It’s named Sawyer Lake Road but it ought to be called Black Bear Blvd, USA. The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is virtually unknown, but in my opinion it is best place in the world to watch black bears. This unassuming gravel lane, labeled “wildlife drive” passes by protected corn and soybean fields and is absolutely crawling with bears. We see at least one black bear every single time we enter the reserve and more often than not we see over a dozen. It is spectacular. Once, from a single vantage point, we saw ten bears including two different mothers with three small cubs each. The mother in the above photo was accompanied by a single cub which ran down the road in front of us with reckless abandon and then dove into the bushes. When his mother caught up with him, he cautiously poked his head back out to examine us. If you look closely you will see the blue stains on their lips from a recent meal of berries.
The Alligator River NWR is accessed from Hwy 64 near the Outer Banks on the coast of North Carolina (see map on right).
One of the many uses of a road sign on the wildlife drive
Hal Brindley is a wildlife photographer, film-maker and writer living in Asheville, North Carolina. He is the founder of Dodo Films and co-author of the book Dual Nature, a travel memoir detailing his adventures across Africa with a total stranger. His photos are available at HalBrindley.com.
That top shot is LOVELY!! I love how that babe is peaking out. The bears in NM are so much more skittish. That said, I did see one raid a cooler and drink a bunch of beer once.
That little cub was adorable. You have to be very careful and not leave food (or drink) items unattended in bear country. I have never heard of a bear drinking beer but I guess they would eat anything.
Dude. DUDE! Seriously?! OMG, how have I not heard about this bear haven before?!?! Is there a certain time of year that’s best for saying bears there? Because NC is not all that far from Atlanta, and I am totally up for a road trip. In case you can’t tell, I LOVE Bears…
This is the best place to see black bears Bret. We have been there at least five times in the past two years and always have seen bears. Last Thursday we could see seven bears from one point. Seven. No kidding. Two mum bears with three cubs each. Summer is great, when the corn crops are ready to eat and then the berries are ripe. In the fall when the crops are harvested the visibility is better (an no biting flies or mosquitoes either).