The North Carolina State Parks system was launched on March 3, 1915 when the General Assembly passed legislation appropriating funds to buy land for a park at Mount Mitchell. A year later, following the acquisition of 795 acres at the mountain's summit, Mount Mitchell became the state's first park and the first park in the southeastern United States. Today the North Carolina State Parks system covers 225,000 acres from the mountains to the sea.
Background Articles
State Parks Facts
Park Type |
# Park Units |
Size |
State Parks |
35 |
156,900 acres |
State Recreation Areas |
4 |
13,256 acres |
State Natural Areas |
20 |
24,194 acres |
State Lakes |
7 |
29,135 acres |
State Rivers |
4 |
146 miles |
State Trails |
5 |
2,052 acres, 806 miles |
Visitors to State Parks, 2015 17.3 million
State Parks Superintendents/Directors
Superintendent/Director |
Years Served |
Thomas W. Morse* |
1935 – 1961 |
Thomas C. “Red” Ellis |
1961 – 1974 |
Ronald D. Johnson |
1974 – 1977 |
James S. Stevens, Jr. |
1977 – 1984 |
William “Wes” Davis |
1984 – 1989 |
Philip K. McKnelly |
1989 – 2003 |
Lewis R. Ledford |
2003 – 2014 |
Michael A. Murphy |
2014 to present |
*During the time Morse served in World War II, R.J. Pearce served in an Acting role.
State Parks
State Trails
State Recreation Areas
State Natural Areas
State Rivers
State Lakes
Resources and Video Recordings:
Video Recording: Earnhart, Tom; UNC-TV. 2015. "Saving the Best: North Carolina State Parks at 100." https://player.pbs.org/viralplayer/2365652565/.
North Carolina State Parks. North Carolina State Parks at the Crossroads. 1968. https://archive.org/details/northcarolinasta68unse (accessed December 29, 2015).
Citation
Agan, Kelly. "Exploring North Carolina: State Parks, Trails, Lakes, Rivers, & Natural Areas." NCpedia. State Library of NC. 2015. https://www.ncpedia.org/exploring-north-carolina-north-0.