North Carolina

North Carolina, the Tar Heel State, is located in the southeastern United States and contains diverse geography from the Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. I've lived in NC since 2002 and so most of my travels and hence pages are dedicated to NC.

State Protected Areas:


The state of North Carolina owns or manages a large amount of public lands as parks, forest, natural areas, and game land.

State Parks:

There are currently 42 parks and other areas in the state park system.

  1. Carolina Beach State Park near the town of the same name is home to a number of carnivorous plants.
  2. Carvers Creek State Park protects the Long Valley Farm and Sandhills section along Carvers Creek, a tributary of Cape Fear River near Fayetteville.
  3. Chimney Rock State Park includes the private Chimney Rock attraction as well as additional lands in the Hickory Nut Gorge.
  4. Cliffs of the Neuse State Park protects towering cliffs over the Neuse River near Goldsboro.
  5. Crowders Mountain State Park protects an unusual Piedmont mountain range near Charlotte.
  6. Dismal Swamp State Park protects a portion of the swamp in North Carolina along the canal.
  7. Elk Knob State Park protects a 5000-foot peak north of Boone near the Tennessee state line.
  8. Eno River State Park lies along the rocky Eno River north of Durham.
  9. Falls Lake State Recreation Area is a collection of access areas around Falls Lake.
  10. Fort Fisher State Recreation Area has miles of sandy beaches at the southern end of Pleasure Island.
  11. Fort Macon State Park protects the historic fort and over a mile of beach access.
  12. Goose Creek State Park protects several tributaries of Pamlico River near the transition between river and sound.
  13. Gorges State Park protects the Jocassee Gorges, home to a tremendous number of waterfalls.
  14. Grandfather Mountain State Park includes the backcountry area of Grandfather Mountain, one of the highest points in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
  15. Hammocks Beach State Park features Bear Island, an undeveloped barrier island at the south end of the Crystal Coast.
  16. Hanging Rock State Park protects part of the Sauratown Mountains north of Winston-Salem.
  17. Haw River State Park protects the headwaters of Haw River north of Greensboro.
  18. Jockey's Ridge State Park protects the largest sand dune on the east coast.
  19. Jones Lake State Park protects two Carolina Bay lakes in the coastal plain region.
  20. Jordan Lake State Recreation is a collection of nine access areas around Jordan Lake.
  21. Kerr Lake State Recreation Area consists of seven access points around the North Carolina side of the lake.
  22. Lake James State Park provides recreation access on Lake James just below Linville Gorge.
  23. Lake Norman State Park protects part of the shoreline of Lake Norman north of Charlotte.
  24. Lake Waccamaw State Park protects the shoreline of Lake Waccamaw, an unusual Carolina bay lake.
  25. Lumber River State Park has several access points along the blackwater Lumber River.
  26. Mayo River State Park protects the Mayo River from the Virginia state line to Mayodan.
  27. Medoc Mountain State Park protects an unusual mountain in the coastal plain in Halifax County.
  28. Merchants Millpond State Park protects an old millpond that has become a cypress swamp.
  29. Morrow Mountain State Park protects a portion of the Uwharrie Mountains in Stanly County.
  30. Mount Jefferson State Natural Area protects Mount Jefferson in Ashe County.
  31. Mount Mitchell State Park was the first North Carolina State Park and protects the summit of the highest peak in the eastern US.
  32. New River State Park has several access points along the river, one of the oldest in the world.
  33. Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area protects the highest point in Orange County.
  34. Pettigrew State Park protects the shoreline of Lake Phelps, North Carolina's second largest natural lake.
  35. Pilot Mountain State Park protects the distinctive monadnock of Pilot Mountain.
  36. Raven Rock State Park protects an area on the fall line along Cape Fear River.
  37. Rendezvous Mountain State Park provides hiking and forestry education opportunities in Wilkes County.
  38. Singletary Lake State Park was once limited to organized groups but is now open to the public.
  39. South Mountains State Park protects a portion of the South Mountains a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Morganton.
  40. Stone Mountain State Park protects a granite dome along the Blue Ridge Escarpment.
  41. Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve protects three tracts of longleaf pine forest in Moore County.
  42. William B. Umstead State Park is an urban park in the heart of the Triangle region with over 20 miles of trails.

Other State Park Units:


NC State Parks also manage State Natural Areas and others with limited public amenities.

  1. Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area protects part of the shoreline of this Carolina Bay lake in Bladen County.
  2. Bear Paw State Natural Area protects Hanging Rock Ridge in the High Country of Watauga County.
  3. Mitchell Mill State Natural Area protects granite outcrops along Little River and a historic dam in eastern Wake County.
  4. Yellow Mountain State Natural Area protects a grassy bald in the Roan Highlands in Avery and Mitchell County.


State Forests:


State Forests are managed by the North Carolina Forest Service.

