Learn how to explore North Carolina's gamelands

This week, Brian McRae, Division Chief of Land and Water Access for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, discusses the hiking opportunities abundant in the half million acres of land owned by the WRC across the state. Be warned, though: these aren't your tamed and groomed state or national parks. They tend to be a little wilder — and a lot less crowded. In short, they require a little extra preparation before exploring, and Brian discusses the various resources available to help you do just that.
Helpful links:

• N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission website, and specifically the maps page. 
• Avenza Maps. Find pdf versions of all NCWRC gameland maps on the Avenza app,  including location service. 
• OnX. Also find maps, geared more toward hunters, on the OnX app.

Check out gamelands in other Southeast states:

• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
• Virginia Division of Wildlife Resources
• South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
• Georgia Wildlife Resources Division
• West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

In the News segment:

• Read the Asheville Citizen-Times article on Linville Gorge's South End Trails Project here.
• Learn more about Outforia's look at deaths in National Parks between 2010 and 2020, here.