State Parks News

Carvers Creek State Park is featuring a unique tree for each month's newsletter during the 2022 Year of the Tree! For the June edition, we discuss the tulip poplar tree, which is actually a member of the magnolia family!

Final Acquisition for Bobs Creek State Natural Area complete; made possible by Foothills Conservancy.

Kevin Bischof is the new superintendent of Gorges State Park in Transylvania County, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.

Dismal Swamp State Park will be closed for major bridge repairs.

Crystal Lloyd joins David Mumford as superintendent at Falls Lake State Recreation Area.

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is launching a new online campaign to encourage North Carolinians to get moving and get outside.

State parks and recreation areas welcomed 19.8 million visitors in 2020 year — 400,000 more than any other year on record and 1.2 million more visitors than in 2019.

The N.C. state parks system now includes 250,000 acres of land and water. Recent acquisitions, including 230 acres for Deep River State Trail and 300 acres for Salmon Creek State Natural Area, brought the system’s acreage up to the new total in late 2020.

Dwayne Patterson will return to N.C. DNCR as director of Division of Parks and Recreation beginning Feb. 1. Patterson was on temporary assignment as Deputy Director/Chief Operating Officer for the N.C. Pandemic Recovery Office since May of this year.

Kathy Capps, a 20-year employee of city of Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, is the new state parks deputy director for operations.

The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation launched a new web page to seek public input as staff develop the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail master plan

Jessica Phillips, a 12-year employee of the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, is the new superintendent at Mayo River State Park in Rockingham County.

The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation is seeking public input on the Mayo River State Park Master Plan, a long-term plan that provides access to more than 16 river miles of the Mayo River in Rockingham County.

Thanks to a generous donation from the late Tom Rabe, his wife Jean and the Rabe family, a new 1,000 square foot observation deck is now open on top of Morrow Mountain.