North Carolina Public Lands
7.7% of North Carolina is federal land: 2,428,165 of its 31,402,880 acres (2024 data). The largest federal land manager in North Carolina is the U.S. Forest Service, with 1,258,940 acres, 4% of the state. This guide covers 46 state parks, 9 National Park Service units, 1 national forest, 12 wilderness areas, and 11 national wildlife refuges.
Explore North Carolina public lands by type
- North Carolina state parks 46 parks, 34 with camping, 15 with swimming
- North Carolina national parks 9 National Park Service units, 2 with developed campgrounds
- North Carolina national forests National Forests in North Carolina: free dispersed camping allowed
- North Carolina wilderness areas 12 areas, 1 need a permit in part
- North Carolina national wildlife refuges 11 national wildlife refuges
North Carolina public land map
- National forests
- National parks, recreation areas and monuments (NPS)
- National wildlife refuges (FWS)
- State parks
- Wilderness areas (dashed)
Land managed by (switch layers on or off)
Land ownership: USGS PAD-US 4.1, dissolved by manager and simplified (parcels under about 2 square km not shown). Unit boundaries simplified. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
List of all 79 places on this map
State parks (46)
- Boone's Cave State Park
- Carolina Beach State Park
- Carvers Creek State Park
- Chimney Rock State Park
- Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
- Crowders Mountain State Park
- Dismal Swamp State Park
- Elk Knob State Park
- Eno River State Park
- Falls Lake State Recreation Area
- Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
- Fort Macon State Park
- Goose Creek State Park
- Gorges State Park
- Grandfather Mountain State Park
- Hammocks Beach State Park
- Hanging Rock State Park
- Haw River State Park
- Hemlock Bluffs State Natural Area
- Jockey's Ridge State Park
- Jones Lake State Park
- Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
- Kerr Lake State Recreation Area
- Kings Mountain State Park
- Lake James State Park
- Lake Norman State Park
- Lake Waccamaw State Park
- Lumber River State Park
- Mayo River State Park (North Carolina)
- Medoc Mountain State Park
- Merchants Millpond State Park
- Morrow Mountain State Park
- Mount Jefferson State Natural Area
- Mount Mitchell State Park
- New River State Park
- Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area
- Pettigrew State Park
- Pilot Mountain State Park
- Pisgah View State Park
- Raven Rock State Park
- Rendezvous Mountain State Park
- Singletary Lake State Park
- South Mountains State Park
- Stone Mountain State Park
- Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area
- William B. Umstead State Park
National parks, recreation areas and monuments (NPS) (9)
National forests (1)
Wilderness areas (12)
National wildlife refuges (FWS) (11)
- Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
- Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Currituck National Wildlife Refuge
- Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
- Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge
- Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
- Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
- Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge
- Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge
Who manages North Carolina's land
| Agency | Acres | Share of North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Land Management | 0 | 0% |
| U.S. Forest Service | 1,258,940 | 4% |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 425,520 | 1.4% |
| National Park Service | 368,087 | 1.2% |
| Department of Defense | 375,618 | 1.2% |
| All federal land | 2,428,165 | 7.7% |
Source: Congressional Research Service, Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), 2024 data, checked 2026-09-30.
Camping on North Carolina public land
Free dispersed camping is also allowed on National Forests in North Carolina .
National Park Service land has its own camping rules, set by each park unit: see Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park for campgrounds, fees, and backcountry permits.
34 of North Carolina's state parks have developed campgrounds on record; compare them in the North Carolina state parks table.
Common questions
- 7.7% of North Carolina is federal land: 2,428,165 of its 31,402,880 acres (2024 data).
- The largest federal land manager in North Carolina is the U.S. Forest Service, with 1,258,940 acres, 4% of the state.
- This guide lists 46 North Carolina state parks and recreation areas, 34 of them with camping on record.
- congress.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
The sentences on this page are generated by software from the sourced records above, not written by hand. How this content is made.