Bluebill P

o n d Loop

Thomas Landing Loop Rd.

Snipe

Pond

Teal

Pond

Goose

Pond

Woody

Pond

Barbour River

Landing

Gould s

Cemetery

McIntosh County

Airfield Perimeter Route

 Bluebill

Pond

Harris Neck

National 

Wildlife Refuge

H

a r r i s

N

e

c k

C r e e k

131

0 1,000 2,000 Feet

N

Barbour River (Refuge) Road

Harris Neck Road (County) 

Snipe Pond Loop

Greenhead Pond Goose Pond Loop Wildlife Drive

Wildlife Drive

Exit

Entrance

Marshland

Refuge Headquarters

Refuge Boundary

Entrance

Wildlife Drive 

(one-way auto Route)

Bluebill Pond Loop

Airfield Perimeter Route

Snipe Pond Loop

Goose Pond Loop

Wildlife Drive Bike Tour

Thomas Landing Loop Rd.

Legend

Suggested Hiking/Biking Trips

■ Bluebill Pond Loop - 1.1 miles, round

trip; 35 minutes

■ Woody Pond Overlook - .3 mile, round

trip; 15 minutes easy walk;

recommended for children; not

wheelchair accessible, but suitable for

others with minor ambulatory

difficulties

■ Snipe Pond Loop - 2.0 miles, round

trip; 55 minutes

■ Airfield Perimeter Route - 2.7 miles,

round trip; 1 hour, 45 minutes

■ Thomas Landing Loop - 1.1 miles,

round trip; 30 minutes

■ Goose Pond Loop - 1.3 miles, round

trip; 30 minutes

■ Goose Pond Levee - wheelchair

accessible - park at junction of Goose

Pond Road and wildlife drive; .2 mile,

round trip to Goose Pond; 20 minutes.

■ Wildlife Drive Bicycle Tour - from the

Harris Neck Creek entrance, follow

the designated auto route to Thomas

Landing loop; continue along marked

wildlife drive towards exit; cross

through Woody Pond levee, and back to

main entrance - 6.3 miles, round trip; 1

hour, 30 minutes by bicycle. (Bicycles

are permitted on all the suggested

trails and tour routes, however this

long route is ideally suited for bikers.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

This blue goose, designed by

J.N. “Ding” Darling,

has become the symbol of the

National Wildlife Refuge System.

Harris Neck

National Wildlife Refuge

Map & Trail Guide
Regulation Reminders

■ Some areas may be closed seasonally

to protect wildlife from human

disturbance. Such areas are posted

“Area Beyond This Sign Closed.”

■ Saltwater fishing and shellfishing are

permitted in refuge tidal waters only.

All freshwater ponds are closed to

fishing.

■ Feeding. capturing, or hunting wildlife is strictly

prohibited unless authorized by permit.

■ All of the refuge’s archeological and natural resources

are protected. Antique and artifact hunting are not

allowed. Do not pick or cut vegetation.

■ Dogs, cats and other pets are not permitted on the

refuge.

For general information, visit the refuge website:

http://www.harrisneck.fws.gov

Questions regarding specific refuge activities, such as

hunting, should be directed to:

Savannah Coastal Refuges

1000 Business Center Drive, Suite 10

Savannah, GA 31405

Phone: 912/652 4415

Safety Reminders

■ Overgrowth on the trail shoulders and pathways off the

wildlife drive may conceal snakes, poison ivy, or stinging

insects. An occasional alligator may be encountered near

any pond. Do not molest this reptile in any way. Hikers

are urged to stay on the trails. No off-road or off-trail

driving/biking is permitted.

■ Drinking water is not available on the refuge

■ There are no shelters for visitor protection from the

sun or inclement weather, with the exception of the

refuge office/visitor contact station. This facility, at the

beginning of the wildlife drive, is normally open

weekdays, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

■ Bicyclists should be cautious of potholes, puddles, and

cactus when leaving the paved wildlife drive.

A brief refuge history...

Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is one of seven

refuges administered as part of the Savannah Coastal Refuges

network. The refuge is located in McIntosh County, Georgia, 45

miles south of the port city of Savannah. Harris Neck serves as

an important link in the chain of refuges along the eastern

seaboard, and is the inland base for two neighboring barrier

island refuges, Blackbeard Island, and Wolf Island.

Harris Neck NWR’s 2,824 acres have had a long, and at times

controversial, history. As one of the oldest intensively farmed

areas along the Georgia coast, Harris Neck was among the

first land grants given to English and Scottish settlers in 1750.

U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

AREA

BEYOND

THIS

SIGN

CLOSED All public entry prohibited

While a variety of crops were produced, it was the high

quality Sea Island cotton which brought fame to the local

agricultural industry. Poor farming practices soon exhausted

the soil, and large scale farming was abandoned in 1860. The

Civil War ended the plantation era, and Harris Neck was

divided into small farms. The Harris Neck African American

community thrived until World War II, when the U. S.

Government condemned the land for use as an airfield and

pilot training facility.

After WWII, the property was given to McIntosh County for

guardianship and use as a municipal airport. Due to county

mismanagement, Harris Neck reverted to the federal

government. On May 25, 1962, the U. S. Bureau of Sport

Fisheries and Wildlife (forerunner of the U. S. Fish and

Wildlife Service) acquired the property for a migratory bird

refuge.

The land is now managed primarily for marsh and wading

birds, waterfowl, resident wildlife, and wildlife-dependent

recreation. Remnants of the airbase, including miles of paved

roads and the runways once used by P-39 and P-40 fighter

planes, remain. The old roads and runways now provide

visitor access and facilitate management of the refuge. The

varied habitats include salt marsh (1,297 acres), open fields

(905 acres), mixed hardwood/pine forest (663 acres), manmade freshwater ponds (157 acres), and forested wetland (two

acres). Management of six man-made freshwater

impoundments enhances the refuge’s importance as a

wintering area for migratory birds. These ponds also serve as

an important rookery site for the endangered wood stork, as

well as roosting and feeding areas for many other wading

birds and waterfowl.

Tom J. Ulrich

Jim Barber

John Carrington

Eric Horan