North Carolina National Parks
From the first colonies to modern flight, North Carolina is full of things to discover. Come #FindYourPark in North Carolina.
North Carolina National Parks
North Carolina
Table of Contents
10 National Parks in North Carolina
Other NPS-Affiliated Sites in North Carolina
Appalachian National Scenic Trail - CT, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV

One of America's most famous trails, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail stretches an incredible 2,180 miles and runs nearly the entire length of the eastern United States from Maine to Georgia. The trail was constructed by private citizens and completed in 1937. Today, the trail is maintained by several federal and state agencies as well as volunteer groups.
Click here for more information on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area highlights the cultural and natural heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. It spans 25 counties and encourages visitors to explore the region's significant contributions to music, crafts, agriculture, and natural history. The area highlights the legacy of the Cherokee, early settlers, and the regional culture that developed over centuries.
The Blue Ridge Music Trail is a popular activity, guiding visitors to live music venues, festivals, and heritage sites. The area is also home to art galleries, studios, and craft shops, scenic drives, hiking trails, and natural sites within the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area was established by Congress in 2003. Be sure to check their website here to help plan your visit.
Blue Ridge Parkway

With view after scenic view through the Appalachian Mountains, this has been accurately dubbed 'America's Favorite Drive'. The Parkway winds and meanders for 469 miles picking up where Shenandoah National Park leaves off in Virginia and ending at the southern entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.
Touring the Parkway by car is popular of course, but the area also attracts hikers, fisherman, and cyclists. There are also 8 campgrounds and 13 picnic areas to enjoy along the way. Visitors centers are scattered throughout the park for pictures and information. Finding a mountain overlook to enjoy the sunset is definitely a highlight.
The Blue Ridge Parkway was completed in 1966 with the exception of a small 7.7 mile section. The Linn Cove Viaduct, finished in 1987, was the final section of the Parkway to be completed.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Hatteras National Seashore is located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and protects a 70-mile stretch of barrier islands from Bodie Island in the north to Ocracoke Inlet in the south. The seashore was established in 1953 and is managed by the National Park Service.
Cape Hatteras is a combination of natural and cultural resources, and provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities. The seashore is home to a variety of plants and animals, including wild horses, loggerhead sea turtles, and piping plovers. The seashore is also a popular destination for fishing, swimming, boating, and surfing.
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Cape Lookout National Seashore is located in Carteret County, North Carolina. The seashore protects a 56-mile stretch of barrier islands on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The seashore was established in 1966 and is managed by the National Park Service.
The seashore is made up of three barrier islands: North Core Banks, South Core Banks, and Shackleford Banks. These islands are home to a variety of plants and animals, including wild horses, loggerhead sea turtles, and piping plovers. The seashore is also a popular destination for fishing, swimming, and boating. Visitors can enjoy swimming, boating, hiking, and camping.
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
The Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is located in Flat Rock, North Carolina and preserves the home and farm of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, historian, and biographer Carl Sandburg (1878–1967) and his wife, Lilian. Sandburg bought the 265-acre farm in 1945 and named it Connemara, after his ancestral district in Ireland. He and Lilian lived there until their deaths in 1967 and 1976, respectively.
The site was opened to the public in 1974. It includes the Sandburgs' home, a dairy goat farm, a visitor center, and five miles of hiking trails. The visitor center has exhibits on Sandburg's life and work as well as a variety of Ranger-led programs and activities.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is in Manteo, North Carolina and preserves the location of Roanoke Island, the first English settlement in the present-day United States. The site was preserved for its national significance related to the founding of the first English settlement in North America in 1587. The site includes the ruins of Fort Raleigh, which was built by Sir Walter Raleigh's colonists in 1585. The site also includes the Elizabethan Gardens, a 10-acre garden that recreates the gardens that would have been familiar to the colonists.
The site is open to the public year-round. Visitors can tour the ruins of Fort Raleigh, the Elizabethan Gardens, and the visitor center. The site also offers several Ranger-led programs and activities.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park - TN, NC

