Buckridge Coastal Reserve
Introduction
The Buckridge Coastal Reserve covers 29,335 acres in Terrell County, centrally located between the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge to the east, and Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge to the south. Additionally, Buckridge Reserve is part of the East Dismal Swamp, which covers more than 320,000 acres of wetland in Terrell, Dare, and Washington counties. Most of this region is defined by its proximity to the water, as can be seen on the map below:
Flora & Fauna
The Buckridge Coastal Reserve is home to several rare species, including the American alligator, red-cockaded woodpecker, red wolf, bald eagle, timber rattlesnake, and pigmy rattlesnake. This reserve also maintains essential habitat for various species of migrating birds. Black bears and white-tailed deer are commonly sighted in this region.
Many years ago, this area was known for its vast reserves of Atlantic white cedar. Most of the oldest trees have been logged, but a forest of 4,000 acres remains the largest contiguous population of Atlantic white cedar in North Carolina.
Exploring Buckridge Coastal Reserve
During my first visit to Buckridge Reserve in October 2023, I opted to set up at the Gum Neck Landing boat ramp, which is located at the southern end of Gum Neck Landing Road. This road is paved all the way to the gravel parking lot at the boat ramp.
I recommend this site for activators who do not have a four wheel drive vehicle, especially during periods of wet weather. A canal provides boat access from this boat ramp to the Alligator River and the nearby Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
The following map details how the Buckridge Coastal Reserve follows the contour of the lower Alligator River.
Note from the map above that there are two access points to the Reserve–Gum Neck Landing and Grapevine Landing–each of which provide small parking areas. There is no boat ramp at Grapevine Landing, but there is a canal and dock, which provides boat access to and from the Alligator River.
It was my intention to operate from Gum Neck Landing during my subsequent visit to Buckridge Reserve (June 2024), but the small parking lot was unusually active, and I did not want to impede parking for boaters (which after all is the primary purpose of this facility), so I pondered my options.
From my background study of this area, I remembered that Grapevine Landing Road was a second access for Buckridge Reserve, but I was unfamiliar with that part of the reserve. The decision to explore Grapevine Landing Road was indeed fortuitous, because it was along this road that I experienced a most memorable event.
About one mile from my destination at Grapevine Landing, my eye caught something moving across the road about 200 yards in front of me. I have been told by the locals that the bear population substantially outnumbers the human population in this region, but this was my first ever bear sighting–something that I will never forget! I regret that I did not have a camera with a zoom lens to do justice to this photo.
It’s always fun to explore areas such as this. I slowed down and tried to take it all in–the little black cub who was meandering across the road, the trees, the canals on both sides of the road, the predominant swamp forest, a box turtle who was making its way across the road, the birds…I was thankful that fate had allowed me to visit this very special place.
Grapevine Landing Road is a four mile long gravel road, and there were several rutted, muddy areas during my visit in June, 2024. Four wheel drive vehicles are mandatory during periods of wet weather for this road.
With the exception of a few seasonally gated hunting trails, the jungle like terrain along Grapevine Landing Road remains virtually impenetrable.
As I made my way to the end of Grapevine Landing Road, I spotted a fisherman and his wife who were unloading crab cages from their boat onto a flatbed trailer. I parked my truck out of their way on the opposite side of the small parking area at Grapevine Landing, alongside the Alligator River.
This is one of the most isolated places that I have visited, and it has become one of my favorite wild places. Do be aware, though, that there are numerous biting flies (green headed flies and large black horse flies) and mosquitoes that await your visit during periods of warm weather.
Looking east from Grapevine Landing provides a lovely view across Grapevine Bay, which is part of the Alligator River. The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is visible 3.5 miles distant, bordering the east side of the river. The Alligator River is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, which supports boating traffic from Massachusetts to Florida.
Amateur Radio Operation from Buckridge Reserve
During my first visit to Buckridge in October 2023, I arrived at Gum Neck Landing around 4PM and was the only person there for the duration of my five hour activation. I opted to deploy my segmented inverted vee, which always performs well. The QSO map below shows how my 103 contacts were distributed world wide.
These contacts were made with CW (morse Code) and SSB (Voice). At dusk, two Japanese stations called me–both on 15m CW.
On my second visit to Buckridge, I set up at the small parking area at the end of Grapevine Landing Road. Words fail me when I try to describe the beauty of this special sanctuary.
I used my truck mounted 17′ vertical for this activation, as the biting flies made it necessary to limit my time outside the truck. I was thankful that Quincey and I were able to operate safely and comfortably inside our truck.
Radio conditions were far from optimal during this visit. Several solar flares had negatively impacted propagation on the higher bands, but I persevered and was able to log a fair number of dedicated European and US hunters, as can be seen from the log excerpt below.
The following map shows how my 47 CW contacts were distributed between North America and Europe.
Buckridge Coastal Reserve has two assigned references for both the World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF) and the Parks on the Air (POTA) programs. This is because Buckridge Coastal Reserve is classified as both a conservation area and a state game land.
These references are listed in the following section for amateur Radio operators.
Info for Amateur Radio Operators
WWFF and POTA reference numbers for Buckridge Coastal Reserve:
KFF-3853 US-3853
WWFF and POTA reference numbers for Buckridge State Game Land:
KFF-4918 US-6885
Maidenhead Grid Location: FM15XR
NC County: Tyrrell
Road Conditions:
- Gum Neck Landing – Gum Neck Landing Road is paved all the way to the NCWRC boat ramp. This small gravel parking lot is accessible year round for both cars and trucks. Expect numerous biting insects if you opt to operate outside your vehicle during warm weather. Do not impede boat trailer parking. This parking lot is located within the Buckridge Reserve. Lat 35.6972 Long -76.1094
- Grapevine Landing – Grapevine Landing Road is a four mile long gravel road, with a tendency to get rutted and muddy near the far end of the road during periods of wet weather. Four wheel drive vehicles are highly recommended for this road during wet periods. I did not have to engage 4×4 drive during my visit, but I would have opted not to continue my exploration to the end of this road if I did not have 4×4 drive. This is not a place you would want to get mired in the mud. The rutted areas might even be a problem for low clearance cars during dry weather. Lat 35.7176 Long -76.0608
Internet access for spotting:
Marginal internet, but sufficient for spotting to both WWFF and POTA (I use Verizon with iPhone)
Rating for this reference: 10 (excellent)
Nearby Lodging:
- Carawans Cabins-Campground and RV Rentals – near Lake Mattamuskeet (approx 30 miles south). I opted to camp at Carawans during my visit to this region and would highly recommend this place to my friends. Carawans provides 50A/30A power and water hookups for RV’s and trailers and sites for tent camping. A bath house with a restroom and shower is also available.
- Pettigrew State Park (approximately 35 miles NW)
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I love this site! We will have to go operate it one weekend Paul. What a great write up and beautiful photos. That sure was fortuitous seeing the bear cub.
Chris
KD4PBJ
Thanks very much, Chris. I would love to explore this refuge with you–maybe this Winter when the rattlesnakes are hibernating.
The game trails would provide access deep into the interior, where a naturalist like you would find many subjects of interest.
73, Paul