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A Cross-Country Road Trip: Wetlands of the Southeast

Written on: May 21st, 2025 in Natural Resources

By Alison Stouffer, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program

It’s been a few months since our last cross country road trip. With winter in the rear-view mirror, I am excited to come out of hibernation and explore the wetlands of the Southeast United States! Need a refresher on where we have been thus far? Be sure to read up on our first, second, and third excursions on our blog.

Defined by a subtropical climate, the Southeast experiences mild winters, humid summers, and ample rainfall – important considerations when discussing wetland diversity within the region. With wetlands covering over 60% of the region¹, these states are known for alluvial floodplains, bottomland forests, tidal freshwater swamps, and estuarine marshes. Alluvial floodplains are flat areas alongside rivers and streams that buildup sediment from flooding events over long periods of time. For example, the Mississippi River Delta is a well-known alluvial floodplain in Louisiana that boasts extensive salt marsh habitat. The Mississippi River, and other smaller rivers and streams, in this region also feed many bottomland forests. We will get to see these popular wetland habitats up close and personal throughout our drive.

Kentucky

We will be starting our southeast road trip off with a one-of-its-kind, rare Kentucky wetland. Protected in a conservation easement, Hazeldell Meadow is the only remaining highland rim wet barren in the state. Less than 2 acres in size, this property is a safe haven for rare and threatened plant species, such as Kentucky’s only carnivorous plant, the sundew. Falling under the wetland category of wet meadow, these habitats are susceptible to conversion to agriculture due to their low-lying elevation and seasonal inundation.

Tennessee

Continuing south, we will be heading to Shady Valley, which falls within the southern Appalachian Mountains. After the last Ice Age, the high elevation of this region of Tennessee was left peppered by bogs, a type of peat wetland. Even cranberry bogs can be found here, which are more characteristic of wetlands in New England. Our road trip will be taking us to Orchard and Quarry Bogs, owned by The Nature Conservancy. Together, the two properties span 218 acres of land that provides important habitat for many critters, including the federally threatened bog turtle.

Arkansas

I hope you are ready for a long car ride because our next stop is a 10-hour drive away! (Maybe we should fly?… No! This is a road trip after all). Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge is a designated Ramsar Wetland of International Importance as it is a major stopover for birds migrating along the Mississippi Flyway. Characteristic of many wetlands within this region, this refuge is a bottomland hardwood forested wetland. Access can be tricky when the White River is experiencing high water levels so be sure to bust out your favorite pair of knee boots for the mud!

Louisiana

Practically a straight shot south, we will be visiting the Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge. Part of the Mississippi River and Atchafalaya River alluvial floodplains, the Atchafalaya Basin, at large, encompasses almost 1 million acres of bottomland hardwood forest and bald cypress tupelo swamp, with over 15,000 acres protected within the refuge. That’s the largest contiguous wetland complex in North America! Other wetland habitats that can be found within the basin are bayous and salt marshes. Need help separating out the difference in wetland types? Check out this blog post here.

Mississippi

Our next stop has us continuing east along the Gulf Coast to Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). A partnership between Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the reserve protects 18,049 acres of coastal habitat for long-term research and educational purposes. Wetland habitats that can be seen here include salt marshes, bayous, salt pannes, and pine savannas. Be sure to visit the Interpretive Center to read about the coastal habitats the reserve has to offer, as well as check out the boardwalk to a nearby freshwater marsh!

Alabama

In Alabama, we will be visiting another area similar to the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana. The Mobile-Tensaw Delta encompasses around 200,000 acres between the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers. It is the second largest delta in North America after the Mississippi River Delta. During our visit, we will see bottomland hardwood forests, cypress-tupelo swamps, oxbow wetlands, and marshlands. Beyond the range of wetland habitats that can be found here, the delta is also home to the largest population of American alligator in the state. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled; we wouldn’t want you to become a snack!

Florida

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Florida? Some might say Florida Man, Miami, or Disney. But true wetland enthusiasts would say the Everglades, which is a designated Wetland of International Importance. Encompassing around 1.5 million acres of wetlands, Everglades National Park is just a tiny drop in the bucket of 11 million acres of wetlands throughout the state. The park showcases a variety of wetland habitats including freshwater sloughs, cypress swamps, mudflats, salt marsh, and mangroves. Mangrove forests or swamps are unique wetlands that consist of salt-loving trees and are extremely valuable in coastal protection.

Georgia

Heading north, we will be visiting the third Wetland of International Importance on this installment of the cross country road trip, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Area. Okefenokee encompasses 438,000 acres of blackwater swamp. A blackwater swamp is a freshwater wetland with slow moving water stained brown or black from tannins in decaying leaf litter. Fun fact: the peat-filled wetland lies within a massive depression that used to be the ocean floor!

South Carolina

Say goodbye to the swamps of pitstops past and say hello to Carolina bays. Carolina bays, or coastal plain ponds and Delmarva bays as they are known in the Mid-Atlantic, are nontidal freshwater depression wetlands that have an oval shape. As they are seasonally flooded, they can be challenging to locate. However, we will be visiting Ditch Pond Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area, which contains a 25-acre coastal bay. Fortunately, where many bays have been significantly altered or disturbed by humans, the bay at Ditch Pond has remained in its natural, intact state.

North Carolina and Virginia

Back to the swamps we go! And this one is a two-for. On this next wetland stop we will be visiting the Great Dismal Swamp. Encompassing around 480,000 acres, this forested wetland complex falls within both North Carolina and Virginia and is managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Additional acreage is protected by the North Carolina Division of Parks & Recreation as a state park. Within the swamp is Lake Drummond, one of only two natural lakes in Virginia. Be sure to enjoy a scenic stroll along a boardwalk, paddle through the cypress trees at the lake, or enjoy the mosquito-free environment of the visitor center! I’m sure you will be left wondering how such a place could ever be called dismal.

West Virginia

For the final destination in our Southeast wetlands road trip, we will be visiting Cranesville Swamp Preserve within the Appalachian Mountains. The preserve, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, falls within a frost pocket—a location where cold air sinks into a lower lying area—making conditions extra soggy. This area is one of the few remaining boreal bogs in the southern United States. But don’t worry about getting your boots too wet; there is a boardwalk into the boreal peat bog!

Next Stop: Wetlands of the Northeast

While not every wetland point-of-interest is a swamp, bottomland hardwood forest, or delta, it is clear what wetland types reign supreme in the Southeast. With one installment left of our cross-country road trip, we are nearly at the finish line. The next part of our trip will take us to the Northeast United States, including our home state of Delaware. Until then, rest up and stretch your legs!

1. (1997). State Summary Highlights. In: National Water Summary on Wetland Resources. https://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/state_highlights_summary.html.

Tags: Research, Wetlands