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the busiest park in America, hosting over 11 million visitors annually. It's unique in that it is shared between two states - Tennessee and North Carolina - and is also free to visit. The famous Appalachian Trail runs the length of the park splitting it into two along the border.
Hiking, fishing, camping, and auto touring are popular here as well as wildlife viewing. It has been designated a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve due to its incredible biodiversity. The park is home to several endemic species of salamander giving it the name the 'Salamander Capital of the World'.
The park is also home to Clingmans Dome. At 6,643 feet, it is the highest point in Tennessee and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. It is also the highest point along the Appalachian Trail. On a clear day, the views from here are incredible so don't miss it.
There are four visitors centers scattered around the park along with plenty of trails, campgrounds, and waterfalls to be found. For a complete guide to visiting this park, read our guide to Great Smoky Mountains National Park here.

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park is a United States National Military Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. The park commemorates the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, fought on March 15, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War. The battle was a tactical victory for the British, but a strategic victory for the Americans. The British suffered heavy casualties and were forced to retreat from North Carolina. This gave the Americans a much-needed boost of morale and helped to pave the way for the eventual American victory in the war.
Today, the battlefield is a popular tourist destination. Visitors can tour the battlefield, learn about the history of the battle, and see a variety of exhibits. The park also offers a variety of educational programs and events.
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor

The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor stretches along the eastern seaboard from Wilmington, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida and celebrates the culture of African descendants brought from West Africa amid the slave trade to work the fields along the Atlantic Coast. Rice, indigo, and Sea Island Cotton plantations relied on slave labor of the Gullah Geeche to become rich and to produce crops for export. Since many of these plantations existed in barrier islands or were otherwise isolated from the mainland, the Gullah Geeche people retained much of their cultural identity and today their traditions, arts and crafts, and ways of life are still uniquely African.
The Gullah Geeche Cultural Heritage Corridor was designated by Congress in 2006. Like other heritage corridors, the National Park Service works in conjunction with local, city, and state governments protect and preserve the Gullah Geeche heritage.
Visit the official Gullah Geeche Cultural Heritage Corridor website here for more information. Read more about visiting Charleston, SC and some of the sites in the Gullah Geeche Cultural Heritage Corridor here.

Moores Creek National Battlefield
Moores Creek National Battlefield is a United States National Battlefield in Currie, North Carolina. The park commemorates the 1776 victory of a thousand patriots over about eight hundred loyalists at Moore's Creek. The battle was the first major military victory for the Patriots in North Carolina and helped to secure the colony for the Revolution. The battle also marked the last broadsword charge by Scottish Highlanders.
Visitors can tour the battlefield, learn about the history of the battle, and see a variety of exhibits. The park also offers a variety of educational programs and events such as Ranger-led tours, exhibits, artifacts, and living history demonstrations.
Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail - NC, SC, TN, VA
The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail marks the route taken through North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia during the American Revolutionary War that American patriot soldiers utilized during the Kings Mountain campaign of 1780. It stretches for 330 miles and includes both an auto route and 87 miles of walking paths and trail.
Throughout the year, the Overmountain Victory Trail Association organizes events and activities celebrating the pivotal victory at Kings Mountain. Read more about the Trail here.
Wright Brothers National Memorial
The Wright Brothers National Memorial is located in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks. The memorial commemorates the first successful heavier-than-air human flight, made by the Wright brothers on December 17, 1903. Visitors to the memorial can learn about the Wright brothers' experiments with flight and see a replica of their 1903 flyer. They can also climb to the top of Kill Devil Hill, the site of the first flight.
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail commemorates the forceful removal of the Cherokees from their homes in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. States participating the the Trail are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. More than 16,000 Cherokee were relocated between 1838 and 1839, and the trail documents their stories of suffering, illness, and death, but also preserves their routes and important sites along the Trail.