Topics Related to Visitor center

Location: Iredell County, 39 miles north of Charlotte

You can find: largest manmade lake in N.C. with 520 miles of shoreline, and the great blue heron

Highlights: mountain bike and accessible hiking trails; boat rentals; swim beach; boat ramp; cabins; full-hookup RV camping; community building

Location: Burke County, 50 miles east of AshevilleAt the park, you can find: Lake James and its resident bald eaglesHighlights at this access: wooden bridge; bike trails; swim beach; boat rentals; drive-in camping; paddle-in camping to Long Arm peninsula; access to Fonta Flora and Overmountain Victory state trails

Location: Vance County near the Virginia state line

At the park, you can find: 50,000-acre Kerr Lake reservoir and ospreys

Highlights at this access: visitor center; the park's only designated swim beach; volleyball court; TRACK Trail; picnic shelters and community building; large group camping; privately owned Satterwhite Point marina

Location: Chatham County, 25 miles west of downtown Raleigh

At the park, you can find: 14,000-acre Jordan Lake reservoir and the bald eagle

Highlights at this access: visitor center; exhibits

Location: Bladen County, 35 miles southeast of Fayetteville

You can find: two Carolina bay lakes: Jones Lake and Salters Lake; red-cockaded woodpeckers that live in the bay forest

Highlights: full hook-up RV camping; tea-colored waters of the lake; long hikes on easy trails; swim beach; picnic shelter; boat rentals

Location: Dare County, in the Outer BanksAt the park, you can find: the tallest living sand dune on the Atlantic coast, gray fox, American beach grass, and fulguritesHighlights at this access: big dunes; hiking on sand; hang gliding; picnicking; visitor center; exhibits

Location: Rockingham County, 14 miles north of downtown Greensboro

At the park, you can find: floodplain swamp, great blue heron, and rusty red iron ore

Highlights at this access: conference center and residential environmental education facilities; wetlands boardwalk to the headwaters of the Haw River

Location: Stokes County, 32 miles north of Winston-Salem

At this park, you can find: rock outcroppings with scenic vistas, Schweinitz's sunflower, and Wehrle's salamander

Highlights at this access: hiking to Hanging Rock, Wolf Rock, Moore's Knob and three waterfalls; CCC structures; park lake; camping; cabins; visitor center

Location: Onslow County, 19 miles east of Jacksonville

You can find: Bear Island, a 4-mile-long, undeveloped barrier island, and sea turtle nests, including loggerhead turtles, who nest above the high tide line at the island

Highlights: Beach camping (backpack via ferry or paddle-in); seasonal ferry; paddle trails

Location: Transylvania County, near the NC/SC/GA tripoint

At this park, you can find: 26 remote waterfalls and over 8,000 acres of temperate rainforest that host extraordinary biodiversity

Highlights at this access: Upper Bearwallow Falls; visitor center; modern family campground