Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

North Carolina’s state parks system saw a record number of visitors last year.

According to data provided Monday by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources said 22.8 million visitors entered the system’s 41 parks, recreation areas and natural areas, WRAL-TV reported.

That’s a 15% increase from the 19.8 million visitors to parks in 2020, when visits surged as more people sought outdoor activities amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park was 2021′s most visited park with more than 1.8 million guests, about 100,000 fewer than in 2020. The second most frequented park, Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, saw the largest growth, up 84% from the nearly 877,000 visitors in 2020.

Falls Lake State Recreation Area came in third and saw 46% growth last year. Nearly 1.5 million people traveled to the Wake Forest location, up from the 1 million visitors in 2020.

The 2021 numbers reflect even greater interest among the public to visit even after COVID-19 vaccines had become widely available.

 

Photo via Reserve America / Jordan Lake State Recreation Area.

 

Related Stories
‹
NC to Test Drinking Supplies for Chemicals Emerging as Risks
North Carolina environmental regulators will start testing the state’s major supplies of drinking water to learn whether people are ingesting industrial chemicals whose health effects are poorly understood, a state official said Friday. Monitoring could start next month for nearly two dozen unregulated chemicals that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies as “emerging contaminants” needing […]
Trump Refers to Black Man From Racially Offensive 1988 Campaign Ad While Stumping in North Carolina
During a stop in North Carolina, Trump referenced one of the most controversial campaign advertisements that relied on racist tropes.
Postal Service Work To Comply With Trump’s Executive Order Is Rushed and Sloppy, a Whistleblower Contends
The U.S. Postal Service is poised to launch a hastily built, error-riddled computer system that could jeopardize the process of mail voting.
Longtime Chatham County Educator Wins $10 Million Lottery Prize
The North Carolina Education Lottery office revealed that Jean Johnson, who teaches in Chatham County, is the winner of a $10 million prize.
Theodore Nollert on North Carolina's Budget Corrections Bill and Its Process – On Air Today (August 26, 2026)
Theodore Nollert — the directory of policy for Carolina Forward and a Chapel Hill Town Council member — joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell on Wednesday, August 26.
UNC Health Expands, Rebrands Venture Capital Efforts of Emerging Tech
The statewide healthcare system announced Rex Health Ventures platform is now UNC Health Ventures and will use $125 million to invest in emerging health tech companies.
Corporate Tax Cuts, Prediction Market Leeway, and Underfunding Education: Why Orange County's Legislators Voted Against NC's Budget
All three of Orange County’s state representatives voted against North Carolina's updated budget, citing issues with its contents and construction.
The Morning News: One Year After Chantal
In today's news: local businesses discuss their year-long recovery process, on the first anniversary of Tropical Storm Chantal.
Chatham County Sheriff's Office: Body of Teenage Swimmer Found After Search at Jordan Lake
A search for a missing swimmer at Jordan Lake, last seen Saturday evening, will continue into Monday morning, the Chatham County Sheriff's Office said.
On the Porch: Dr. James Wood - Sports Around the World
This Week: James Wood is currently Professor of Latin American and modern world history at North Carolina A&T State University. He is the author of The Society of Equality: Popular Republicanism and Democracy in Santiago de Chile, 1818-1851 and the co-editor of "Problems in Modern Latin American History: Sources and Interpretations", now in its fifth edition with Rowman and Littlefield. As a Fulbright scholar for Chile in 2016 he was a visiting professor at the Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago (where he observed Chilean student activism up close).
›