North Carolina
North Carolina is located in the southeastern United States and contains diverse geography from the Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. I've lived in NC since 2002 and so most of my travels and hence pages are dedicated to NC.
Mountains
The Blue Ridge and Southern Appalachian Mountains form the western third of North Carolina.
The High Country surrounding Boone lies in the northwestern corner of North Carolina.
Piedmont
The rolling hills of the Piedmont make up the middle third of North Carolina.
The Piedmont Triad of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point lies in the northwestern edge of the Piedmont region.
Metrolina in the southwestern edge of the Piedmont contains Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city.
The Research Triangle lies in the northeastern Piedmont Region and includes the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.
The Sandhills is an area in the southeastern Piedmont characterized by sandy soil. Fayetteville is the largest city in the region.
Coast
The Coastal Plain and Outer Banks lie in the eastern third of the state.
The Outer banks are a chain of barrier islands along the Atlantic Coast of North Carolina.
The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation manages a number of state parks, state recreation areas, and state natural areas throughout the state.
- Carolina Beach State Park
- Carvers Creek State Park
- Chimney Rock State Park
- Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
- Crowders Mountain State Park
- Elk Knob State Park
- Eno River State Park
- Falls Lake State Recreation Area
- Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
- Goose Creek State Park
- Gorges State Park
- Grandfather Mountain State Park
- Hammocks Beach State Park
- Hanging Rock State Park
- Haw River State Park
- Jockey's Ridge State Park
- Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
- Lake James State Park
- Lake Norman State Park
- Lower Haw River State Natural Area
- Mayo River State Park
- Medoc Mountain State Park
- Merchants Millpond State Park
- Morrow Mountain State Park
- Mount Jefferson State Natural Area
- Mount Mitchell State Park
- Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area
- Pettigrew State Park
- Pilot Mountain State Park
- Raven Rock State Park
- South Mountains State Park
- Stone Mountain State Park
- Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve
- William B. Umstead State Park