State Parks

North Carolina is rich with beautiful beaches, majestic mountains and countless rivers and streams. The state’s efforts to preserve these pockets of natural beauty and history have become our extensive park system.

Nestled in our own backyard is the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve which offers hiking, guided tours, educational programs and exhibit hall. The park is pet-friendly (for leashed visitors only) and opened seven days a week.

Of other local interest and within easy reach of the Sandhills area Morrow Mountain State Park, Jordan Lake State Recreation Area and Raven Rock State Park.

North Carolina Recreational Resources

There are 40 state parks/areas in North Carolina. The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation website details each park. Visit them online at ncparks.gov.

There are more than 105 recreation areas in North Carolina. See for yourself at recreation.gov.

The Uwharrie National Forest boasts more than 20 miles of trails, fishing, camping, boating and hunting. Learn more at www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc.

Here are a few of our favorite state parks…

Duke Lemur Center Tours for Kids and Adults

Lemurs Live!! An ideal tour for families and friends, learn about the similarities and differences between lemur species and what makes lemurs some of the most fascinating animals in the world. Tour length: 60 Minutes Fees Adults – $10.00 Children – (3-12) $7.00 Walking with Lemurs *New in 2010* Enter the world of the lemur [...]

Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve

Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve 1024 Ft. Bragg Rd. Southern Pines, NC 28387 Website: ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/wewo/main.php Located in Southern Pines, Weymouth Woods was established in 1963 as an 898-acre natural preserve. Early settlers called this area the Pine Barrens because of its extensive open forests of longleaf pines. Today, the preserve protects a remnant of the [...]

Raven Rock

Raven Rock Located in Lillington, just north of the Sandhills, this park sits along the Fall Zone, where hard rock more than 400 million years old gives way to softer sediment of the coastal plain. Raven Rock rises 150 feet and stretches along more than a mile of the Cape Fear River. Enjoy camping (reachable [...]

Jordan Lake

Jordan Lake About 1.5 hours north of the Sandhills, near Apex, Jordan Lake State Recreation Area encompasses almost 50,000 (yes thousand) acres of unspoiled park land and offers camping, boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking, swimming, bald eagle and other wildlife observing, historic sites, and educational and special events. Every October, Jordan Lake hosts a fall festival [...]

Morrow Mountain

Morrow Mountain Just west of the Sandhills, Morrow Mountain was home to Native Americans 10,000 years before the first Europeans arrived. The once mighty Uwharrie Mountains still stand to 936 feet in contrast to the rolling Piedmont. Enjoy boating/canoeing, camping/cabins, fishing, picnicking, swimming, hiking, horseback riding, exhibits, a historic site and educational/special events.