North Carolina events › Places
North Carolina has 43 state park units on the official park list, and 37 of them list free day-use admission. Each has its own page with hours by month, admission, dog rules, directions and the state parks closest to it, read from ncparks.gov on October 27, 2026. Search by name or town, or pick a region.
- State Park Units43parks, recreation areas, natural areas
- Regions8our editorial regions
- Free Day Use37list no day-use fee
- On the Map43have a map point we trust
Showing all 43 state park units.
Map of Every State Park Unit
Asheville & Foothills 4
- Chimney Rock State ParkState Park · Chimney Rock, Rutherford CountyFree at Rumbling Bald
- Gorges State ParkState Park · Sapphire, Transylvania CountyFree Day Use
- Lake James State ParkState Park · Nebo, McDowell CountyFree Day Use
- South Mountains State ParkState Park · Connelly Springs, Burke CountyFree Day Use
High Country 8
- Elk Knob State ParkState Park · Todd, Watauga CountyFree Day Use
- Grandfather Mountain State ParkState Park · Banner Elk, Avery CountyFree Day Use
- Mount Jefferson State Natural AreaState Natural Area · West Jefferson, Ashe CountyFree Day Use
- Mount Mitchell State ParkState Park · Burnsville, Yancey CountyFree Day Use
- New River State ParkState Park · Laurel Springs, Ashe CountyFree Day Use
- Pilot Mountain State ParkState Park · Pinnacle, Surry CountyNot published
- Rendezvous MountainState Park Unit · Purlear, Wilkes CountyFree Day Use
- Stone Mountain State ParkState Park · Roaring Gap, Alleghany CountyFree Day Use
Charlotte Region 3
Triad 3
Triangle 9
- Eno River State ParkState Park · Durham, Durham CountyFree Day Use
- Falls Lake State Recreation AreaState Recreation Area · Wake Forest, Wake CountyFree most of the year
- Jordan Lake State Recreation AreaState Recreation Area · Apex, Chatham CountyFree most of the year
- Kerr Lake State Recreation AreaState Recreation Area · Henderson, Vance CountyFree most of the year
- Lower Haw River State Natural AreaState Natural Area · Pittsboro, Chatham CountyNot published
- Medoc Mountain State ParkState Park · Hollister, Halifax CountyFree Day Use
- Occoneechee Mountain State Natural AreaState Natural Area · Hillsborough, Orange CountyFree Day Use
- Raven Rock State ParkState Park · Lillington, Harnett CountyFree Day Use
- William B. Umstead State ParkState Park · Raleigh, Wake CountyFree Day Use
Sandhills 3
Eastern Plain & Inner Banks 8
Eastern Plain & Inner Banks events
- Cliffs of the Neuse State ParkState Park · Seven Springs, Wayne CountyFree Day Use
- Dismal Swamp State ParkState Park · South Mills, Camden CountyFree Day Use
- Goose Creek State ParkState Park · Washington, Beaufort CountyFree Day Use
- Jones Lake State ParkState Park · Elizabethtown, Bladen CountyFree Day Use
- Lake Waccamaw State ParkState Park · Lake Waccamaw, Columbus CountyFree Day Use
- Merchants Millpond State ParkState Park · Gatesville, Gates CountyFree Day Use
- Pettigrew State ParkState Park · Creswell, Washington CountyFree Day Use
- Singletary Lake State ParkState Park · Kelly, Bladen CountyFree Day Use
Coast 5
- Carolina Beach State ParkState Park · Carolina Beach, New Hanover CountyFree Day Use
- Fort Fisher State Recreation AreaState Recreation Area · Kure Beach, New Hanover CountyFree Day Use
- Fort Macon State ParkState Park · Atlantic Beach, Carteret CountyFree Day Use
- Hammocks Beach State ParkState Park · Swansboro, Onslow CountyFree Day Use
- Jockey's Ridge State ParkState Park · Nags Head, Dare CountyFree Day Use
No park matches that search. Clear the search or pick All.
More Ways to Plan
- State Parks Passport: every fee and dog rule in one table
- North Carolina events by region
- Drive times to North Carolina attractions
- Download this list as CSV or JSON (CC BY 4.0)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many state park units does North Carolina have?
The official park list on ncparks.gov names 43 units that we list here: state parks, state recreation areas, state natural areas and one nature preserve. Pages for a few newer or undeveloped units may carry less detail.
Which North Carolina state parks are free?
37 units list free day-use admission on their own pages: Carolina Beach State Park, Carvers Creek State Park, Cliffs of the Neuse State Park, Crowders Mountain State Park, Dismal Swamp State Park, Elk Knob State Park, Eno River State Park, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, 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 Jefferson State Natural Area, Mount Mitchell State Park, New River State Park, Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Pettigrew State Park, Raven Rock State Park, Rendezvous Mountain, Singletary Lake State Park, South Mountains State Park, Stone Mountain State Park, Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, William B. Umstead State Park. Camping, boat rentals, swim passes and permits can still cost money. Falls Lake, Jordan Lake and Kerr Lake charge a per-vehicle fee on some days.
Where do the hours come from?
Every park page copies the month-by-month hours table from the park’s own ncparks.gov page, read October 27, 2026. Where the page prints no table we say Not published.
Can I download the park data?
Yes. The North Carolina state parks dataset is free to download as CSV or JSON under CC BY 4.0.
Sources
Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “North Carolina State Parks: Hours, Fees and Map”, itsnorthcarolina.com/places/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.