morning or early evening to see bear, although perhaps to ourselves, we were thinking they only come out at that time. Also were thinking perhaps they were getting ready to hibernate.
Bottom line for me is, that I will never go there again, unless someone can point out to me the «right» way to see and experience it?

There are at least two ways to look at Alligator River.
One is that no one seems to have any idea how to get there. Directions frequently lead to «head that way and you will find it». Even the generally reliable Google Maps will not help, because there is no street address — try that and you will surely end up on some semi-​deserted road headed the wrong way. Unilocal is not helping, with a pin in the middle of nowhere.
Luckily, it is easy to find: West on 64 from the Virginia Dare bridge. It is about two miles. Do not turn on 264. Do not look in Manteo. This will get you right to the turnoff, where you will be able to meet your ranger or start your adventure.
The second issue is that you have a refuge — essentially a large plot of land in the middle of nowhere. There is not much of anything out here. Really. If you do not like wildlife, do not go. We went for the bear watch, and drove and drove and drove, saw half a dozen little dots that may have been bears, or could have been employees in black, and then came back. It was pretty dull, really. It was not an encounter — though it was not really billed as such. I would not expect to see a bear pull a salmon from a river up close.
Finally, we were also supposed to do a «howling» — where you sit in the middle of the refuge and hear wolves howl. You can actually download this from their web site. And I have. It sounds so spooky that I am not sure I wanted to go, but since we were there, I figured we would check it out. Unfortunately, the bizarre weather in the area rolled in and our event was canceled. You do get refunds in this instance — unlike some other events that may only provide them if you have «insurance».

IF zero stars were an option, I’d pick that.
Yes, Alligator River is a beautiful park with great wildlife. Unfortunately, they have TERRIBLE employees!
My family was visiting the outer banks, and we had wanted to do one of their guided canoe tours. I called two weeks in advance, trying to make reservations. The way reservations work are you call, leave a message, and (supposedly) someone will call you to confirm within 24 hours. We played phone tag for weeks and then I get a message stating that the some tours were booked but others were open, could I please call back. I called back, left my name, number, and the size of the party — and they said they would call within 24 hours. Never happened — I called back the next two days, got no one, and the same message. Then, they day before the tour, the ranger called, said «Oh, all the tours are booked! I just booked all the remaining spots!» I made it clear that I was very unhappy that after two weeks of calling, with no one bothering to return my calls, I finally got a call just to tell me they were booked. Then she claimed I had only called once before — and flat out said I was lying.
This park might be beautiful, but their employees are awful. Avoid any of their ‘activities’ at all costs! If you REALLY want to go on one, make sure you start calling them atleast a month in advance. I never did catch anyone in their offices, but when they bother to return calls its usually between 4 and 6 pm.

Located near the Outer Banks, this refuge allows people to drive through (a self auto tour). You might see deer, black bear, various snakes, etc. The visitor center is acutally at the nearby Pea Island NWR. But there is a maintence building on site. Other activities need reservations (canoe tours, red wolf «howlings», and a guided night drive to look for bears). Hunting might be allowed, too, just check with the refuge on when and what the regulations are.