The Outer Banks Voice - Even as the weather turns colder, the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a must

Even as the weather turns colder, the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a must-see destination

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a birders paradise in the fall and winter.

(Photo credit: Cyndi Goetcheus Sarfan)

By Mary Ellen Riddle | Outer Banks Voice

The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge beckons wildlife and nature lovers year-round. But fall and winter offer experiences that are not to be missed.

Located on the Albemarle Peninsula, with its main Refuge lands situated on the mainland in Dare and Hyde County, the Refuge was established in 1984 to protect the wildlife and rare Pocosin Wetlands as well as the swamp forest and marsh that fringe it. The Refuge is approximately 152,000 to 158,00 acres in size.

It is especially known as one of the only places in