Friends of Morrow Mountain State Park

Governor McCrory ask that you get in touch with your state legislators and let them know of your support for the Connect NC bond. Lawmakers need to hear from park supporters by the end of the month in order to get this bond on the November ballot.

NC State Parks Blog

WXII coverage of the Governor's visit to Pilot Mountain

Governor’s Parks / CONNECT Video

General information about the CONNECT NC bond proposal

Proposed Bond Projects

Chimney Rock State Park, Rutherford County – Trail Development and Improvements
$2,000,000
Most people are familiar with the park’s striking 315-foot spire on the Hickory Nut Gorge's southern side. However, the greater Chimney Rock State Park encompasses roughly 5,700 acres on both the north and south sides of the gorge, and expansion efforts continue to bring more of the gorge's rich natural resources into conservation. One of the greatest attractions at Chimney Rock State Park is the scenic trail system. The purpose of this project is to expand and renovate a number of trails within the park and provide added recreational opportunities for visitors.

Crowders Mountain State Park, Gaston County – Trail Development and Improvements
$1,000,000
Crowders Mountain State Park offers visitors a closer view of nature's marvels. The gently rolling landscape of the North Carolina Piedmont offers a variety of terrain. Quiet woods, trickling streams and melodious birds await. A 20-mile network of trails is a core component of recreation at this park. Popular trail sections will be upgraded and maintenance and repair will be directed as needed throughout the network.

Dismal Swamp State Park, Camden County – Trail Development and Improvements
$1,321,000
Visitors to Dismal Swamp State Park learn why George Washington called the Dismal Swamp "a glorious paradise," how the swamp was important in the Underground Railroad, and the ecological importance of wetlands. More than 16 miles of former logging roads offer opportunities for hikers and mountain bikers to explore a unique ecosystem in the Great Dismal Swamp. Visitor access and enjoyment will be improved with clearing, grading and stone stabilization of road sections to make them more suitable and sustainable as park trails.

Falls Lake State Recreation Area, Wake County – Community Building
$1,053,000
Falls Lake offers a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, but is located just minutes away. With current growth projections for the Triangle doubling in the next 15 years, more community space is needed. The proposed bond money will be used for a community building at the Beaverdam recreation site. This facility will offer meeting space, kitchen facilities and restrooms to rent for events such as wedding receptions, reunions and club meetings.

Goose Creek State Park, Beaufort County – Campground Improvements
$1,970,000
Goose Creek currently operates a primitive camping area, picnic sites, swim beach and hiking paddling trails on 1,675 acres of land between historic Bath and the original Washington. Visitors come to savor the tranquil surroundings and beauty of the marsh lands. The proposed bond will enhance and broaden the visitor experience with a new central bathhouse, RV-friendly utilities and 15 tent-trailer campsites.

Gorges State Park, Transylvania County – Campground
$3,341,000
Gorges State Park is located along the Blue Ridge Escarpment where five streams carrying water to the ocean converge. Visitors are rewarded with spectacular waterfalls and the rugged river gorge rising 2,000 feet in only four miles. With the bond money, 50 drive-to family campground sites with a bathhouse will be introduced to the park to improve service and attract tourists. Half of the parks campsites will be RV-friendly.

Grandfather Mountain State Park, Avery County – Profile Trail Access Area
$2,002,000
A trailhead with ranger contact station, maintenance area, paved entry and parking for 125 vehicles will be constructed near the Profile Trail at this new state park where nature lovers and hikers alike find a special, globally significant place to encounter the outdoors. The improvements will enhance efforts to integrate this area into the park’s network of backcountry trails and campsites.

Hammocks Beach State Park, Onslow County – Mainland Property Improvements
$1,500,000
Visitors to this park have ventured to Bear Island for decades and been rewarded with vivid memories of one of the most unspoiled beaches on the Atlantic coast. The recent expansion of the mainland area offers opportunities for environmental education and popular outdoor recreational activities. This project will fund the initial planning efforts for the mainland tract and development of facilities to meet public demand. Potential uses of the property include a public boat launch, tent and trailer camping, and additional facilities for environmental education and research.

Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes County – Vade Mecum Restoration and Improvements
$2,800,000
The 716-acre Vade Mecum property, a one-time resort and former 4-H camp known as Camp Sertoma, will be upgraded through repair and renovation to existing facilities that include a lodge, swimming pool, gym, vacation cabins, and support structures. The improvements will add substantially to the recreation offerings at this state park that features sheer cliffs and peaks of bare rock, quiet forests and cascading waterfalls, along with views of the Piedmont plateau that stretch for miles.

Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, Chatham County – Campground Improvements
$4,000,000
Jordan Lake, which boasts the largest camping facility in the state parks system, contains popular campgrounds that were built in the 1980s. While still popular, the facilities are outmoded and outdated. Bond money will expand and improve the campgrounds such as adding or upgrading electrical service for current-model RV systems to meet 21st Century needs.

Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, Granville and Vance counties – Campground and Other Improvements
$5,000,000
These crucial repair and renovation projects at several heavily used campgrounds and related facilities will improve convenience, efficiency and visitor safety at a park that has been literally loved to death. These will include campsite utility upgrades, replacement of outmoded restrooms, and the addition of handicap accessible features at a park that attracts more than one million visitors annually who enjoy sailing, fishing, water skiing and camping on this 50,000-acre lake.

Lake James State Park, Burke County – Visitor Center
$4,028,000
Lake James is a beautiful waterfront park with 150 miles of shoreline. It is one of the most popular parks, hosting a half million visitors annually. The bond money will fund a new visitor center that will serve as a gateway to the park with educational exhibits as well as serve as space for community meetings and gatherings.

Lake Norman State Park, Iredell County – Campground and Other Improvements
$3,076,000
Lake Norman State Park offers access to the largest man-made lake in the state with 32,510 acres and 520 miles of shoreline. Within a 30-minute drive of Charlotte, the park serves as a getaway spot for visitors who fish, boat, hike, bike and more. The bond money will be used to refurbish and improve the family and group campsites, repave the parking area, upgrade campsite utilities, and build a new bathhouse and amphitheater.

Lake Waccamaw State Park, Columbus County – Campground
$2,008,000
Lake Waccamaw is one of the greatest geological mysteries of the eastern United States, the phenomenon of the Carolina bay. The park offers a unique Carolina experience that can be enjoyed by more visitors with improvements. Bond money will enhance the camping experience with the introduction of tent-or-trailer sites, RV-friendly utilities, a bathhouse, and a 22-foot pier.

Lumber River State Park, Robeson and Columbus counties – Day Use Area
$3,505,000
Lumber River State Park contains 11,064 acres of land and 115 miles of state natural and scenic waters, 81 miles of which are also designated national wild and scenic waters just waiting for hikers and paddlers to explore. Traditional state park facilities will be introduced on a 144-acre property formerly managed as a cultural center. A day-use area with paved entry and parking area, restrooms, and picnic grounds with a shelter will complement a canoe launch and canoe-in campsites. A community building for public and private events will contribute to a new state park presence in an underserved area of Robeson County.

Mayo River State Park, Rockingham County
Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, Ashe County
Yellow Mountain State Natural Area, Mitchell and Avery Counties
And Other Parks State Park Land Acquisition
$6,000,000
Additional park land needs to be purchased at Mayo River, Mount Jefferson, Yellow Mountain and other state parks to protect fragile and unique ecosystems, water quality, and scenic beauty, as well as to improve, enhance and increase recreational access and opportunities. Additional land acquisitions will advance the mission of the state park system to conserve and protect representative examples of the natural beauty, ecological features and recreational resources of statewide significance. Project flexibility is needed because bond money will be used only to acquire land from willing sellers.

Medoc Mountain State Park, Halifax County – Visitor Center and Other Improvements
$1,845,000
At Medoc Mountain State Park, visitors come to rejuvenate their spirits and enjoy nature’s bounty. The park is convenient to several North Carolina and Virginia cities and serves as a gateway along one of the east coast’s major corridors. The bond money will be used to expand the visitor center to host special events, field trips and educational programs.

Merchants Millpond State Park, Gates County – Campground Improvements
$1,161,000
Camping options will be expanded at this park where a coastal pond and southern swamp forest mingle, creating one of North Carolina's rarest ecological communities. Together with upland forests, these environments create a haven for wildlife and humanity alike. Visitors to this "enchanted forest" will be provided with a new campground loop offering 20 tent-only sites. RV-friendly sites will be upgraded with new electrical/water service.

