Mayo River State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayo River State Park |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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U.S. 220 access to Mayo River State Park
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 Mayo River State Park
Location in North Carolina
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| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, United States |
| Area | 2,778 acres (11.24 km2) |
| Established | May 31, 2003 |
| Named for | Mayo River |
| Governing body | North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation |
| Website | Mayo River State Park |
Mayo River State Park is a North Carolina state park in Rockingham County, North Carolina in the United States. It covers 2,778-acre (11.24 km2) along the Mayo River. The State of Virginia is planning a state park on the same river. North Carolina's park is near Mayodan, North Carolina. The park is one of the newest in the North Carolina system, having been authorized by the General Assembly in May 2003. An interim facility, called the Mayo Mountain Access, was opened to the public on April 1, 2010.
Information
The park's principle public access area is the Mayo Mountain Access, near Mayodan. A visitor contact station, two picnic shelters, a small picnic area, a half-mile loop hiking trail, a 1.8-mile loop hiking trail, rest rooms, a catch and release fishing pond, and a maintenance facility were built or renovated at the public access. The area was once a private, corporate park formally known as Mayo Park. The state renovated and restored some of the existing structures from the former park, including a picnic shelter designed by architect Antonin Raymond. Raymond designed the original Mayo Park, and the park tried rebuild the area in a style compatible with Raymond's design.
The park has several other land holdings along the river with small access points. One area of the park, near the Virginia state line, has a waterfall call Fall Creek Falls, which has its own small parking and picnic area.
Nearby state parks
The State of Virginia is acquiring land for a state park adjacent to North Carolina's Mayo River State Park. In 2019, Virginia acquired 214 acres with the assistance of the Piedmont Land Conservancy. Regarding state parks presently open to the public, the following are within 30 miles (48 km) of Mayo River State Park:
