North Carolina State Parks Coverage

Best parks to see fall leaves in the Triangle

From the extensive trails of William B. Umstead State Park to the artistic landscapes of the North Carolina Museum of Art Park, explore the top spots to witness the changing colors of the leaves.

Kaila Curry, WRAL audience engagement producer

Volunteers clean up Chavis Park for Earth Day

Earth Day volunteers pitched in on Friday to clean up John Chavis Memorial Park, including Gov. Roy Cooper and other state leaders.

State leaders, volunteers celebrate Earth Day with cleanup at Raleigh's Chavis Park

Earth Day volunteers pitched in on Friday to clean up John Chavis Memorial Park, including Gov. Roy Cooper and other state leaders.

Rick Armstrong, WRAL photojournalist

TOM EARNHARDT: The sanctuary a fish invited me to visit

Sunday, April 17, 2022 -- "I do not know where you live, work, or worship, but the Rev. Roy Bradford was right: 'No human-made structure can compare with the grandeur of the natural world.' How did I gain entry to that world? A fish invited me!"

State parks system reports record number of visitors

The North Carolina parks system saw nearly 23 million visitors at its 41 parks, recreation areas and natural areas.

By Bryan Anderson, WRAL statehouse reporter

TOM EARNHARDT: This July 4th, celebrate 'Oasis-North Carolina'

Sunday, ,July 4, 2021 -- Just as each of us needs an oasis in troubled times, the special places that define North Carolina and restore our spirits need advocates and stewards for their long-term survival. If you have such a favorite place among the parks and public lands we own together -- a salt marsh, a longleaf savanna, a Piedmont river, a mountain cove, or a high rocky outcrop -- it's fair to ask you the same question I heard more than a decade ago from a young house guest from a faraway place: "Is this your oasis?"

NC parks seeing record number of visitors

Park officials say this summer, parks will be busier than ever. That means less time in the park, and more time in the parking lot.

NC Parks and Recreation start off busy summer season understaffed, underfunded

You may want to avoid some of the popular state parks this summer due to an increase in visitors.

Sloane Heffernan, WRAL reporter

TOM EARNHARDT: Measuring time, remembering little things, reflecting on new appreciations

Sunday, March 21, 2021 -- Looking back, we will all recall the separation from others and the use of masks around close friends and even family. ... Reflect on the notes written and received, the courage of our children, the support of a spouse or partner, the warmth of friends, and the kindness of strangers. ... I will remember important people and moments, but I will also savor the unexpected gifts from nature. ... A dazzling sunrise in a winter forest covered with frost and rare Tar Heel orchids on the hottest day of summer. ... Diminutive endangered woodpeckers that showed up just as I packed my camera equipment and swans that finally flew over the moon.

TOM EARNHARDT: We borrow this planet from our kids, we mustn't screw it up

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021 -- I left the building where I received my COVID vaccine with renewed understanding that democracy and the natural world have much in common. Each is complex and fragile at the same time. To function efficiently, all parts must work together. In salt marshes, mountain bogs, piedmont streams and longleaf pine savannas, all living things -- plants, animals, and even fungi -- must be available to perform essential services for the whole system to survive and thrive. The way we view the world has everything to do with the way we care for the planet and the living things around us.

TOM EARNHARDT: Common ground for healing nation's wounds

Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021 -- If we are looking for common ground on which to gather and heal, I submit it can be found in the nature. It is in the natural world that the rural and urban divide disappears. In nature each of us is an essential worker.

TOM EARNHARDT: Now. No better time and place

Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021 -- Although the pandemic still rages and more vigilance is required, let us all focus on the institutions and people who have supported us and gotten us through a year of crisis. I intend to honor the medical and science communities. I will celebrate the courts and the rule of law in which they are grounded. I will give thanks for the farmers, service providers, and truck drivers. More than ever, I will value the thousands volunteers in elections, civil rights, conservation, education, and the arts who make my life richer. Finally, I will redouble my love and commitment to family and friends with whom I have laughed, cried, and Zoomed through the year.

TOM EARNHARDT: We've come full circle. Nature's message is of hope

Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020 -- It is in the darkest places where the stars shine brightest. Even though the pandemic is still taking an awful toll ... we have come full circle to a time when hope is justified. ... It's now December and the birds of winter have come back. They, too, have come full circle in the form of a round-trip. ... Lest we forget the same journey and same natural cycle has occurred for millennia.

