Author name: America's State Parks Editorial Team

America's State Parks is an independent online guide to the state parks of the United States. Our editorial team compiles and reviews each park profile from official state park agency sources and other primary references, and follows a published editorial and review methodology (see /editorial-review-methodology/). We update profiles and correct errors on an ongoing basis.

Harris Beach State Park (Oregon)

Harris Beach State Park

Harris Beach State Park showcases the most dramatic sea stack scenery on the Oregon
Coast, featuring the offshore Bird Island—a National…

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Gorges State Park

A Temperate Rainforest in the Southern Appalachians — Where 90 Inches of Rain Create North Carolina’s Waterfall Capital

Hawks Nest State Park (West Virginia)

Hawks Nest State Park

Hawks Nest State Park perches atop the rim of the spectacular New River Gorge in
West Virginia, offering breathtaking panoramic views from 585 feet…

Salt Point State Park (California)

Salt Point State Park

Salt Point State Park protects 6,000 acres of rugged Sonoma Coast wilderness along
6+ miles of dramatic California coastline. This diving and…

Carolina Beach State Park North Carolina

Carolina Beach State Park

Carolina Beach State Park is a coastal treasure where rare Venus flytraps grow wild
in their native habitat—one of only a few places on Earth!…

lake in a state park near bryson city north carolina

Lake James State Park

Lake James State Park: North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountain Lake

South Beach State Park (Oregon)

South Beach State Park

South Beach State Park: Oregon’s Premier Coastal Camping Destination

Oconee State Park mountain lake South Carolina

Oconee State Park

Official Guide: Oconee State Park — A classic, rustic Appalachian retreat known for its quiet mountain lakes, historic civilian conservation…

Gillette Castle State Park wedding venue

Gillette Castle State Park

Gillette Castle State Park is home to one of the most eccentric estates in America—a
medieval-style stone castle built by William Gillette, the…

FDR State Park hiking trail along Pine Mountain rocky overlook at sunset

Tugaloo State Park

Tugaloo State Park occupies a scenic peninsula on Lake Hartwell, a 55,590-acre
reservoir on the Georgia-South Carolina border. This lakeside…

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Mistletoe State Park

Mistletoe State Park sits on Clarks Hill Lake (J. Strom Thurmond
Reservoir)—Georgia’s largest lake and one of the premier bass fishing…

Black Rock Mountain Georgia

Black Rock Mountain State Park

Black Rock Mountain State Park is Georgia’s highest state park, perched at
3,640 feet along the Eastern Continental Divide in the Blue Ridge…

White Lake State Park (New Hampshire)

White Lake State Park

White Lake State Park is a New Hampshire gem nestled in the scenic Tamworth area—a 125-acre
glacial lake with crystal-clear waters perfect…

fall foliage on a mountain in a state park near bryson city north carolina

Pilot Mountain State Park

Pilot Mountain State Park is North Carolina’s most recognizable landmark—a dramatic
1,400-foot quartzite knob rising from the Piedmont plateau…

Giant City State Park

Giant City State Park

Giant City State Park is Southern Illinois’ geological marvel—a 4,000-acre wilderness showcasing
massive sandstone bluffs that form the legendary…

wildflowers by a lake in a state park near baltimore maryland

Cunningham Falls State Park

Cunningham Falls State Park is Maryland’s waterfall wonderland—home to the state’s highest
cascading waterfall at 78 feet, nestled in the…

Tygart Lake State Park (West Virginia)

Tygart Lake State Park

Tygart Lake State Park is West Virginia’s Mountaineer Country escape—a 2,134-acre wooded retreat
surrounding the deep blue waters of Tygart Lake,…

Monson Lake State Park pelicans Minnesota

Monson Lake State Park

Official Guide: Monson Lake State Park — A small, remarkably quiet park focused entirely on the preservation of tranquil lake ecology and…

Fort Ridgely State Park landscape Minnesota

Fort Ridgely State Park

Official Guide: Fort Ridgely State Park — Preserving crucial Minnesota history from the Dakota War of 1862, alongside hundreds of acres of…

dock on a pond at a state park near nisswa minnesota

Sibley State Park

Sibley State Park is one of western Minnesota’s most popular outdoor destinations—a 2,936-acre
landscape of rolling hills, hardwood forests, and…

Camden State Park river Minnesota

Camden State Park

Official Guide: Camden State Park — An oasis of deep woods and a spring-fed river in southwestern Minnesota, famous for its excellent brown…

Lac Qui Parle State Park (Minnesota)

Lac Qui Parle State Park

Lac Qui Parle State Park is one of Minnesota’s premier birding destinations—a sprawling complex of
river floodplains, prairie wetlands, and…

Upper Sioux Agency State Park (Minnesota)

Upper Sioux Agency State Park

PARK PERMANENTLY CLOSED – February 16, 2024
Upper Sioux Agency State Park was permanently closed on February 16, 2024. The 1,280 acres of

Skidaway Island State Park (Georgia)

