North Carolina State ParksThis list of North Carolina state parks, has the name and short blurb about each park. They are all beautiful and have something special to offer every visitor.
Park hours Park office hours 8 a.m.-noon, 1-5 p.m. daily
It offers hiking trails for all skill levels, spectacular views, and a 404-foot waterfall, Hickory Nut Falls. Its most notable feature is a 315-foot rock formation, a granite monolith, Chimney Rock, accessible by elevator and providing views of the park and surrounding countryside. Areas within the park as well as surrounding the park were featured prominently in the 1984 film A Breed Apart and most of the final scenes of the 1992 adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans, including the Huron negotiation, the chase along the cliff, the fight between Uncas and Magua, Alice's decision, and the climactic fight between Magua and Chingachgook.
Crowders Mountain was named after Ulrich Crowder, a German merchant and farmer who in 1789 purchased the mountain and the land around it before moving west. The cliffs are a popular destination for rock climbers.
Elk Knob State Park was established to preserve the natural state of Elk Knob, the second highest peak in Watauga County. The park is open for year-round recreation and is currently undergoing an expansion of facilities to provide greater recreational opportunities to visitors. Elk Knob State Park is on Meat Camp Road, 5.5 miles from North Carolina Highway 194, 9.5 miles north of Boone, in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Together with the adjoining West Point on the Eno city park, the two parks preserve over 9 miles of the river in its natural habitat.
Today, the recreation area consists of the remains of the earthen Fort Fisher and a museum at Fort Fisher State Historic Site, an oceanfront beach pavilion, a large lagoon popular with windsurfers, and a long stretch of beach that is accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles. The beach is an important nesting ground for sea turtles, and state park rangers regularly patrol the beach to identify recently built turtle nests. Once they are identified, they are clearly marked and surrounded with a mesh fence to prevent vehicles from driving over the eggs. The openings in the mesh are large enough to allow newly hatched turtles to pass through and return to the sea.
In addition to the fully restored fort, the park offers visitors both soundside and surf fishing, nature trails, ranger guided tours, a protected swim area, a refreshment stand, and a bathhouse. With the exception of the bathhouse, there are no fees to enjoy the park. The park is open year round and does not charge an admission or parking fee. During the non-summer months the protected swimming area, refreshment stand, and bathhouse are not available. However, you can swim at your own risk and public restrooms are open year round. Fort Macon State Park also completely surrounds United States Coast Guard Base Fort Macon. The main gate is located directly across from the park office and barracks, and visitors can catch a glimpse of one of the Coast Guard Cutters that are moored there. Park hours: November-February, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Park office hours 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily Goose Creek State Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife that make their homes in the extensive salt water marshes, inlets and creeks on the northern side of the sound. Goose Creek State Park is open for year round recreation, east of Washington, two miles south of U.S. Route 264 on Camp Leach Road.
It is North Carolina's westernmost state park and one of the state's newest. The park is adjacent to part of the Nantahala National Forest and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Toxaway Game Land.
The Blue Ridge Parkway passes by the south side of the mountain. It is located at the meeting point of Avery, Caldwell (highest point), and Watauga (highest point) Counties.
As one of the newest state parks in North Carolina, Haw River has limited recreational opportunities. Plans are in place to expand the acreage of the park to include the entire length of the Haw River. Haw River State Park currently houses the Summit Environmental Education Center and is located off North Carolina Highway 150 in Browns Summit.
Jockey's Ridge contains three unique ecosystems: the Roanoke Sound, the dune system, and the maritime forest. Often when it rains, water collects near the bottom of the dunes creating a temporary pond, known as a vernal pool. Few fauna can be seen around the dunes, although some types of flora, such as tall grass, may be readily identified closer to the bottom of the dunes. The park is open year round, except Christmas Day, and does not charge an admission, parking, or program fee. The park's entrance is located at Milepost 12 on S. Croatan Highway/US 158. Ranger-led programs are offered throughout the year. Also available are nature trails, a sound access, and picnic areas. Viewing the sunset over the sound, bird watching, and kite-flying are among the favorite activities of visitors. The park also provides outside bathrooms that are typically open from April to November. The park's visitor center features a museum about the cultural and natural history of the park, including sand dunes, plants and wildlife, weather, pirates and local maritime history[2] A gift shop run by the Friends of Jockey's Ridge is also located in the visitor center. The ridge area is accessed either from the back deck of the visitor center or the parking lot via a 350 foot long boardwalk. Kitty Hawk Kites, the world's largest hang gliding school, also provides concessionaire hang gliding lessons in the park. Their office is located directly behind the park's visitor center. Park Hours November-February 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Visitor Center Hours November-February 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Jones Lake State Park is north of Elizabethtown on North Carolina Highway 242 in North Carolina's Coastal Plain region. The park offers year round recreation including fishing, swimming, boating, hiking, picnicking and environmental and historical education programs.
The NC Division of Parks and Recreation operates nine recreation areas on the lake Crosswinds Campground, New Hope Overlook, Ebenezer Church, Parker's Creek, Seaforth, Vista Point, Poplar Point, Robeson Creek, and White Oak Recreation Area. Whether you're looking for fun in the sun or an evening under the stars, Jordan Lake offers it all.
