Haw River State Park is a North Carolina state park in Guilford and Rockingham Counties,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. As one of the newest state parks in North Carolina, Haw River has limited recreational opportunities. Haw River State Park currently houses the Summit Environmental Education Center and is located off

North Carolina Highway 150 North Carolina Highway 150 (NC 150) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It serves the Foothills and Piedmont Triad areas of the state, connecting the cities of Shelby, Mooresville, Salisbury and Winston-Salem. ...

in Browns Summit.

Environmental education

Turtle tracking at Haw River State Park 3

Environmental education is the central focus at Haw River State Park. The Summit Environmental Education Center is a retreat and educational facility operated by the

North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation The State of North Carolina has a group of protected areas known as the North Carolina State Park System, which is managed by the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (NCDPR), an agency of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cu ...

. It was formerly a retreat center owned and operated by the

Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina is a diocese of the Episcopal Church within Province IV that encompasses central North Carolina. Founded in 1817, the modern boundaries of the diocese roughly corresponds to the portion of North Carolina ...

, who sold the property to the state. The center can house up to 180 overnight visitors in a

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries ...

and several

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

. There are eight conference rooms, a cafeteria and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities with a six acre (0.02 km²) lake and hiking trails. The Summit Environmental Education Center is used to educate employees of the state of North Carolina including park rangers and public school teachers. When the facilities are not in use by a state organization outside organizations may use the facilities for staff retreats, family reunions and business conferences.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within of Haw River State Park: :

Hanging Rock State Park Hanging Rock State Park is a North Carolina state park in Stokes County, North Carolina in the United States. The park is north of Winston-Salem and is located approximately from Danbury in Stokes County. History On April 20, 1936, the ''W ...

: Mayo River State Park

References

External links

* {{authority control State parks of North Carolina Protected areas of Guilford County, North Carolina Protected areas of Rockingham County, North Carolina Protected areas established in 2003 2003 establishments in North Carolina