Skidaway Island State Park

Skidaway Island State Park is Savannah’s secret escape—a 588-acre barrier island sanctuary where
Spanish moss-draped live oaks meet shimmering…

Paris Mountain State Park (South Carolina)

Paris Mountain State Park

Paris Mountain State Park is Greenville’s backyard wilderness—a 1,540-acre retreat just minutes from
downtown that showcases some of the finest…

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Kodachrome Basin State Park

Kodachrome Basin State Park is one of Utah’s most colorful hidden gems—a surreal landscape of
67 monolithic sandstone spires rising from a…

Jordanelle State Park (Utah)

Jordanelle State Park

Jordanelle State Park is Utah’s premier watersports playground—a 3,300-acre reservoir just minutes
from Park City. With an 8-lane boat launch,…

Sweetwater Creek State Park (Georgia)

Sweetwater Creek State Park

Sweetwater Creek State Park is a 2,549-acre wilderness escape just 15 miles from downtown
Atlanta—where Civil War history meets Hollywood…

Ecola State Park Oregon dramatic coastal headland with sea stacks at sunset

Ecola State Park

Where Ancient Rainforest Meets the Pacific on Oregon’s Most Cinematic Coastline

Antelope Island

Antelope Island State Park

Antelope Island State Park is Utah’s largest island in the Great Salt Lake—and one
of America’s most surreal landscapes. Here you can float…

Haunted Village returns to Spring Mill State Park

Spring Mill State Park

Spring Mill State Park offers a rare journey through time—and space. At its heart lies a
meticulously restored 1814 pioneer village with a…

Fort Mountain State Park (Georgia)

Fort Mountain State Park

Fort Mountain State Park is shrouded in mystery. At its summit stands one of Georgia’s most
enigmatic archaeological features—a 855-foot-long…

Raven Rock State Park (North Carolina)

Raven Rock State Park

Cape Fear’s Ancient Stone Giant — Home of a dramatic 150-foot crystalline rock outcrop
stretching over a mile along the Cape Fear…

Red Top Mountain State Park (Georgia)

Red Top Mountain State Park

Atlanta’s Lake Peninsula Paradise — On 12,000-acre Lake Allatoona with sandy swim beach,
15+ miles of trails, 140+ campsites,…

A wooden path leading to a sandy beach in a State Park.

Kohler-Andrae State Park

Lake Michigan’s Dune Paradise — 2.5 miles of sandy beach, ancient sand dunes,
and the famous Cordwalk through protected natural…

Stone Mountain Park (Georgia)

Stone Mountain Park

Stone Mountain Park: Atlanta’s Iconic Granite Landmark

Stone Mountain State Park (North Carolina)

Stone Mountain State Park

National Natural Landmark — Experience the 600-foot granite dome rising from the Blue
Ridge,
200-foot waterfalls, 21…

Buttermilk Falls State Park (New York)

Buttermilk Falls State Park

Finger Lakes Waterfall Paradise — Experience the 165-foot Buttermilk Falls,
swim in a natural pool beneath the cascade, hike through…

South Mountains State Park (North Carolina)

South Mountains State Park

North Carolina’s Foothill Wilderness — Home to the spectacular 80-foot High Shoals
Falls,
50 miles of hiking trails,…

Allegany State Park

Allegany State Park

New York’s Largest State Park — 65,000 acres of forested wilderness with 375 cabins,
two scenic lakes, Bear Caves, Thunder Rocks,…

Potato Creek State Park (Indiana)

Potato Creek State Park

Northern Indiana’s Premier Lake Destination — Centered around 327-acre Worster Lake,
featuring year-round cabins, 287 electric…

Clifty Falls State Park dramatic waterfall cascading into forested canyon in Indiana

Clifty Falls State Park

Indiana’s Waterfall Wonderland — Four stunning waterfalls plunging up to 83 feet,
a 300-foot deep canyon carved by glacial…

Pipestem Resort State Park aerial tramway descending into Bluestone River Gorge with autumn colors

Pipestem Resort State Park

West Virginia’s Premier Family Adventure Resort — Ride the aerial tramway
1,200 feet into the Bluestone River Gorge, stay at a lodge…

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park ancient towering redwoods with Smith River and morning mist

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park

World Heritage Site & Home to 7% of the World’s Old-Growth Redwoods —
Walk among 2,000-year-old giants over 300 feet tall, camp…

kids riding a toboggan at a state park

Pokagon State Park

Indiana’s Premier Winter Destination — Home to a legendary 1,780-foot
refrigerated toboggan run reaching 40 mph, the historic…

High Falls Park

High Falls State Park

Georgia’s Hidden Waterfall Treasure — The tallest cascading waterfall south of Atlanta,
featuring a 650-acre lake ranked among…

nehalem bay oregon 1769780629702 1

Nehalem Bay State Park

Oregon Coast Spit Paradise — A 4-mile sand spit between the Pacific
Ocean and Nehalem Bay, with 265 campsites, 18 yurts,…

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