Croatan National Forest spans over 160,000 acres in eastern North Carolina, bordered by the Neuse River, Bogue Sound, and the Intracoastal Waterway. It features a mix of saltwater estuaries, pocosin wetlands, longleaf pine savannas, and habitats for carnivorous plants, making it one of the most ecologically diverse and special national forests in the Southeast. You’ll pass quiet creeks and coastal swamps filled with plenty of woodpeckers, warblers, and wading birds to keep you company along the way.