North Carolina State Parks
North Carolina State Parks, run by North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, has 35 state parks, 4 recreation areas, 3 natural areas and preserves in this directory. 41 units offer camping and 42 allow dogs under park rules. 1 park list no entrance fee.
Map and filter North Carolina parksOfficial site: ncparks.gov
Current alerts 5 parks
Fees, passes and reservations
Entrance fees and passes
Free entry at most parks ('Most state parks are free to enter'); per-vehicle day-use fees at the reservoir SRAs (Falls Lake, Jordan Lake, Kerr Lake) and fees for swimming, boat launches, rentals, ferries and camping.
Reservations
Bookings use ReserveAmerica (northcarolinastateparks.reserveamerica.com).
Pets
Pets allowed on an attended leash no longer than 6 feet; not permitted inside buildings (park-specific exceptions in each park's Pets card). Source
Browse North Carolina parks by activity
Camping 41RV camping with hookups 5Cabins and lodging 9Dog-friendly parks 42Swimming 15Fishing 32Boating and paddling 30Hiking 38Beaches 13Horseback riding 10
All 42 parks and units
Listed by designation. Fees shown are the main entrance fee where the park posts one.
State parks (35)
Recreation areas (4)
Natural areas and preserves (3)
Coverage notes
Inventory source: NC State Parks 'Catalog: Find a State Park Access' (paged Drupal view, ?page=0..6). We re-check it weekly and keep renamed, merged and closed parks traceable.
Not included: Bob's Creek State Natural Area (managed outside the state park system or not a visitor destination); Lower Haw River State Natural Area (managed outside the state park system or not a visitor destination); Salmon Creek State Natural Area ('There are currently no trails or facilities' (park page).); Pisgah View State Park (managed outside the state park system or not a visitor destination); Other state natural areas, state trails, state lakes and state rivers (managed outside the state park system or not a visitor destination); Bentonville Battlefield, Alamance Battleground, Horne Creek Farm (Wikidata) (NC State Historic Sites (DNCR Division of State Historic Sites), not state parks.); Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve; Roanoke Island Festival Park (Wikidata) (Run by the Town of Cary / a separate state authority, not the Division of Parks and Recreation.).
Statewide information last reviewed Oct 29, 2026.