Introduction
The United States Congress designated the Sheep Ridge Wilderness (
map) in 1984 and it now has a total of
9,297 acres.
All of this wilderness is located in
North Carolina and is managed by the Forest Service.
Description
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.
