Croatan National Forest

Coordinates: 34°54′52″N 77°03′23″W / 34.914441°N 77.056446°W / 34.914441; -77.056446
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Croatan National Forest
View from Patsy Pond Nature Trail, in the Croatan National Forest.
Map showing the location of Croatan National Forest
Map showing the location of Croatan National Forest
LocationCraven / Carteret / Jones counties, North Carolina, United States
Nearest cityHavelock, NC
Coordinates34°54′52″N 77°03′23″W / 34.914441°N 77.056446°W / 34.914441; -77.056446
Area159,885 acres (647.03 km2)[1]
EstablishedJuly 29, 1936[2]
Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service
WebsiteCroatan National Forest

The Croatan National Forest (

ranger district office in New Bern
.

In 2023, more than 32,000 acres burned in the Great Lakes Fire, which began on April 19 and continued until heavy rains in June.[4][5][6]

Geography

The forest covers 159,885 acres (647.0 km2) of coastal land. It is bordered on three sides by the

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
.

Trails

Many hiking trails can be found throughout the Croatan Forest such as the Neusiok Trail which offers 21 miles (34 km) of trail through swamps and pine forests. Other trails include the Cedar Point Tideland Trail which traverses through a salt marsh and along the White Oak River, the Island Creek Forest Walk featuring a forest of hardwoods, and the Black Swamp OHV Trail which offers eight miles (13 km) for off-road vehicles and bikes. The 13 mile long Catfish Lake Rd. provides many roads and trails for you to explore. In addition there is also a 14.1 mile trail, called the Weetock trail starting at the entrance to Long point landing road along NC Hwy 58 and continuing through the woods towards the Whiteoak river and turning around to end back on Hwy 58 roughly a quarter mile from the start point.

Flora and fauna

Sundew in Croatan Nation Forest

The Croatan National Forest lies completely within the

swampfish
, a species of cavefish, can also be found in several creeks and canals throughout the forest.

Habitat

The Croatan National Forest offers a variety of habitats that provide excellent homes and safe havens for wildlife. There are many longleaf pine savannas that are vital to the red-cockaded woodpecker which can be found in abundance within these forests. Croatan is also the site of many nearly-impenetrable pocosin pine savannas, old growth beech and oak forests, saltwater estuaries, and bogs. Wetland swamps called pocosins are abundant in Croatan, giving their name to Pinus serotina.[9]

Forest scenery

Wilderness areas

Entrance sign for the Pinecliff recreation area.
A MST sign is nearby.

There are four officially designated

wilderness areas lying within Croatan National Forest that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System
.

See also

  • List of U.S. National Forests

References

  1. ^ "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  2. ^ "The National Forests of the United States". Forest History Society. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  3. ^ Talk Like A Tarheel Archived 2013-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
  4. ^ "NCNCF Great Lakes". InciWeb. 2023-06-24. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  5. ^ "NCFS 2023 Newsdesk". www.ncforestservice.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  6. ^ "Acres burned in Croatan National Forest fire adjusted, still 90% contained". WNCT. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  7. ^ USDA Forestry Service: "Croatan National Forest" Pg. 2 [Brochure]
  8. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  9. ^ "US Forest Service Croatan National Forest Webpage". USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 31 March 2018.

External links

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