Location: Wake County, 20 miles north of downtown Raleigh
At the park, you can find: 12,000-acre Falls Lake reservoir and monarch butterflies in the spring and fall
Highlights at this access: mountain bike trails; accessible fishing and swim beach; non-gas boating on Beaverdam Lake; easy hiking trails
Location: Washington County, 71 miles northeast of Greenville
At the park, you can find: wintering tundra swans from November to February; Lake Phelps; Somerset Place state historic site; Scuppernong River
Highlights at this access: fishing pier, biking, picnic area, paddling launch
Location: Wake County, 9 miles northwest of downtown Raleigh
At the park, you can find: the marbled salamander and the Jack-in-the-pulpit
Highlights at this access: Reedy Creek Lake; millstone marker for an old grist mill; group campsites; picnic shelter with stone deck
Location: Wake County, 11 miles northwest of downtown Raleigh
At the park, you can find: the marbled salamander and the Jack-in-the-pulpit
Highlights at this access: Big Lake and Sycamore Lake; campsites; boat rentals; group camps; visitor center; horse trailer parking; Sycamore Bridge over Sycamore Creek
Location: Burke County, 70 miles east of Asheville
You can find: elevations up to 3,000 feet, mountain streams, and the rosebay rhododendron
Highlights: more than 40 miles of hiking, biking and bridle trails; backpack camping in the rugged backcountry; equestrian camping; High Shoals Falls; Jacob Fork River; visitor center
Location: Harnett County, 40 miles southwest of Raleigh
At the park, you can find: Raven Rock; rapids on the Cape Fear River; Northington Lock and Dam remains; creek tributaries; mountain laurel
Highlights at this access: hiking; mountain biking; full hook-up RV camping; backpack camping; cabins
Location: Washington County, 71 miles northeast of Greenville
At the park, you can find: wintering tundra swans from November to February; Lake Phelps; Somerset Place state historic site; Scuppernong River
Highlights at this access: historic sites and artifacts; long, easy trails around the lake; biking
Location: Gates County, 10 miles south of the northeast border with Virginia
You can find: millpond more than 200 years old and the American alligator at the northernmost point of its range
Highlights: many types of camping; Lassiter Swamp; boat rentals; paddling trails
Location: Halifax County, 61 miles northeast of Raleigh
You can find: Lewis' heartleaf, mountain laurel, pyrite minerals, and the Neuse River waterdog
Highlights: hiking trails, bike trails, and bridle trails; primitive equestrian camping; fishing and paddling on one of the region's cleanest streams
Location: Columbus County, 40 miles west of Wilmington
You can find: Waccamaw Dam, the headwaters for the 150-mile river; the American alligator; and the Venus flytrap
Highlights: lakeside hiking; boat ramps and boardwalks to provide access to the 52 species of fish and numerous endemic animals in the lake