Kuralt, a native of North Carolina, died in 1997. The Kuralt Trail links together twelve special sites for wildlife observation at National Wildlife Refuges and a National Fish Hatchery administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This trail commemorates Mr. Kuralt's interest in the Refuge System. The route winds some 300 miles through some of the wildest areas found along the Atlantic coastal plain. The refuges have each created special opportunities for visitors to discover nature in these wildlands, which are habitat for black bears, red wolves, alligators, and spectacular concentrations of waterbirds.
People can walk boardwalks, nature trails, or view scenic vistas from observation platforms.
Each site is universally accessible to provide safe and easy experiences, and includes wayside exhibits with interpretive information and opportunities for viewing wildlife. The project was developed through a partnership of the Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wilderness Graphics, Inc. of Tallahassee, Florida, and the Kuralt Family. The opening ceremony was featured on the CBS Sunday Morning program. The National Wildlife Refuge System is a far-flung collection of over 500 refuges and 93 million acres managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. Future Kuralt Trail sites will be developed at Swanquarter, Currituck, and Cedar Island Refuges in North Carolina.