Wilderness areas in the eastern United States typically do not rival those of the West, in terms of size and grandeur. In contrast to wild, western backcountry, whose borders blend seamlessly into the surrounding privately owned land, the Great Swamp is an island refuge floating between urbanity and suburbia. If it were not for the Great Swamp refuge and wilderness, urban and suburban dwellers from a very densely populated area would not have access to a first-hand understanding of the natural ecosystem.

Small as it is, which makes it even more precious, Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Area provides a stark transition, for so many people, between raw nature and the beautiful, highly manicured and intensely managed surroundings of suburbia and the metropolis. Here, wilderness meets the road.