Eno River State Park; Camping, Hiking and Leg-Slapping Festival

Only a short drive from Durham and Chapel Hill is a secluded wilderness of 3,900 acres; North Carolina’s Eno River State Park. The Eno River is a quick, shallow stream that begins in Orange County, flows through Durham County where it joins the Flat and Neuse Rivers and eventually flows into Falls Lake. Activities at Eno River State Park include camping, canoeing, hiking and fishing. Individuals, families and groups come from all over for the events and programs offered at this park. There are night classes like astronomy, water activities like fishing, water education which includes water testing, tree identification, programs like the Junior Ranger Program, teacher workshops, stewardship and more.

Elk Knob State Park

Elk Knob State Park is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Watauga County, just north of Boone, North Carolina, and it is one of the newest state parks in the North Carolina park system. The Nature Conservancy in a partnership with several local land owners purchased Elk Knob and 1100 acres of surrounding land and donated it to the state. In 2003, the state designated the area a state park. The Nature Conservancy also purchased additional land in the vicinity and donated some of it to the park to bring it to its current size of 1800 acres. Developers began building in the surrounding mountains and valleys in the 1990′s, and local citizens were concerned that the area’s unique natural formations and ecology would be lost. Thus, they sought the assistance of the Nature Conservancy and the state to ensure that Elk Knob would be preserved in its natural state for future generations.

Chimney Rock State Park

Chimney Rock State Park is located in Rutherford County, North Carolina. The park is in the mountainous Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, and it encompasses nearly one thousand acres. Asheville is approximately twenty-five miles northwest of Chimney Rock. Visitors to the park enjoy hiking, rock climbing, and nature-watching.

Carolina Beach State Park

Carolina Beach State Park is an excellent place to enjoy recreational activities, hiking, boating and fishing. Nature photographers also enjoy the thousands of photo-ops of nature and wildlife. The park also has an interesting history. Before settlers came to the area, it was inhabited by the Cape Fear Indians. There was a clash between them and the new European settlers in 1715. Ten years later, the tribe left the area. There have been many reports of finding artifacts from this era, such as pottery, arrowheads and shells. Pirates also posed another threat to the early settlers in the area that is now Carolina Beach State Park. Settlers struggled to live there. Finally in 1726, a true settlement was established there. The Cape Fear River was named as one of the five official entry ports for commerce, which made the settlement thrive. In 1969, the state park was built to maintain the integrity of the area and the waters that flow through it.

Explore the Beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Stretching through parts of North Carolina and Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains national park is a one of a kind vacation destination.  Visitors flock from around the country and around the world to hike its challenging trails, fish its beautiful streams and rivers, sleep under the stars and commune with nature.  The park is home to all manner of fascinating wildlife, including black bears, elk and deer.  Nature lovers will be enthralled by the sheer number of animals on view, and bird watchers will be delighted by the many birds that call these mountains their home.