The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority has approved $13.7 million to fund 11 improvement projects at North Carolina Parks, including the ever-popular Crowders Mountain State Park west of Charlotte.
The investment was approved on Jan. 9, during the authority’s first quarterly meeting of the year.
Among the 11 improvement projects:
- Hanging Rock State Park, north of Winston-Salem, will receive $3 million for family campground renovations.
- Carolina Beach State Park will get $2.2 million for maintenance facility improvements.
- Crowders Mountain State Park will get $ 2 million for a refresh of its overlook and trail improvements.
“These much-needed park improvement projects will bring several of our state parks facilities at some of our most visited parks up to modern standards to improve our visitors’ experiences in the parks,” said North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson in a statement.
North Carolina's state parks are dealing with a post-pandemic surge in visitors that has increased wear and tear on the trails, overlooks and other facilities. In 2021, the last full year available, Crowders saw almost 1 million visitors, a record.
You can see the full list of park improvements here.