The lake, and thus the park, are named for Congressman John H. Kerr, who supported the original lake project. It is located conveniently along Interstate 85, Kerr Lake is just a short drive from Raleigh (45 miles), Richmond, Va. (110 miles), Charlotte (180 miles) and Washington, D.C. (200 miles).
Here, nature offers scenic vistas of the Appalachian Mountains and beckons to those with an appetite for recreation.
The park is open for year round recreation including, boating, fishing, water skiing, swimming and camping. Lake Norman State Park is on Inland Sea Road in Troutman just off U.S. Route 70 between Interstates 40 and 77.
Lake Waccamaw offers peaceful surroundings, an intriguing natural history and fun in the sun.
Lumber River State Park is located in North Carolina's Coastal Plain. It was established as both a state park and as a natural and scenic river by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1989. In addition, it is the only blackwater river in North Carolina to be designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. Lumber River State Park stretches across parts of four counties following the Lumber River. The headwaters of the river are in Scotland County. The Lumber River bisects Robeson County. The recreational facilities are at the Princess Ann Landing in southeastern Robeson County near the towns of Orrum and Fair Bluff. The river ends in South Carolina, where it joins the Little Pee Dee River about 8 miles south of the state line.
The park is one of the newest in the North Carolina system, having been authorized by the General Assembly in May 2003. An interim facility is currently under construction. No designated public access yet. Visitor contact station, picnic shelter, hiking trail, rest rooms, maintenance facility, and improvements to parking are planned. The Mayo River State Park's interim facility, Mayo Mountain Access, opened to the public on April 1, 2010.
There's really only one word to describe Morrow Mountain State Park: variety. A visit to Morrow Mountain lets you choose your own kind of adventure.
The park has one main road that leads to the peak of Mount Jefferson. On the way up are two overlooks followed by hiking trails and a picnic shelter at the top. The mountain rises to more than 1,600 feet (490 m) above the surrounding landscape and provides a bird's-eye view of both Jefferson and West Jefferson. Park hours are limited by inclement weather, but otherwise open every day during the year with the exception of Christmas Day.
Located off of NC 128 and the Blue Ridge Parkway near Burnsville, North Carolina, it includes the peak of Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. From the parking lot you can take a short hike to the summit which includes an observation tower and the grave of Elisha Mitchell, the professor who first noted the mountain's height. The old observation tower was torn down in Early October 2006. The trail leading to the summit has been paved, and a new observation platform was constructed and opened to the public in January 2009. The summit also features an exhibit hall with information about the mountain's natural, cultural and historical heritage. In addition to Mount Mitchell itself, the park encompasses several other peaks which top out at over 6000' in elevation, including Mount Hallback, Mount Craig (just 37 feet shy of Mount Mitchell in Elevation and the second highest peak east of the Mississippi River), Big Tom and Balsam Cone. Trails lead to all these summits save Mount Hallback, and their exploration takes visitors away from the crowds on Mount Mitchell but to places similarly spectacular. About 8 miles of trails exist within the park in all. Another popular destination reachable by trail within the park is Camp Alice, at an elevation of 5800' south of the summit of Mount Mitchell. This historic site is the location of a logging and, later, Civilian Conservation Corps tourist camp at the terminus of the old Mount Mitchell toll road. Lower Creek flows across the main trail at this point and it is one of the highest elevation perennial streams in the Appalachians, flowing through the Spruce-Fir forest. Openings here in the forest surrounded by evergreens resemble such openings near treeline in higher mountain ranges.
It is considered by some geologists to be possibly one of the oldest rivers in the world, between 10 million and 360 million years old. New River State Park is open for year round recreation including, canoeing, hiking, picnicking, fishing, camping and environmental education. The park is just off U.S. Route 221 in northwestern North Carolina.
Researchers believe that the area's habitat has remained relatively unchanged since the last Ice Age due to the presence of the brown elfin, a rare butterfly, and several unique plant species. The brown elfin is typically found in mountainous and northern areas, and the nearest brown elfin population to Occoneechee is more than 100 miles west. When the Piedmont's habitat underwent enormous transformations after the Ice Age, the area became unable to support the brown elfin and other species more accustomed to cooler environments. Brown elfins, believed to have once populated the Piedmont, were restricted to the state's mountains. However, the brown elfin butterflies at Occoneechee Mountain remained. The land the state natural area now sits on was originally settled by the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, who traveled to the mountain from the west. In the colonial period, European immigrants settled the area. Until 1987, a mill village occupied a section of the natural area. The NC Division of Parks and Recreation first purchased land at Occoneechee Mountain in December 1997. Since then, the natural area has grown to nearly 124 areas.
High Shoals Falls is the centerpiece of the park.
Located near Roaring Gap, North Carolina, it covers 13,747 acres (56 kmē). The centerpiece of the park is Stone Mountain, a dome of exposed granite (specifically a quartz diorite to granodiorite) of Devonian age, which has intruded into the gneiss of the Precambrian Alligator Back Formation. It rises sharply over 600 feet above the surrounding terrain. The mountain, which has an elevation of 2,305 feet above sea level, is known for its barren sides and distinctive brown-gray color, and can be seen for miles. The mountain offers some of the best rock climbing in North Carolina, and the park's creeks and streams feature excellent brook trout fishing. Because the mountain is the best example of a monadnock in massive granite in North Carolina it was designated a National Natural Landmark in May 1974.
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