Masonboro Island Reserve
🏝️ Boat-Only Barrier Island — 8.4-mile, 5,653-acre island reserve between Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach, part of the NC Coastal
State Parks
Find state parks by state, activity, and visitor needs
Use this directory to browse America's State Parks profiles by destination, activity, facilities, and nearby trip ideas. The finder is built from our park profile database and is designed for planning decisions: compare parks, open detailed profiles, then use official park links for current fees, permits, closures, and reservations.
Current public scope: 4,080 park profiles across all 50 states, including 2,500+ state parks. See our editorial review methodology for how ASP researches, updates, and reviews park information.
Pineola Bog State Natural Area
🏆 Appalachian Bog Orchids — Rare southern Appalachian bog at 3,500 feet — supporting endangered bog orchids and carnivorous plants
Reedy Creek State Park
🏆 Charlotte’s Nature — 737-acre park inside the Charlotte metro area — one of the finest urban nature preserves in
Run Hill State Natural Area
🏆 Tallest Dune on Atlantic Coast — 100-foot sand dune — the TALLEST natural sand dune on the US Atlantic
Salmon Creek State Natural Area
🏆 Colonial Waterway — Pristine blackwater creek in the Albemarle Sound region — one of the earliest areas of English
Sandy Run Savannas State Natural Area
🏆 Venus Flytrap Savanna — One of the world’s best remaining longleaf pine savannas — home to the VENUS FLYTRAP,
Sugar Mountain Bog State Natural Area
🏆 4,000-Foot Bog — Rare southern Appalachian bog at 4,000 feet elevation — Ice Age relic with northern plant species
Tryon Palace
🏆 America’s FIRST State Capitol — Reconstructed 1770 colonial palace — the seat of British royal governors and North Carolina’s
Warwick Mill Bay State Natural Area
🏆 Carolina Bay Wetland — Rare Carolina bay with longleaf pine savanna — protecting one of the most diverse plant
Old Waynesborough Park
🏘️ Wayne County Heritage Village — nonprofit park of more than 150 acres on the Neuse and Little Rivers in
Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve
🌲 676 Acres of Ancient Longleaf Pine Forest — Home to Endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers — One of the last old-growth
Yellow Mountain State Natural Area
🏆 Appalachian Trail Gem — 3,805-acre high-elevation natural area near the NC/TN border and the Appalachian Trail — grassy balds
Burke Lake Recreation Area
🏆 Missouri River Lake — Lakeside recreation area on Burke Lake — fishing, camping, and wide-open South Dakota skies Burke
Buryanek Recreation Area
🏆 James River Prairie — Small recreation area on a prairie lake in the James River basin — quiet fishing
Chief White Crane Recreation Area
🏆 Yankton Sioux Heritage — Recreation area on the Missouri River named for Chief White Crane (Hupahu Ska) of the
Cow Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Missouri River Reservoir — Recreation area on Lake Sharpe — one of the four massive Missouri River reservoirs that
George S. Mickelson Trail
🏆 Black Hills Rail Trail — 109-mile trail along a historic railroad grade through the Black Hills — the LONGEST
Indian Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Missouri Oahe — Recreation area on massive Lake Oahe — the fourth-largest reservoir in the US stretching 231 miles
LaFramboise Island Nature Area
🏆 Capital City Island — 345-acre island nature area in the Missouri River at Pierre — the state capital’s wild
Lake Alvin Recreation Area
🏆 Sioux Falls Escape — 93-acre lake just 20 minutes from Sioux Falls — South Dakota’s most accessible nature getaway
Lake Hiddenwood Recreation Area
🏆 Northern Prairie Oasis — Wooded lake in the treeless northern prairie — a surprising oasis of timber in the
Lake Thompson Recreation Area
🏆 South Dakota’s LARGEST Natural Lake — 16,000-acre glacial lake — the largest natural lake in South Dakota and one
Lake Vermillion Recreation Area
🏆 Glacial Prairie Lake — 280-acre glacial lake in eastern South Dakota — popular fishing and camping destination with a
Little Moreau Recreation Area