  1. Bladen Lakes State Forest protects a number of Carolina bay lakes in Bladen County.
  2. Clemmons Educational State Forest in Wake and Johnston Counties if focused on education of forestry practices in North Carolina.
  3. DuPont State Forest protects a number of waterfalls and miles of trails in Transylvania County.
  4. Headwaters State Forest protects the headwaters of East Fork French Broad River in Transylvania County on the South Carolina state line.
  5. Jordan Lake Educational State Forest in Chatham County protects a peninsula on Jordan Lake.

State Game Lands:


Game Lands are managed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

  1. Bladen Lake State Forest: Bladen Lakes State Forest is also part of the state Game Land program.
  2. Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land: Game Land surrounding Falls Lake in the northern Triangle region.
  3. Green River Game Land protects land along the scenic Green River Gorge in Polk and Henderson Counties.
  4. Green Swamp Game Land protects longleaf pine savanna and pocosin habitat in Brunswick County and is home to large number of carnivorous plants.
  5. Holly Shelter Game Land protects over 60,000 acres of swamp and pocosin habitat in Pender County.
  6. Lower Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land: Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge is included in the state Game Land program.
  7. Nantahala National Forest Game Land: Nantahala National Forest is also part of the state Game Land program.
  8. Needmore Game Lands protects over 5,000 acres along the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Macon County.
  9. Pisgah National Forest Game Land: Pisgah National Forest is also part of the state Game Land program.
  10. Pond Mountain Game Land protects 3,600 acres of scenic mountain vistas in the extreme northwest corner of the state.
  11. Roanoke Island Marshes Game Land: Game Land protecting the marshes on the south end of Roanoke Island.
  12. South Mountains Game Land protects over 21,000 acres in the South Mountains.
  13. Stones Creek Game Land protects 4,000 acres nestled within Camp Lejeune in the Onslow Bight region.
  14. Toxaway Game Land protects over 5,000 acres in the Jocassee Gorges.
  15. Uwharrie National Forest Game Land: Uwharrie National Forest is also part of the state Game Land program.

State Historic Sites:



  1. Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site: Bentonville Battlefield is the site of the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina.

State Coastal Reserve:


The NC Coastal Reserve is a state-federal partnership that manages ten reserves for wildlife preservation and research.

  1. Currituck Banks Reserve: Currituck Banks is located in the northern Outer Banks and protects a maritime forest and other habitats along Currituck Sound.

Museums:



National Protected Areas:


The federal government manages a significant amount of public lands in North Carolina as parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.

Army Corps of Engineers:


The Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District owns several flood control lakes and other projects in the state.

  1. B. Everett Jordan: B. Everett Jordan Dam and Lake is a large flood-control lake, mostly in Chatham County.
  2. Falls Lake: Falls Lake is a flood-control lake that also serves as the reservoir for Raleigh and surrounding communities.


National Parks:


There is one National Park and several other National Park Service units in North Carolina.

  1. Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile road along the Blue Ridge Escarpment in North Carolina and Virginia.
  2. Cape Hatteras National Seashore, known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, is located along the Outer Banks.
  3. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site preserves the site of the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island, the first English settlement in the United States.
  4. Great Smoky Mountains National Park includes some of the highest mountains in the southern Appalachians.
  5. Moores Creek National Battlefield commemorates the Patriot victory of loyalist forces that preceded the Revolutionary War. 
  6. Wright Brothers National Memorial commemorates the first heavier-than-air flight by the Wright Brothers in Kill Devil Hills in the Outer Banks.


National Forests:

There are four National Forests in North Carolina.

  1. Croatan National Forest: A coastal forest in North Carolina's coastal plain near Bogue Banks and Cape Lookout.
  2. Nantahala National Forest: Nantahala National Forest is the largest and furthest west of the national forests in North Carolina.
  3. Pisgah National Forest: Pisgah National Forest protects a large portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
  4. Uwharrie National Forest: Uwharrie National Forest protects the Uwharrie Mountains in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.

National Wildlife Refuges:




There are several national wildlife refuges, mostly in the eastern portion of the state.

  1. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge protects much of mainland Dare County and has one of the highest concentrations of black bears in the eastern US.
  2. Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge protects brackish marsh habitat in eastern Carteret County at the southern end of Pamlico Sound.
  3. Currituck National Wildlife Refuge protects a portion of the northern Outer Banks near the Virgina state line.
  4. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on the northern end of Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks provides habitat for migratory birds.
  5. Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge on Pamlico-Albemarle Peninsula protects swamps and lakes that provide habitat for migratory birds.
  6. Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge protects bottomland forest on the lower Roanoke River in Bertie County.


Wilderness Areas:


Wilderness areas in North Carolina are primarily within National Forests.

  1. Birkhead Mountains Wilderness protects the northern section of Uwharrie National Forest.

Piedmont:

The Piedmont is located in the central part of the state and is characterized by gentle rolling hills.  Most of the largest cities in North Carolina are located in the Piedmont.

Cities:

  • Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and second largest city.
  • Durham
  • Cary is the largest town in North Carolina

Counties:


  • Wake County is home to Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina.

Regions:


External Links:


Official North Carolina Tourism website: https://www.visitnc.com/

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