Protected areas of North Carolina

The protected areas of North Carolina cover roughly 3.8 million acres, making up 11% of the total land in the state.

[1] Some areas are managed as wilderness while others are operated with acceptable commercial exploitation.

North Carolina has an extensive state park system of 42 open units, 35 of which are state parks, 4 that are recreation areas, and 3 staffed state natural areas, along with other designated units managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

[2] North Carolina's federally protected areas are managed by agencies within the United States Department of the Interior.

Blue Ridge Parkway Out of North Carolina's protected land, 250,000 acres of land and water is managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.