🏆 Moreau River Prairie — Remote recreation area on the Moreau River in northwestern South Dakota — true isolation on
Llewellyn Johns Recreation Area
🏆 Lake Francis Case — Recreation area on Lake Francis Case — 102-mile reservoir on the Missouri River Llewellyn Johns
Mina Lake Recreation Area
🏆 Northern Prairie Gem — 275-acre lake in Edmunds County — popular walleye and perch fishing in the “Glacial Lakes”
North Wheeler Recreation Area
🏆 Lake Sharpe Access — Recreation area on Lake Sharpe providing boat access to the Missouri River reservoir system North
Oahe Downstream Recreation Area
🏆 Below the Giant — Premier tailwater fishery below Oahe Dam — world-class walleye fishing in the turbulent waters below
Pease Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Eastern SD Prairie — Small recreation area on a prairie creek in eastern South Dakota — quiet fishing and
Pickerel Lake Recreation Area
🏆 SD’s Clearest Lake — 1,004-acre glacial lake with the clearest water in South Dakota — visibility up to 25
Pierson Ranch Recreation Area
🏆 Buffalo Gap Grassland — Remote recreation area near the Buffalo Gap National Grassland — wide-open prairie at the edge
Platte Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Missouri River Valley — Recreation area on Platte Creek near its confluence with the Missouri River — fishing and
Randall Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Fort Randall Tailwater — Recreation area below Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River — outstanding tailwater fishing and
Revheim Bay Recreation Area
🏆 Lake Oahe Bay — Sheltered bay on massive Lake Oahe — protected fishing and camping on the Missouri River
Richmond Lake Recreation Area
🏆 Aberdeen’s Lake — 1,750-acre lake near Aberdeen — the “Hub City” of northeastern South Dakota Richmond Lake Recreation Area
Sandy Shore Recreation Area
🏆 Lake Sharpe Shore — Sandy shoreline recreation area on Lake Sharpe — camping and fishing on the Missouri River
Shadehill Recreation Area
🏆 Northwest SD Oasis — 5,000-acre reservoir in the remote northwestern prairie — the largest lake in a 100-mile radius
Sheps Canyon Recreation Area
🏆 Angostura Canyon — Recreation area on Angostura Reservoir in the southern Black Hills — warm-water swimming and fishing in
Snake Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Fort Randall Reservoir — Recreation area on Lake Francis Case near the powerhouse of Fort Randall Dam — where
Springfield Recreation Area
🏆 Lewis & Clark Lake — Recreation area on Lewis & Clark Lake near Springfield — the most downstream Missouri
Swan Creek Recreation Area
🏆 Lake Oahe Shore — Recreation area on Lake Oahe in Walworth County — fishing and camping on the massive
West Bend Recreation Area
🏆 Big Bend Country — Recreation area at the dramatic Big Bend of the Missouri River — where the river
West Pollock Recreation Area
🏆 Northern Oahe — Recreation area on the northern reaches of Lake Oahe — remote fishing and camping near the
West Whitlock Recreation Area
🏆 Earth Lodge Village Site — Recreation area on Lake Oahe at the site of historic Arikara earth lodge villages
Bohm Woods Nature Preserve
🏆 Dedicated Nature Preserve — 92 acres of upland forest, bottomland forest and river bluffs near Edwardsville Bohm Woods Nature
Cape Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area
Situated in the scenic southern reaches of Illinois within Alexander County, Cape Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area is a
Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Central Illinois Fishing — 1,175-acre cooling lake offering year-round warm-water fishing — heated discharge keeps fish active in winter
Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area
🏆 Chicago’s Wild Backyard — 5,000-acre wetland complex along the Des Plaines River — critical migration corridor for millions of
Devils Island Wildlife Management Area
🏆 Illinois River Backwater — Backwater wetland on the Illinois River — managed for waterfowl habitat and flood control Devils
Donnelley DePue (Illinois)
Illinois’ Premier Waterfowl Sanctuary — 3,015-Acre Fish & Wildlife Area, Migratory Bird Habitat, Waterfowl Hunting, Backwater Lake Fishing & Birding