TOM EARNHARDT: Celebrating 'imperfections' in nature

Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020 -- Show me a yard full of squishy persimmons, sweet gum balls, 'dangerous' walnuts, gooey pawpaws, sycamore projectiles and the cone-shaped seed pods of magnolia and I'll show you a yard filled with wildlife and curious people.

TOM EARNHARDT: Wishing all a 'sleuth,' a 'scurry,' and a 'raft' this Thanksgiving

Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020 -- Each year, and especially around Thanksgiving, I am buoyed by the abundance around us in nature. As trees shed most of their leaves, and clear winter air arrives, there is much to see and celebrate in Tar Heel skies, forests, and waters. It's a time to rejoice in the deliciousness of descriptive "group terms" found in the English language. Many of the collective nouns referring to birds, mammals, fish and insects have evolved over hundreds of years.

TOM EARNHARDT: Trees hold up the sky

Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020 -- During difficult times, trees -- nature's pillars -- keep the sky from falling. Not only do they hold up the sky, but more than any other living things, trees define our sense of place and provide much needed equilibrium. Their shapes, bark, leaves, smells, and colors tell us where we are in North Carolina.

TOM EARNHARDT: A vote for the vibrant colors of October

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 -- This week take a walk in a wild place and celebrate your access to the wonders of a Tar Heel autumn. Next week, vote for the candidates who support equal access to the ballot box for every voter and who will open the doors of opportunity for every child of North Carolina. Vote for the candidates who will unify this state and nation.

TOM EARNHARDT: Sound voyages along the Chowan River

Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020 -- I motored along the shoreline of the Chowan River admiring giant cypress trees growing well out into the water. We beached the skiff on several occasions to look at steep sand cliffs -- distinct layers of shells, sand, and clay -- showing hundreds of thousands of years of coastal history. Standing on a narrow beach at sea level, we were acutely aware that sea level had been higher and lower many times over the last two million years (the Ice Ages).

TOM EARNHARDT: Following the quiet voices and science

Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020 -- The same shrill voices that have challenged and diminished our response to global warming and the protection of biodiversity are now challenging long established public health practices. In this election year, COVID-19 has tested healthcare systems, the economy, schools and brought sadness to countless families. At the same time the only planet we know continues to show alarming signs of a steadily warming climate, diminished biodiversity and reduced air and water quality.

TOM EARNHARDT: Seeing opportunity in nature

Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020 -- The natural world constantly reminds me that in change there is opportunity. I want to believe that instead of just exposing problems, the last six months have highlighted opportunities for improvement in education, employment, healthcare, social justice, and the way we embrace our differences. In this difficult time I'd also like to think that more North Carolinians now include access to nature as part of their American Dream. It is the peace in wild places, and access to other living creatures that give meaning to our own existence.

TOM EARNHARDT: Morning road trip just for the sights, sounds, smells

Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020 -- One day each week, instead of rolling and tossing, I drag my carcass out of bed and grab a face mask, camera, note pad, sandwich, and a thermos of coffee. I turn on NPR and depart Raleigh before sunrise. It makes no difference whether I head east or west; the most important thing in launching a predawn adventure is not to think too hard about it, or plan too much. ... The goal of these A.M. trips is immersion in the sights, sounds and smells of a wild place.

TOM EARNHARDT: The patience of Hugh Morton

Sunday, Aug, 16, 2020 -- Hugh Morton solved problems in the same way he took photographs in the natural world. His best images started with a vision and a plan to achieve it. Knowing what he wanted, Morton pursued his objectives with determination, technical expertise, and of course, patience.

Take the Kids: Get out of the house and take a quick road trip to Raven Rock State Park

As people look for a way to escape their homes during the ongoing pandemic, many are looking to North Carolina State Parks. And on the weekends, some of the state's most popular parks fill up by the early afternoon. Last Sunday, five parks were at capacity as of 1 p.m., according to the park system's Facebook page. Raven Rock State Park in Lillington was among them.

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Go Ask Mom editor

TOM EARNHARDT: Listening for words of wonder

Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020 -- There are ways to measure and assess curiosity, but to the best of my knowledge it can't be taught. I am convinced, however, curiosity can be nurtured and supported. For many years, I watched my own children and other young people stimulated and challenged by the natural world. Nothing elicits questions and fosters curiosity more than time in wild places.

TOM EARNHARDT: There are no 'least' parts

Sunday, July 26, 2020 -- The cranefly orchid has become a metaphor, a symbol if you will, that just because we don't recognize, understand, or appreciate many of the living things around us, does not mean they are not important. The story of the cranefly orchid -- its relationships, its struggles, and its ability to adapt--is repeated over and over again in the natural world. As humans, we have a lot to learn from it.