Topics Related to North Carolina State Parks

The second public information meeting for the Pisgah View State Park Master Plan will be held Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, from 5-7 p.m. at the Upper Hominy Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, 1795 Pisgah Highway in Candler.

The North Carolina state parks system welcomed more than 20.1 million visitors in 2023 and acquired over 2,890 acres of new land, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. Visitation at state parks increased by 4% — more than 755,000 — from 2022.

Pilot Mountain State Park’s Bean Shoals Access, located along the north side of the Yadkin River, will be closed beginning Feb. 5 through the end of 2024, the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation announced.

Beginning June 15, 2024, most campsites in the North Carolina state parks system will have a check-in time of 3 p.m. and a check-out time of 12 p.m., the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced.

An annual nationwide tradition continues on Jan. 1, 2024, as North Carolina joins other states in offering First Day Hikes at state parks, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced.

The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced end-of-year funding today totaling more than $13 million that will benefit both local and state parks through federal and state funds.

Six additional local parks and recreation projects across the state will receive grants totaling nearly $1.9 million through the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced. The N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority selected the recipients Nov. 3.

Matt Windsor is the new park superintendent at Goose Creek State Park in Beaufort County, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. Windsor succeeds Doug Lequire, who retired in May.

All backcountry campsites at nine state parks in western North Carolina are closed effective Nov. 10 due to increased fire risk, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. The closures will last through at least Dec. 1.

The following state parks are affected:

Crystal Lloyd, one of the park superintendents at Falls Lake State Recreation Area, is now the park superintendent at Carolina Beach State Park in New Hanover County, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced.