National Parks in North Carolina

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Photo by: Danita Delimont/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Danita Delimont/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Appalachian

National Scenic Trail, NC and CT, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV

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Blue Ridge

Parkway, Blue Ridge Mountains, NC and VA

Blue Ridge Parkway

Asheville, North Carolina

Photo by: Andre Jenny / Stock Connection

Andre Jenny / Stock Connection

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Blue Ridge

National Heritage Area, Fletcher, NC

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Cape Hatteras

National Seashore, Nags Head, Buxton, Ocracoke, NC

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Photo by: Outer Banks Visitors Bureau

Outer Banks Visitors Bureau

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Cape Lookout

National Seashore, Harkers Island, NC

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Carl Sandburg Home

National Historic Site, Flat Rock, NC

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Fort Raleigh

National Historic Site, Manteo, NC

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Great Smoky Mountains

National Park, NC and TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Hikers can set off on a great adventure on foot any time of year in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With more than 800 miles of trails, there are plenty of options including scenic strolls through fields of wildflowers and strenuous climbs to the top of the park's glorious waterfalls. A popular day-hike is a strenuous 8-mile trip to Charles Bunion along the Appalachian Trail. The 3-mile trip to Baskins Creek Falls follows an accessible trail with footbridge crossings to a 25-foot waterfall while the 8-mile roundtrip to Ramsay Cascades is a moderately strenuous trek through old-growth forest.

Photo by: Joel Carillet/Getty Images

Joel Carillet/Getty Images

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Guilford Courthouse

National Military Park, Greensboro, NC

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Gullah/Geechee

Cultural Heritage Corridor, NC and FL, GA, SC

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Moores Creek

National Battlefield, Currie, NC

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Overmountain Victory

National Historic Trail, NC and SC, TN, VA

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Trail of Tears

National Historic Trail, NC and AL, AR, GA, IL, KY, MO, OK, TN

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Wright Brothers

National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, NC

North Carolina, Wright Brothers Memorial

Steady winds lured Ohio brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright to Kill Devil Hills, NC, between 1900 and 1903. Their vision was to fly a heavier-than-air machine. The Wright Brothers National Memorial marks that successful effort -- attained on Dec. 17, 1903, following 3 years of trial and error.