Exploring North Carolina: North Carolina State Parks, Trails, Lakes, Rivers & Natural Areas
The North Carolina State Parks system was launched on March 3, 1915 when the General Assembly passed legislation appropriating funds to buy land for a park at Mount Mitchell. A year later, following the aquisition of 795 acres at the mountain's summit, Mount Mitchell became the state's first park and the first park in the southeastern United States. Today the North Carolina State Parks system covers 225,000 acres from the mountains to the sea.
Background Articles
State Park Facts
State Parks Superintendents/Directors State Parks
State Trails
State Recreation Areas
State Natural Areas
State Rivers
State Lakes
Resources and Video Recordings
Background Articles
History of the North Carolina State Parks System (from the Division of Parks and Recreation)
State Parks (from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina)
State Parks Facts
| Park Type | # Park Units | Size |
| State Parks | 35 | 156,900 acres |
| State Recreation Areas | 4 | 13,256 acres |
| State Natural Areas | 20 | 24,194 acres |
| State Lakes | 7 | 29,135 acres |
| State Rivers | 4 | 146 miles |
| State Trails | 5 | 2,052 acres, 806 miles |
| Visitors to State Parks, 2015 | 17.3 million |
Back to top
State Parks Superintendents/Directors
| Superintendent/Director | Years Served |
| Thomas W. Morse* | 1935 – 1961 |
| Thomas C. “Red” Ellis | 1961 – 1974 |
| Ronald D. Johnson | 1974 – 1977 |
| James S. Stevens, Jr. | 1977 – 1984 |
| William “Wes” Davis | 1984 – 1989 |
| Philip K. McKnelly | 1989 – 2003 |
| Lewis R. Ledford | 2003 – 2014 |
| Michael A. Murphy | 2014 to present |
*During the time Morse served in World War II, R.J. Pearce served in an Acting role.
Back to top
State Parks, Recreation Areas, Rivers, Lakes, Trails and Natural Areas
(with links to NCpedia articles)
State Parks
Cape Hatteras State Park (now part of the National Seashore)
Carolina Beach State Park
Carvers Creek State Park
Chimney Rock State Park
Crabtree Creek State Park (now Umstead State Park)
Crowders Mountain State Park
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
Dismal Swamp State Park
Elk Knob State Park
Fort Macon State Park
Goose Creek State Park
Gorges State Park
Grandfather Mountain State Park
Hammocks Beach State Park
Hanging Rock State Park
Haw River State Park
Jockey's Ridge State Park
Jones Lake State Park
Lake James State Park
Lake Norman State Park
Lake Waccamaw State Park
Lumber River State Park
Mayo River State Park
Medoc Mountain State Park
Merchants Millpond State Park
Morrow Mountain State Park
Mount Mitchell State Park
New River State Park
Pettigrew State Park
Pilot Mountain State Park
Raven Rock State Park
Reedy Creek State Park (now William B. Umstead State Park)
Singletary Lake State Park
South Mountains State Park
Stone Mountain State Park
William B. Umstead State Park
Back to top
State Trails
Fonta Flora Loop State Trail
French Broad River State Trail
Mountains-to-Sea State Trail
Deep River State Trail
Yadkin River State Trail
State Recreation Areas
Falls Lake State Recreation Area
Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
Kerr Lake State Recreation Area
Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
Back to top
State Natural Areas
Baldhead Island State Natural Area
Bear Paw State Natural Area
Bullhead Mountain State Natural Area
Bushy Lake State Natural Area
Hemlock Bluffs State Natural AreaLower Haw River State Natural Area
Lea Island State Natural Area
Masonboro Island State Natural Area
Mount Jefferson State Natural Area
Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area
Pineola Bog State Natural Area
Run Hill State Natural Area
Sandy Run Savannas State Natural Area
Sugar Mountain Bog State Natural Area
Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area
Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve
Yellow Mountain State Natural Area
Back to top
State Rivers
Linville River
New River
Horsepasture River
Lumber River
Back to top
Jones Lake
Lake Phelps
Lake Waccamaw
Salters Lake
Singletary Lake
White Lake
Back to top
Video Recording: Earnhart, Tom; UNC-TV. 2015. "Saving the Best: North Carolina State Parks at 100." https://player.pbs.org/viralplayer/2365652565/.
North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. 2015. "Here in This Place: A Celebration of North Carolina's State Parks." https://www.ncparks.gov/100/parks-history
North Carolina State Parks Collection, North Carolina Digital Collections.
North Carolina State Parks, texts on Internet Archive
North Carolina State Parks. North Carolina State Parks at the Crossroads. 1968. https://archive.org/details/northcarolinasta68unse (accessed December 29, 2015).
North Carolina State Parks, texts and images in the Digital Public Library of America
Back to top
19 September 2015 | Agan, Kelly
Comments
Cant Find Alot That Starts
Cant Find Alot That Starts With A P. :P
Hi,
Hi,
Thanks for visiting NCpedia. Is there a particular topic you're looking for? If you're looking for entries by alphabetical letter, here is a link to NCpedia's biography browse by letter:
http://www.ncpedia.org/category/subjects/biography
I hope this helps! Please post back if you are looking for something different and need additional help.
Kelly Agan, Government & Heritage Library
Add a comment
PLEASE NOTE: NCpedia provides the comments feature as a way for viewers to engage with the resources. Comments are not published until reviewed by NCpedia editors at the State Library of NC, and the editors reserve the right to not publish any comment submitted that is considered inappropriate for this resource. NCpedia will not publish personal contact information in comments, questions, or responses. If you would like a reply by email, note that some email servers, such as public school accounts, are blocked from accepting messages from outside email servers or domains. If you prefer not to leave an email address, check back at your NCpedia comment for a reply. Please allow one business day for replies from NCpedia. Complete guidelines are available at https://ncpedia.org/about.