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: Moore County, 37 miles west of Fayetteville
You can find: the oldest known living longleaf pine tree; red cockaded woodpecker; fox squirrel; Sandhills pyxie-moss
Highlights: easy hiking through longleaf pine forests; Sandhills Discovery Room; access to Boyd and Paint Hill tracts (contact park staff)
Location: Alleghany County, 62 miles northwest of Winston-Salem
You can find: Stone Mountain and rich natural communities as you traverse the summit
Highlights: tent, trailer and RV camping; Hutchinson Homestead; waterfalls; bridle trails; trout fishing; backpack camping; Garden Creek Baptist Church
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: Surry County, 24 miles northwest of Winston-Salem
At the park, you can find: Pilot Knob, the Yadkin River, and ravens soaring above Big Pinnacle
Highlights at this access: tent and trailer camping; variety of hiking trails; rock climbing and rappelling; visitor center
Location: Ashe County, 36 miles northeast of Boone
At the park, you can find: 26.5 miles of the New River; the hellbender salamander; 14 rare and threatened species of flora
Highlights at this access: full hook-up RV camping; walk-in or paddle-in backpack camping; visitor center; easy to moderate hiking; community building
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