Name
Image
Date
Location
County
Ownership
Description
Bear Island
1980
34°37′55″N 77°08′44″W / 34.631944°N 77.145556°W / 34.631944; -77.145556 (Bear Island ) Onslow
state
Dune movement has created a dynamic landscape of outstanding scenic beauty. Bear Island is the principal attraction of Hammocks Beach State Park .
Goose Creek State Park Natural Area
1980
35°28′25″N 76°54′50″W / 35.473611°N 76.913889°W / 35.473611; -76.913889 (Goose Creek State Park Natural Area ) Beaufort
state
An excellent example of a gently sloping mainland undergoing rapid ocean transgression.
Green Swamp
1974
34°05′36″N 78°17′57″W / 34.09321°N 78.29925°W / 34.09321; -78.29925 (Green Swamp (North Carolina) ) Brunswick
private
The largest and most unusual mosaic of wetland communities in the Carolinas. The Nature Conservancy manages the site as the Green Swamp Preserve.
Long Hope Creek Spruce Bog
1974
36°22′52″N 81°38′44″W / 36.381101°N 81.645663°W / 36.381101; -81.645663 (Long Hope Creek Spruce Bog ) Ashe , Watauga
private
One of the rarest plant communities in North Carolina. The still forming Elk Knob State Park is adjacent to the privately owned NNL, and the state has a long-term goal to acquire the site.
Mount Jefferson State Park
1974
36°24′03″N 81°27′46″W / 36.400833°N 81.462778°W / 36.400833; -81.462778 (Mount Jefferson State Natural Area ) Ashe
state
One of the best remaining examples of oak-chestnut forest in the Southeast. The State Park was redesignated a State Natural Area .
Mount Mitchell State Park
1974
35°46′13″N 82°15′48″W / 35.770278°N 82.263333°W / 35.770278; -82.263333 (Mount Mitchell State Park ) Yancey
state
Mount Mitchell is the highest mountain in the eastern half of the United States at 6,684 feet (2,037 m).
Nags Head Woods and Jockey Ridge
1974
35°57′43″N 75°38′03″W / 35.961944°N 75.634167°W / 35.961944; -75.634167 (Jockey's Ridge ) Dare
state
Illustrates the entire series of dune development and plant succession. Jockey's Ridge State Park encompasses the southern portion of the NNL, and The Nature Conservancy 's Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve encompasses the northern portion.
Orbicular Diorite
1980
Davie
private
Site contains an unusual plutonic igneous rock consisting of hornblende , pyroxene , and feldspars .
Piedmont Beech Natural Area
1974
35°51′14″N 78°44′34″W / 35.853889°N 78.742778°W / 35.853889; -78.742778 (Piedmont Beech Natural Area ) Wake
state
One of the best examples of mixed mesophytic forest in the eastern Piedmont of North Carolina. The natural area is located within William B. Umstead State Park .
Pilot Mountain
1974
36°20′24″N 80°28′27″W / 36.340138°N 80.474224°W / 36.340138; -80.474224 (Pilot Mountain (North Carolina) ) Surry
state
A classic monadnock that harbors disjunct vegetation from the Blue Ridge region. It is a core component of the greater Pilot Mountain State Park .
Salyer's Ridge Natural Area
1983
Hyde
federal
A rare example of mature loblolly pine forest in process of succession towards a deciduous forest. The natural area is located within the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge .
Smith Island
1967
Brunswick , New Hanover
state
A barrier island complex representing one of the least disturbed areas remaining on the Atlantic Coast. The island complex is protected as part of Fort Fisher State Recreation Area and Baldhead Island State Natural Area .
Stone Mountain
1974
36°23′37″N 81°02′36″W / 36.393611°N 81.043333°W / 36.393611; -81.043333 (Stone Mountain (North Carolina) ) Alleghany , Wilkes
state
The best example of a monadnock in North Carolina. It is the principal attraction of Stone Mountain State Park .
