North Carolina National Parks

About the North Carolina National Parks

North Carolina is home to one national park: Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tap a park to check it off, drop a pin on the map, and track your progress — your checklist here counts toward the full National Park Tracker of every US national park. Each park links to its own guide with current hours, entrance fees, alerts, campgrounds, and things to do.

Great Smoky Mountains: The Most-Visited National Park

North Carolina shares its one national park with Tennessee — and it happens to be the most-visited national park in America. Great Smoky Mountains National Park draws more than 12 million visits a year, more than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined, helped by the fact that there's no entrance fee. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most biodiverse park in the system: more tree species than northern Europe, the world's greatest concentration of salamanders, and the synchronous fireflies that flash in unison for a couple of weeks every June.

The North Carolina half is the quieter half, and better for it. Enter at Oconaluftee near Cherokee, where elk — reintroduced in 2001 — graze the fields at dawn; drive up to Kuwohi (long known as Clingmans Dome), the park's 6,643-foot high point, where an observation tower looks over seven states on a clear day; or take the winding road into Cataloochee Valley for historic homesteads and more elk with far fewer people. Deep Creek, near Bryson City, stacks three waterfalls into an easy loop hike.

Beyond the Smokies: Other National Park Sites in North Carolina

Few states have an NPS lineup this deep — if you're searching for national parks in North Carolina, these all belong on the list:

• Blue Ridge Parkway — 469 miles of ridge-top scenic road linking the Smokies to Shenandoah; the most-visited unit in the entire park system.
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore — America's first national seashore: Outer Banks beaches, wild surf and the famous black-and-white spiral lighthouse.
• Cape Lookout National Seashore — 56 miles of undeveloped barrier islands reachable only by ferry, with wild horses on Shackleford Banks.
• Wright Brothers National Memorial — the dunes at Kill Devil Hills where powered flight began in 1903.
• Fort Raleigh National Historic Site — Roanoke Island and the mystery of the Lost Colony.
• Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site — the poet's mountain farm at Flat Rock, goats included.

Checking off the Smokies from either state counts on your national park checklist — the parks list only counts it once, no matter how many times you cross the state line inside it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many national parks are in North Carolina?

North Carolina has 1 national park: Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

How do I track the North Carolina national parks I've visited?

Tap a pin on the map or a park's photo to check it off. It counts toward your progress — both here and on the full National Park Tracker of all US national parks.

Can I download or share my North Carolina parks map?

Yes. "Download Your Map" saves a personalized image of the parks you've checked off — ready to post so friends can compare.

National Parks in Other States

Alaska (8) American Samoa (1) Arizona (3) Arkansas (1) California (9) Colorado (4) Florida (3) Hawaii (2) Idaho (1) Indiana (1) Kentucky (1) Maine (1) Michigan (1) Minnesota (1) Missouri (1) Montana (2) Nevada (1) New Mexico (2) North Dakota (1) Ohio (1) Oregon (1) South Carolina (1) South Dakota (2) Tennessee (1) Texas (2) Utah (5) Virgin Islands (1) Virginia (1) Washington (3) West Virginia (1) Wyoming (2)

Or see them all at once on the US National Park Tracker — the interactive checklist and map of every national park.