Sawyer Lake - Alligator River National Wildlife Preserve, North Carolina 

"Sea Eagle" ready to go

On a crisp October morning, we drove across the bridge that links Manteo and the Outer Banks to the North Carolina mainland. Our destination was Buffalo City, an abandoned logging town that prospered from around 1870 until the middle of the twentieth century. The site of the town and logging operation is now within the 152,000 acre Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.

We turned onto Buffalo City Road in the hopes that we might be able to explore the ruins of the old town, but after about two miles, the road ended at Milltail Creek. There was no sign of Buffalo City.

We were greeted by the pungent smell of the swamp as we got out of the truck. A map of the refuge showed several water trails through the area, and since the inflatable "Sea Eagle" was in the back of the truck,  we decided to explore Sawyer Lake, which was about 2 miles away according to the map.

Navigating Sawyer Lake

We followed a narrow canal which opened up into the lake. The land surrounding the lake was low and swampy, with no place to land and get out of the boat. The lake was secluded and  pristine, with no sign of human habitation. We met one other person all afternoon.


Twenty five miles from the Outer Banks, we found ourselves alone in a natural world, with little to remind us of the shops and condos and the crowds who flock to the beach to get away from it all.

Snapping turtle