Make your visit a safe and rewarding experience. Our rules are posted throughout the park for the protection of our visitors and our natural resources. Help preserve our park by observing the following rules and regulations.

Wildlife Preservation

The removal, molestation, or damage to plants, animals, rocks, minerals or artifacts is not allowed.

Jockeys Ridge: If you find a fulgurite, a glass tube formed by lightning striking the sand, please turn it in to the park office.

North Carolina state parks are wildlife preserves. Hunting and trapping are not allowed. Do not feed or frighten the animals.

Loggerhead sea turtles are protected by law. Anyone who harms the turtles, nests or hatchlings is subject to a fine. Do not enter marked nesting sites on foot or by vehicle.

Bald eagles are protected by law. It is illegal to kill, harass or possess — dead or alive — any eagle or part of an eagle, including feathers and talons. Convictions of such violations may result in fines as high as $20,000 and imprisonment for one year.

Boating / Fishing

Boating and fishing are allowed in some parks during park hours. Please check your park of interest to determine whether those activities are permitted. Those activities are regulated by applicable North Carolina laws and regulations including, but not necessarily limited to those from the Department of Transportation, the Wildlife Resources Commission and/or the Division of Marine Fisheries. Where applicable, those laws and regulations enforced.

Trash Litter Disposal

Do not litter; help maintain a clean environment for other visitors. Place trash in proper containers. State law requires aluminum cans to be placed in recycling containers.

Sea turtles and other wildlife may mistake plastic bags for food. Shore birds may become entangled in discarded fishing line.

Burying trash in the dunes is not appropriate. Shifting winds blow the sand in many directions, exposing trash each year.

Motor Vehicles

North Carolina motor vehicle and traffic laws apply in the park. Unlicensed motor vehicles are prohibited and unlicensed drivers may not operate motor vehicles.

Camping / Fires

Camping is allowed in designated areas by permit only. Campers usually register with a ranger or at a registration box.

Fires are permitted only in designated areas. Gathering firewood is generally prohibited.

The following is list of park specific rules related to camping:

• Elk Knob: Camping is not permitted.
• Eno River: Open fires are not permitted. Campers may use the charcoal grills found in the picnic shelters. Only registered campers may leave vehicles in the park after posted hours. Campers should leave a note that reads "camper" on the inside of their vehicle's windshield.
• Falls Lake: A maximum of six people and two vehicles are permitted per family campsite.
• Fort Fisher: Camping is not permitted.
• Fort Macon: Camping is not permitted.
• Hammocks Beach: Campfires are not permitted on Bear Island. Cooking is allowed on grills or stoves provided by park visitors.
• Lake James: When camping on sites bordered with landscaping timbers, please place equipment inside the timbers.
• Lumber River: Permits are required for overnight parking.
• Mount Jefferson: Camping is not permitted.
• Occoneechee: Open fires are not permitted. Do not leave vehicles in the park after posted hours.
• Singletary Lake: Tent camping is prohibited and recreational vehicles are not allowed.
• Umstead: Do not leave vehicles in the park after posted hours.

Courtesy

As a courtesy to other campers, please observe the campground quiet hours.

Some parks border or are scattered along many miles of rivers, waterways and other areas which may border privately owned land. When traveling waterways and using park lands please respect the rights of private property owners and avoid trespassing on private land on river banks, trails and other park areas whenparking vehicles, hiking and canoeing.

Firearms / Fireworks

Firearms and fireworks are not permitted in the park.

Alcohol

Possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages is not allowed.

Pets

Pets must be on a leash no longer than six feet.

The following list contains park specific rules regarding pets. Please check with your park of interest concerning its pet related rules and regulations.

• Pets are not allowed in the bathhouse or swimming area.
• Fort Fisher: Pets are not allowed in the changing facility or swimming areas.
• Hammocks Beach: Animals are not allowed on the ferry or in the swimming area.
• Hanging Rock: Pets are not allowed in the cabins, bathhouses or swimming area.
• Morrow mountain: Pets are not allowed in the cabins, bathhouse, swimming areas or rental boats.
• Umstead: Pets are not allowed in the boats, restrooms , visitor center or group camps.

Climbing / Hiking

The following list contains park specific rules regarding climbing and hiking. Please check with your park of interest concerning its climbing / hiking related rules and regulations.

