Topics Related to North Carolina State Parks

Crowders Mountain, Gorges, Grandfather Mountain and Lake Norman state parks, as well as Rendezvous Mountain, will reopen at least partially on Nov. 1, the Division of Parks and Recreation announced. These parks were temporarily closed through October after impacts from Hurricane Helene.The following areas are open at each park:    • Crowders Mountain — trails and day-use will reopen, all camping will remain closed through November

Quarterly Parks and Recreation Authority meeting

All North Carolina state parks west of Interstate 77 are closed through at least Oct. 31, the Division of Parks and Recreation announced. These parks include Chimney Rock, Crowders Mountain, Elk Knob, Gorges, Grandfather Mountain, Lake James, Lake Norman, Mount Mitchell, New River, South Mountains, and Stone Mountains state parks, as well as Mount Jefferson State Natural Area and Rendezvous Mountain.

Due to expected impacts of Hurricane Helene, Gorges State Park and Mount Mitchell State Park will be closed Thursday and Friday, Sept. 26-27.The Mountain Monarch Festival at Gorges, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, has been cancelled.The Blue Ridge Parkway expects to be closed for the next several days. Mount Mitchell State Park will reopen when the Parkway reopens.

Veterans with service-related disabilities are now eligible to apply to receive a free Annual Pass to N.C. State Parks, the Division of Parks and Recreation announced. Those who want to redeem their free pass can submit a request form along with a copy of their Summary of Benefits Letter from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.

Gorges State Park in Transylvania County will host its third annual Mountain Monarch Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park’s visitor center. The festival celebrates the monarch butterfly during its migration and bring attention to the species’ declining numbers.The park lies along the monarchs’ migratory route. The butterflies can be seen in late September each year flying over the park, heading south to the high-elevation fir forests in central-southern Mexico’s Volcanic Belt, where they overwinter until early spring.

The Roanoke River State Trail (RRST) is the first North Carolina state trail to be fully designated, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced. Authorized by the General Assembly in 2021, the paddle trail begins in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., and follows the river to the Albemarle Sound, extending northward to additional accesses in Chowan County. There are 15 designated access points along the approximately 215-mile scenic wilderness trail.

The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced that Erin Brown has been named a superintendent at Falls Lake State Recreation Area. Brown has moved into the position that Crystal Lloyd vacated last year when she transferred to Carolina Beach State Park. Brown joins David Mumford, the lead superintendent.

Jacob Brown is the new park superintendent at Raven Rock State Park in Harnett County, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced. Brown succeeds John Privette, who became the division’s law enforcement specialist last year.Park superintendents manage operations and administration at a park and have wide-ranging responsibilities that include staffing, training, law enforcement, planning, resource management, interpretation and education, and visitor services.

The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, in collaboration with The Conservation Fund and 130 of Chatham, LLC, announced the completion of an acquisition that protects 238.14 acres of high-elevation land that has long been identified as critical acreage in Mount Mitchell State Park’s land protection plan.