The State of North Carolina has a group of twelve protected areas known as State Forests which are managed by the North Carolina Forest Service, an agency of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Six of the state forests are known as State Educational Forests and they are primarily used to educate the public about the forest environment, forestry, and forest management. One state forest, DuPont, was designated as a State Recreational Forest in recognition of its high recreational value and use. Most of the state forests provide recreational facilities for hiking and picnicking.
| align=left | Name | align=left | Region | align=left | Counties | align=left | Size | align=left | Public Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backbone Ridge State Forest | Mountains | Caldwell | 476acres | No public access | |||||
| Bladen Lakes State Forest | Coastal Plain | Bladen | 32700acres | Open year-round via permit | |||||
| Clemmons Educational State Forest | Piedmont | Johnston, Wake | 825acres | Open year-round | |||||
| DuPont State Recreational Forest | Mountains | Henderson, Transylvania | 10473acres | Open year-round | |||||
| Gill State Forest | Mountains | Avery | 474acres | Not open to the general public | |||||
| Headwaters State Forest | Mountains | Transylvania | 6730acres | Open year-round | |||||
| Holmes Educational State Forest | Mountains | Henderson | 235acres | Open year-roud | |||||
| Jordan Lake Educational State Forest | Piedmont | Chatham | 900acres | Open year-round | |||||
| Mountain Island Educational State Forest | Piedmont | Lincoln, Gaston | 2000acres | Only open for scheduled guided tours | |||||
| Rendezvous Mountain State Forest | Mountains | Wilkes | 1500acres | Open year-round as gameland | |||||
| Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest | Coastal Plain | Bladen | 890acres | Open year-round | |||||
| Tuttle Educational State Forest | Mountains | Caldwell | 288acres | Open year-round |