Bear Spotting Gone Wrong

how to see black bear spotting outer banks north carolina usa

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Manteo, North Carolina‘s Outer Banks, is especially known for their black bears. And with me wanting to see wildlife in its own habitat, I, of course, were tempted by the possibility of driving our own car around the refuge gravel roads, and seeing/meeting bears up close. But what I’ve learned on safaris in Africa, apparently applies here as well, it’s all about luck… And unfortunately, Lady Fortune wasn’t on our side 🙁 There is a visitor centre, but since we got in late that afternoon, it was already closed. Had we been able to confer with them about possible sightings the day of, we might have had a better probability of success. Finding the correct road into the refuge also proved a bit difficult, without a map. After trying a couple of exits, we came upon a local, and the conversation went like this. Me: Hi, we’re from Norway, and… He: …you like to see some bears 😀 After being guided by his directions, we found the closest entrance, which also has maps, and we decided following the marked Wildlife Drive sounded like a good idea, at least in theory. Even though the teddies stayed well away, we had a nice sunset drive through the refuge still.

Website: fws.gov/refuge/Alligator_River

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