Morrow Mountain State Park, Stanly County – Vacation Cabins
$2,050,000
A visit to this park nestled in the steep, rugged hillsides of the Uwharrie Mountains will be greatly enhanced by the addition of six new two-bedroom cabins with screened porches. Vacationers who prefer a few more creature comforts will be able to enjoy the park’s many recreational pursuits, including hiking, swimming, fishing and boating in and around the waters of Lake Tillery and the Yadkin/Pee Dee River. The addition of the popular recreation housing will broaden the appeal of this park.

Mount Mitchell State Park, Yancey County – Summit Area Improvements
$800,000
At an elevation of 6,684 feet, North Carolina’s first state park features the highest point east of the Mississippi. For those who ascend this mighty peak, what looms on the horizon is a feast for the eyes – breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, rolling ridges and fertile valleys. Forested and often misty, the 1,946-acre Mount Mitchell State Park provides visitors with some of the most tranquil moments they'll ever experience. Upgrading and updating aging restroom facilities and renovation of an aging septic system will ensure continued visitor service and efficiency at the park.

Pettigrew State Park, Washington and Tyrell counties – Visitor Center
$3,774,000
Pettigrew State Park includes the 16,600-acre Lake Phelps, the second largest natural lake in North Carolina, and features a rich history and spectacular prehistoric discoveries such as 4,000-year-old dugout canoes. The bond will fund a new visitor center to exhibit important artifacts, host educational programming and draw tourists to this rural area.

Pilot Mountain State Park, Surry County – Visitor Center and Other Improvements
$5,975,800
Pilot Mountain, once known as Jomeokee or the “Great Guide” or “Pilot” by Saura Indians, rises more than 2,421 feet and is the most recognizable mountain in North Carolina. It once served as a landmark for those Native Americans and early explorers, and now is a beacon for hikers, rock climbers and nature lovers. The bond money will fund a visitor center and other improvements to provide enhanced services, environmental education exhibits and meetings rooms to serve visitors who picnic, hike, camp, climb, fish, canoe and cycle in the park.

Raven Rock State Park, Harnett County – Campground Improvements
$1,500,000
This project will introduce family camping at a park located in a rapidly developing county. High above the Cape Fear River, Raven Rock's austere beauty is a testament to the forces that have shaped the land. As the river below rushes to join the sea, nature's elements continue to shape the surface of this natural monument. A number of facilities, including expansion of equestrian trails, a new visitor center and new picnic facilities, were recently added to the park. In addition, mountain bike trails are already in the pipeline for the park. The planned family camping option will expand user opportunities, enhance the visitor experience and increase recreational opportunities

Singletary Lake State Park, Bladen County – Ranger Contact Station
$767,000
Singletary Lake is home to a unique ecosystem, a Carolina bay, found nowhere else in world. Its 649 acres of land and 572 acres of natural lake were developed primarily for organized multi-day educational group programs. The bond money will be used to fund a full-service ranger station that will provide safer, more convenient check-in facilities and visitor services.

South Mountains State Park, Burke County – Clear Creek Access Development
$3,000,000
Nestled deep in the woods, South Mountains State Park is the perfect place to enjoy nature. The park includes elevations up to 3,000 feet, a waterfall dropping 80 feet and more than 40 miles of trails. Among the available activities are equestrian camping, trout fishing, mountain biking and picnicking. The Clear Creek Access, added in several tracts over the past 15 years, connects this park with U.S. 64 and provides a dramatic setting for camping, hiking and picnicking facilities. This project will implement a number of projects that will expand and enhance hiking, camping and picnicking opportunities.

Stone Mountain State Park, Wilkes and Alleghany counties – Visitor Center Expansion
$1,784,000
Visitors to Stone Mountain State Park come to view the 600-foot granite dome and enjoy the cascading waterfalls, cool mountain streams and quiet forest. They come to the park’s 14,200 acres for various outdoor activities, including 20 miles of designated trout waters and 18 miles of trails. The bond money will be used to expand the current visitor center and ranger offices, offering more space for visitor services, exhibits, education and the park staff.