Croatan National Forest, established on July 29, 1936, spans 159,885 acres along North Carolina’s Atlantic coast between the Neuse River, Bogue Sound, and the White Oak River. Its unusual coastal landscape of pine forests, estuaries, bogs, swamps, pocosins, blackwater creeks, and inland lakes supports both recreation and exceptional biodiversity. The forest contains trails through marsh, swamp, and pine woods, surrounds Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, and provides habitat for black bear, bobcat, alligator, bald eagle, red-cockaded woodpecker, and carnivorous plants including Venus flytraps. Parts are protected as wilderness, while fire remains a major threat, as shown by the 2023 Great Lakes Fire.