North Carolina Park List

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge was established on March 14, 1984. It contains 152,195 acres which lie on the mainland portions of Dare and Hyde Counties, North Carolina. The Refuge is roughly 28 miles from north to south and 15 miles from east to west. ...

Remote and scenic, Apalachia Lake is located in Cherokee County, North Carolina. The lake is small, covering 1,100 acres of surface area and 31 miles of shoreline. The U.S. Forest Service manages the land around the lake as part of the Nantahala National Forest. Apalachia Lake ...

B. Everett Jordan Dam and Lake is located near the geographical center of North Carolina making it one of the Triangle's largest open green spaces. The Jordan Lake Project conserves 46,768 acres in the midst of an expanding urban area. Of this total, 13,900 acres have been flooded ...

Blue Ridge Dam was constructed on the Toccoa River in 1930 by the Toccoa Electric Power Company, a subsidiary of the Tennessee Electric Power Company. TVA purchased the facility in 1939 for hydroelectric power production. The lake is entirely within Fannin County, Georgia, and the closest towns ...

For visitors in search of novelty and adventure, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area provides an unparalleled diversity of experiences. There's so much to see and do that no two visits are ever the same. Nature lovers will find majestic mountain vistas and scenic drives, outstanding hiking, biking, and ...

Designed as a drive awhile - stop awhile recreational drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway provides both stunning scenery and close-up looks at the natural and cultural history of the southern Appalachian mountains. The Parkway meanders for 469 miles and connects Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, providing ample ...

Lock and Dam 1 is the first of the three lock and dams that form the major features of a Corps of Engineers project, entitled, "Cape Fear River, North Carolina above Wilmington." The project provides for a navigable depth of eight feet at low water from Navassa to Fayetteville, ...

Stretched over 70 miles of barrier islands, Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a fascinating combination of natural and cultural resources, and provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities. A haven for recreation and reflection, these islands are constantly changing by tide, storm, current, and wind. The plants, wildlife ...

Take a boat trip three miles off-shore to the islands of Cape Lookout National Seashore. The seashore is a 56 mile long section of the Outer Banks of North Carolina running from Ocracoke Inlet on the northeast to Beaufort Inlet on the southeast. Here you can enjoy remote beaches, ...

Carl Sandburg, nationally renowned poet, biographer, lecturer, newspaper columnist, folksinger, author of American fairytales, and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, provided broad and enduring 20th century insight into the circumstances, worth and spirit of the American people. Sandburg, having already achieved literary fame before relocating to North Carolina, ...

With a marina providing access to some of North Carolina's best fishing spots, a secluded camping area beneath towering trees, and miles of hiking trails that traverse a variety of distinct habitats--not to mention the presence of the Venus flytrap, one of the world's most unique carnivorous plants--it's no ...

Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge, located in Carteret County, North Carolina is on the end of a peninsula marking the southern end of Pamlico Sound. The refuge lies five miles east of the Atlantic ocean and about 40 miles northeast of Beaufort, North Carolina. Established in 1964, the refuge ...

Chatuge Reservoir, located on the Hiwassee River in western North Carolina, is 13 miles long and extends southeast from the dam into north Georgia. The reservoir is named after a nearby Cherokee settlement. Sport fishing is popular at Chatuge, both in the reservoir and in the Hiwassee River below the ...

What better way to enjoy the glorious fall colors of North Carolina and Tennessee than a leisurely drive along the Cherohala Skyway? Take this scenic byway through the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests in autumn and fall in love with the brilliant colors of the Appalachian Mountains. To see autumn's ...

Chimney Rock Park is the natural fulfillment of your trip to the mountains. Take a deep breath of refreshing mountain air, become invigorated by the hiking trails, and let your cares fade away in the cool mists of Hickory Nut Falls. This is the perfect place to reconnect with ...

At the turn of the century visitors flocked to the area. They drank mineral water from local springs to cure their ills and they took riverboat excursions to the cliffs. Things have changed since then, however, the cliffs remain virtually unaltered, standing as a journal of the geological and ...

The Croatan National Forest is one of four national forests in North Carolina, and the only true coastal forest in the East. Croatan's 160,000 acres have pine forests, saltwater estuaries, bogs and raised swamps called pocosins. Bordered on three sides by tidal rivers and the Bogue Sound, the forest ...

Raptors soar gracefully in the wind; vegetation reaches to the sky; sheer vertical cliffs drop 150 feet. Enjoy the spectacle from a front-row seat. High atop Crowders Mountain, the highest point in Gaston County, views stretch for more than 20 miles. For a closer view of nature's marvels, walk the ...

Currituck NWR, located on the northern end of North Carolina's Outer Banks, was established in 1984 to preserve and protect the coastal barrier island ecosystem. Refuge lands are managed to provide wintering habitat for waterfowl and to protect endangered species such as piping plover, sea turtles, and sea ...

Feel your daily stresses melt away as you cross the historic Dismal Swamp Canal and walk along the 300-foot boardwalk into this geological wonder. Experience first hand the lush swamp forest and get up-close and personal with the wide variety of wildlife. Discover the uniqueness of a million year ...

The present station of the Edenton National Fish Hatchery (NFH) was established in 1954. The mission is to provide interjurisdictional fish restoration (striped bass) for the Roanoke, Tar-Pamlico Neuse River Systems, provide striped bass to South Carolina and Virginia to support inter-jurisdictional fish restoration. The hatcher also provides ...

Elk Knob State Park is one of the newest additions to the North Carolina state parks system. Elk Knob is one in a series of amphibolite mountains in the southern Appalachian range. The area contains a high diversity of natural communities, many of them uncommon or rare. A very ...

Minutes from Durham, Hillsborough, and Chapel Hill , the Eno River State Park offers secluded wilderness trails with the serenity of a clear river drifting and cascading over a rocky stream bed. The Eno River is a swift, shallow stream flowing from northwest Orange County into Durham County for ...

This 12,500-acre lake is located within a 30-minute drive from Raleigh and Durham. Boat launching, public marina, swim beach and picnic facilities are available. Recreation facilities are operated by the North Carolina State ...

Hours of relaxation await you at Falls Lake State Recreation Area. Just moments away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Falls Lake is a great way to escape urban life. With a 12,000-acre lake and 26,000 acres of woodlands, Falls Lake State Recreation Area offers a choice ...

Enjoy a leisurely day at the ocean shore. Comb the beach for sea stars, keyhole urchins and whelk shells. Or, simply lie back on the sand and enjoy the aerial acrobatics of seagulls, terns and brown pelicans as they soar above the waves. You may want to venture into ...

Fort Macon offers public access to the surf, sun and sand of the Crystal Coast as well as a historic landmark. Located at the eastern end of Bogue Banks, one of a series of barrier islands along the North Carolina coast, the park is surrounded on three sides by ...

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site protects and preserves known portions of England's first New World settlements from 1584 to 1590. This site also preserves the cultural heritage of the Native Americans, European Americans and African Americans who have lived on Roanoke Island. The first English attempts at colonization in ...

Giant, old oaks draped in Spanish moss welcome you to this special world where broad, lazy Goose Creek joins the Pamlico River. A primitive camping area, picnic sites, swim beach and hiking and paddling trails offer a variety of ways to savor the tranquil surroundings at Goose Creek State ...

Plunging waterfalls, rugged river gorges, sheer rock walls and one of the greatest concentrations of rare and unique species in the eastern United States are found within Gorges State Park. An elevation that rises 2,000 feet in only four miles, combined with rainfall in excess of 80 inches per ...