All Activities

Boating: A boat ramp at the end of the park road will put you on the water. A small area is available for trailer parking.

For those without boats, a paved parking lot to the left of the launch by the boathouse provides a base from which to enjoy the surrounding facilities. Rowboats and canoes may be rented at the boathouse located at the end of the parking area. Available daily from June through Labor Day and weekends in April, May, September and October, small vessels are the perfect mode of transportation on the tranquil waters of the Pee Dee River and Lake Tillery.

Boat House Schedule: Rowboat and canoe rentals are available on Saturdays and Sundays through the end of October, weather and water conditions permitting.

Education and Events: Rangers hold regularly scheduled educational and interpretive programs about Morrow Mountain State Park. Click the "Events" link in the park menu to search our database of events for this park.

To arrange a special exploration of Morrow Mountain State Park for your group or class, contact the park office.

Educational materials about Morrow Mountain State Park have been developed for grades 5-7 and are correlated to North Carolina's competency-based curriculum in science, social studies, mathematics and English/language arts. The Morrow Mountain program introduces students to the basic geologic processes of the Uwharrie Mountains. Accompanying the program is a teacher's booklet and workshop, free of charge to educators. To learn more about environmental education or to search our database of upcoming workshops, please click the "Education" tab, above.

Exhibit Hall and Historical Site: Explore the history of Morrow Mountain. The park offers an exhibit hall and a historical site. The exhibit hall is located in a building near the park office and is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. The hall includes exhibits about Native Americans, plant and animal communities, early explorers, and rocks and minerals.

Visit the homestead of a 19th-century doctor, Dr. Francis Kron, the first physician in the area. His home, doctor's office and infirmary, and greenhouse were reconstructed in the 1960s and appear today much as they did in 1870. The grounds are open during park hours and are a short drive from the park office.

Fishing: Cast your line on Lake Tillery from our accessible pier or fish from the river banks. Game fish include largemouth bass, striped bass, white bass, crappie, perch, bluegill and catfish. A North Carolina fishing license is required.

Overnight Facilities: Family camping: Choose from 106 campsites for tents and RVs. Each site in the family campground is equipped with a picnic table and grill. Drinking water and modern restrooms with showers are conveniently located. There are no hookups for RVs, but a dump station is provided. Camp Loop C offers six accessible campsites and a fully accessible shower house. Campsites are available on a first-come basis and a modest fee is charged for each site. A maximum of six people are allowed to stay on each campsite. An amphitheater, where interpretive programs are often held, is located near the campground.

Primitive camping: Backpack into the woods for camping in a wilderness setting. The primitive campground is a two-mile hike from the park office. A pit toilet is provided in the camping area, but drinking water and all other supplies must be carried to the site. Fires are not permitted. A backpack camping permit is required and may be obtained from park staff. All trash must be packed out.

Group camping: The group tent camping area is located near the river and can be reached by a gravel loop road. Six sites, each with picnic tables and a fire circle and grill, provide a wilderness camping experience for organized groups. Drinking water and an accessible shower house are centrally located. Campsite #4 is fully accessible. Reservations are required for use of the area and a modest fee is charged.

Vacation cabins: Six rustic family vacation cabins offer the opportunity to get away from it all. Located in a wooded section of the park, each cabin has a bathroom, living room, fireplace, kitchen with dining space and two bedrooms. The fully-equipped cabins accommodate up to six people each. One cabin is fully accessible. During the summer months, cabins must be rented by the week; during the spring and fall, weekend rentals are accepted for a minimum of two nights. Pets are not allowed in the cabins or cabin area.

Picnicking: Have lunch on the summit of Morrow Mountain where one of the park's two picnic areas is located. A small, four-table shelter with a wonderful panoramic view of Lake Tillery and the Uwharrie Mountains is available, and restrooms are nearby.

Swimmers and larger groups may choose to use the picnic area near the pool. This area offers a six-table shelter built by the Works Progress Administration. The stone that makes this shelter was taken from a nearby quarry. The area also offers a fully accessible, ten-table shelter that has wheelchair access to the restrooms.

Single tables and multiple tables, along with grills, are available in both picnic areas. Picnic shelters may be reserved for a fee on a daily basis. Shelters are available on a first-come, first-served basis when they are not reserved. Contact the park office for more information or to request a reservation form.

Swimming: A dip in the swimming pool is the perfect way to cool off after a long hike. Open June through Labor Day, all swimming facilities are accessible for persons with disabilities. The pool is served by a stone bathhouse built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Project Administration. The facility includes restrooms, changing rooms and showers. Snacks and cold drinks are also available. Kids will enjoy playing in the adjacent children's pool. A modest fee is charged for entrance to the pool area.

Due to dangerous currents and underwater hazards, lake swimming is not permitted from the park shoreline or rental boats.

Trails:

Hiking: The beauty and diversity of Morrow Mountain State Park are best seen from one of the park's many trails. Choose from a short, self-guiding nature trail or a more extensive hike into the woodlands. Up mountain slopes, through hardwood forests and along gentle streams, more than 15 miles of hiking trails wind through Morrow Mountain State Park. A hike to the summit of Morrow Mountain is particularly rewarding as rolling hills, lush green farmlands and the curving river can be seen stretching out in the distance.

All hiking trails are blazed. Switchbacks or sharp changes in trail direction are denoted by double-blazing. See the trail legend on the map for distance and difficulty.

Horseback riding: Wander through forests, follow beautiful Mountain Creek to the river or ride the loop around the base of Morrow Mountain. Equestrians may enjoy the park from 16 miles of bridle trails.

Bridle trails are marked with red, white and blue blazes. Trail heads and trailer parking are located near the park entrance. There are no facilities for camping with horses.

All visitors with horses must be able to provide proof of a negative equine infectious anemia (Coggins) test while visiting North Carolina State Parks.

N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation • 1615 MSC • Raleigh N.C. 27699-1615 (919) 733-4181