• Cliffs of the Neuse: Do not climb on the cliffs. Help preserve this unique natural resource for others to enjoy.
• Crowders Mountain: Rock climbing is permitted in designated areas only. Climbers must register before beginning a climb.
• Hanging Rock: Rock climbing is permitted only on Moore's Wall and Cook's Wall. All climbers must use proper equipment and must register before beginning a climb.
• Jones Lake: Please stay on designated trails. Many rare plants live on thin soils and wet rocks, and they are vulnerable to damage from climbing, trampling and scraping.
• Occonnechee: Rock climbing and rappelling are prohibited. Do not climb up the sides of the quarry, even with equipment. The quarry's steep slopes, eroding rock and other hazards are dangerous for climbing.
• Pilot Mountain: Rock climbing is permitted in designated areas only. All climbers must register before beginning a climb.
• Raven Rock: Climbing or rappelling on rock outcrops is not allowed.
• Stone Mountain: Climbing is permitted in designated areas. All climbers must register before beginning a climb. Hikers and climbers must be off the mountain at park closing time. Climbs should not begin three hours or less before the park closes.

Boating

The following list contains park specific rules regarding boating. Please check with your park of interest concerning boating related rules and regulations.

• Fort Macon: The launching or landing of private boats or personal watercraft is not permitted.
• Morrow Mountain: No picnicking, fishing or sunbathing is allowed on the boat dock.

Swimming / Surfing

Swimming is permitted only in designated areas.

The following list contains park specific rules regarding swimming and surfing. Please check with your park of interest concerning swimming / surfing related rules and regulations.

• Crowders Mountain: Swimming in the lake is not permitted.
• Fort Macon: Swimming and wading in the inlet are strictly prohibited. Surfing is not allowed in Beaufort Inlet or in the protected swimming area.
• Raven Rock: Swimming is not permitted in the park.

Horses, Vehicles in Park

The following list contains park specific rules regarding horses and the use of vehicles in parks. Please check with your park of interest concerning rules and regulations related to horses and the use of vehicles.

• Eno River: Horses, motorcycles, vehicles and bicycles are not permitted on hiking trails.
• Occonnechee: Horses, motorcycles, vehicles and bicycles are not permitted on hiking trails.
• Fort Fisher: Horses are not permitted in the park.
• Gorges: Horses and mountain bikes are permitted on designated trails only.
• Morrow Mountain: Horses are permitted only on designated bridle trails.
• Pilot Mountain: Horses are permitted on bridle trails only.
• Weymouth: Horses, vehicles and bicycles are not permitted on hiking trails.
• Umstead: Horses and mountain bikes are allowed only on designated trails.
• Fort Fisher: Driving on the dunes or over vegetation is prohibited. Please observe posted speed limits.

Ferrys

The following list contains park specific rules regarding ferrys. Please check with your park of interest concerning rules and regulations related to the use of ferrys.

• Hammocks Beach: Carts and wagons are prohibited on passenger ferries due to space and weight limitations. Passenger conveyance devices, such as strollers and wheelchairs, are allowed. Animals are not allowed on the ferry or in the swimming area.

Hanging Gliding

The following list contains park specific rules regarding hang gliding. Please check with your park of interest concerning hang gliding related rules and regulations.

• Jockey's Ridge: Only people with a USHGA Hang 1 or other agency-approved rating may hang glide on Jockey's Ridge.

Sandboarding

The following list contains park specific rules regarding sandboarding. Please check with your park of interest concerning sandboarding related rules and regulations.

• Jockey's Ridge: Sandboarding is allowed in a designated area on the dune October 1 through March 31 by permit only.

Biking

The following list contains park specific rules regarding biking. Please check with your park of interest concerning biking related rules and regulations.

• Lake James, Umstead: People under age 16 must wear a helmet while riding a bicycle. Bicycle passengers who weigh less than 40 pounds or who are less than 40 inches tall must be seated in a separate restraining seat. All other bicycle riders must be seated on saddle seats. Persons unable to maintain an erect, seated position cannot be bicycle passengers.

Special Activities

The following list contains park specific rules regarding special activities. Please check with your park of interest concerning special activity related rules and regulations.

• Lake Waccamaw: Any special event or activity on the lake requires a permit from park staff.

Food / Beverages

The following list contains park specific rules regarding food and beverages. Please check with your park of interest concerning food and beverage related rules and regulations.

• Lake Waccamaw: Food and beverages are not allowed on the boardwalks and piers.