Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge (Swan Quarter)
Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge, located in Carteret County, North Carolina is on the end of a peninsula marking the southern end of Pamlico Sound. The refuge lies five miles east of the Atlantic ocean and about 40 miles northeast of Beaufort, North Carolina. Established in 1964, the refuge consists of approximately 11, 000 acres of irregularly-flooded, brackish marsh and 3, 480 acres of pocosin and woodland habitat.
Falls Lake (Wake Forest)
This 12, 500-acre lake is located within a 30-minute drive from Raleigh and Durham. Boat launching, public marina, swim beach and picnic facilities are available. Recreation facilities are operated by the North Carolina State Parks.
National Forests in North Carolina: Croatan-Nantahala-Pisgah (Asheville)
The National Forests of North Carolina (NFsNC) include four national forests (Nantahala, Uwharrie, Pisgah, and Croatan) covering 1.2 million acres, from the mountains to the sea. These forests provide a wealth of recreational opportunities including hunting, fishing, hiking, climbing and water sports. At the Cradle of Forestry, visitors can learn about the history of forest management in the United States.
Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge (Swan Quarter)
Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge, located on Pamlico Sound in Hyde County, North Carolina, was established on June 23, 1932. Approximately 8, 800 acres are included in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The refuge is made up of saltmarsh islands and forested wetland interspersed with potholes, creeks, and drains. Marsh vegetation is dominated by black needlerush and sawgrass while the mainland is forested by loblolly pine, pond pine and bald cypress.
Blue Ridge Lake (Murphy)
Blue Ridge Dam was constructed on the Toccoa River in 1930 by the Toccoa Electric Power Company, a subsidiary of the Tennessee Electric Power Company. TVA purchased the facility in 1939 for hydroelectric power production. The lake is entirely within Fannin County, Georgia, and the closest towns are Blue Ridge and Morganton. Blue Ridge is 11 miles long, 3, 290 acres in size at normal summer pool and has approximately 65 miles of shoreline.
Chatuge Lake (Murphy)
Chatuge spans parts of two states: the dam and lower reaches are located in North Carolina while the upper reaches of the lake are in Georgia. Nearby towns are Hayesville, North Carolina, and Hiwassee, Georgia. This scenic lake set amid the Appalachian Mountains has 130 miles of shoreline and 7, 000 surface acres at normal summer pool levels. Chatuge Lake provides good fishing opportunities for various species of bass, sunfish, and crappie.
Nottely Lake (Murphy)
Nottely Lake is located in North Georgia near Blairsville. The lake is 20 miles long and has 4, 180 surface acres at normal summer pool elevations. The Chattahoochee National Forest, which borders a substantial portion of the lake, adds to the scenic quality of the area. Nottely is noted for its black and striped bass, walleye, rainbow trout, and bass which the state of Georgia has stocked to enhance fishing opportunities.
Blue Ridge Parkway-North Carolina (Asheville)
Providing spectacular mountain and valley vistas, quiet pastoral scenes, sparkling waterfalls, and colorful flowers and foliage displays, the Parkway extends through the Blue Ridge, Black, Great Craggy, Great Balsam, and Plott Mountains.
Cherohala Scenic Byway - North Carolina (Asheville)
The Cherohala Skyway is located in the western area of the state near Robbinsville in North Carolina.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (Rodanthe)
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937 "as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife", including the greater snow goose and other migratory waterfowl. The Refuge lies on the north end of Hatteras Island, a coastal barrier island which is part of a chain of islands known as the Outer Banks. These islands are separated from the mainland by a series of marshes and shallow sounds up to 25 miles wide.
North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (Wilmington)
North Carolina's estuarine system is the third largest in the country, encompassing more the two million acres. This system is of prime economic importance to the coastal area -- 90 percent of the commercial seafood species caught in the state spend at least part of their lives in an estuary. The North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve was established to preserve these fragile natural areas and the variety of life they support.
B. Everett Jordan Dam And Lake (Moncure)
This 13, 900-acre lake is located within a 45-minute drive from Raleigh and Durham. Boat launching, picnicking, swimming beaches, campgrounds, fishing, and public marina facilities are available for public use. Recreation areas operated by agencies of the State of North Carolina. Golden Age and Golden Access and other Federal recreation passports are not honored. The NC Forest Service operates the Jordan Lake Educational State Forest.
W. Kerr Scott Dam And Reservoir (Wilkesboro)
W. Kerr Scott Reservoir is located in the heart of the beautiful Yadkin River Valley, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Moravian and Cascade Falls are in the immediate vicinity and the Blue Ridge Parkway is 28 mi away. It offers extensive opportunities for all outdoor recreational activities. This area has many historical and cultural attractions. Day-use facilities and modern camp sites are available for public use.
Cape Fear River <3 Locks And Dams> (Riegelwood)
Located in the tobacco country of eastern North Carolina on the improved channel between Wilmington and Fayetteville, the facilities are equipped for day-use, boating and picnicking. Shad fishing is popular, but swimming and camping are not permitted.
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (Manteo)
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge was established on March 14, 1984. It contains 152, 195 acres which lie on the mainland portions of Dare and Hyde Counties, North Carolina. The Refuge is roughly 28 miles from north to south and 15 miles from east to west. It is bordered on the west by the Alligator River and the Intracoastal Waterway; on the north by Albemarle Sound; on the east by Croatan and Pamlico Sounds; and on the south by Long Shoal River and corporate farmland.
Currituck National Wildlife Refuge (Knotts Island, NC 27950-0039)
Currituck NWR, located on the northern end of North Carolina's Outer Banks, was established in 1984 to preserve and protect the coastal barrier island ecosystem. Refuge lands are managed to provide wintering habitat for waterfowl and to protect endangered species such as piping plover, sea turtles, and sea beach amaranth. Habitat types common to most barrier islands are found on the refuge.
Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge (Knotts Island)
Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1960 to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl, primarily the greater snow goose. Located between Back Bay in Virginia and the Currituck Sound in NC, the refuge is comprised primarly of marsh habitat. This area has long been recognized for supporting significant migratory waterfowl populations and sport fishery resources.
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge (Swan Quarter)
Located in eastern North Carolina in Hyde County, the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge consists of more than 50, 000 acres of water, marsh, timber and crop lands. The refuge's most significant feature is Lake Mattamuskeet, the largest natural lake in North Carolina. The lake is 16 miles long, five to six miles wide, encompassing approximately 40, 000 acres, but averages two feet in depth.
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge (Wadesboro)
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge Situated along the Pee Dee River, Pee Dee NWR contains 8, 443 acres in Anson and Richmond Counties, NC. The refuge was established to provide wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl. Cooperative farming in field impoundments, water level management, and the bottomland hardwood forest along Brown Creek provide excellent habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. Wintering waterfowl numbers fluctuate greatly, but can exceed 10, 000 birds yearly.
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (Columbia)
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Pocosin Lakes NWR was established in 1990 when the Conservation Fund in conjunction with the Richard King Mellon Foundation donated over 93, 000 acres to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The adjacent 12, 000 acre Pungo NWR, established in 1963 to serve as a sanctuary for migratory waterfowl, was combined with these new refuge lands and became the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes NWR. Today the Refuge encompasses more than 113, 000 acres.
Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge (Windsor)
Roanoke River NWR was established in 1989 to protect and enhance wooded wetlands consisting of bottomland hardwoods and swamps with high waterfowl value along the Roanoke River. The extensive bottomland hardwood habitat of the Roanoke River NWR is part of what the Nature Conservancy calls "one of the last great places.
Apalachia Lake (Murphy)
Remote and scenic, Apalachia Lake is located in Cherokee County, North Carolina. The lake is small, covering 1, 100 acres of surface area and 31 miles of shoreline. The U.S. Forest Service manages the land around the lake as part of the Nantahala National Forest. Apalachia Lake is a small, deep, cool-water lake in a mountainous setting. It receives little fishing pressure because of its isolated nature.
Hiwassee Lake (Murphy)
Set in the midst of the Nantahala National Forest, this scenic mountain lake has more than 163 miles of shoreline and 6, 090 surface acres. The lake is located near Murphy, North Carolina, and is accessible from U.S. Highway 64. Bass, walleye, bluegill, sunfish, and crappie inhabit the waters of Hiwassee Lake.
Ocoee Lakes 1, 2, and 3 (Murphy)
The Ocoee lakes are a result of a series of small power dams on the Ocoee River in Polk County, Tennessee. Numbers 1 and 2 were completed in 1910 and 1913 and later purchased by TVA. Ocoee 3 was built during World War II. Ocoee 1 and 3 are the only real "lakes" of the trio. Ocoee 2 is a diversion dam that directs water into a wooden flume, which carries water to a powerhouse downstream. It is not a lake, as such, so has no identifiable shoreline or pool levels.
Wright Brothers National Memorial (Manteo)
The first successful sustained powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine were made here by Wilbur and Orville Wright on December 17, 1903. A 60-foot granite monument dedicated in 1932, is perched atop 90-foot tall Kill Devil Hill commemorating the achievement of these two visionaries from Dayton, Ohio.
Blue Ridge Parkway (Asheville)
Designed as a drive awhile - stop awhile recreational drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway provides both stunning scenery and close-up looks at the natural and cultural history of the southern Appalachian mountains. The Parkway meanders for 469 miles and connects Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, providing ample opportunities for stops at overlooks, picnic and camping facilities, trails, and wonderful cultural and natural areas.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Manteo)
Stretched over 70 miles of barrier islands, Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a fascinating combination of natural and cultural resources, and provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities. Once dubbed the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for its treacherous currents, shoals, and storms, Cape Hatteras has a wealth of history relating to shipwrecks, lighthouses, and the U.S. Lifesaving Service.
Cape Lookout National Seashore (Harkers Island)
The seashore is a 56 mile long section of the Outer Banks of North Carolina running from Ocracoke Inlet on the northeast to Beaufort Inlet on the southeast.
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site (Flat Rock)
Carl Sandburg, nationally renowned poet, biographer, lecturer, newspaper columnist, folksinger, author of American fairytales, and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, provided broad and enduring 20th century insight into the circumstances, worth and spirit of the American people. He passionately championed for the everyday working person, those who may neither have had the words nor the power to speak for themselves.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (Manteo)
The first English attempts at colonization in the New World (1585-1587) are commemorated here. These efforts, sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh, ended with the disappearance of 116 men, women and children (including two that were born in the New World). The fate of this "lost colony" remains a mystery to this day.
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (Greensboro)
The battle fought here on March 15, 1781, was the largest, most hotly-contested action of the Revolutionary War's climactic Southern Campaign. The serious loss of British manpower suffered at Guilford Courthouse foreshadowed Lord Cornwallis's final defeat at Yorktown seven months later.
Moores Creek National Battlefield (Currie)
1776 PATRIOT VICTORY "King George and Broadswords!" shouted loyalists as they charged across partially dismantled Moores Creek bridge on February 27, 1776. Just beyond the bridge nearly a thousand North Carolina patriots waited quietly with cannons and muskets poised to fire. The loyalists, mostly Scottish Highlanders wielding broadswords, expected to find only a small patriot force.