Raven Rock State Park is a Popular Day Trip

Raven Rock State Park is an increasingly popular park to visit and experience for families in the Fort Bragg area.

Visitors to the park include groups organized by Fort Bragg’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR), which recently hosted an overnight trip to the park for soldiers and their families. The trip included kayaking and canoeing along the Cape Fear River and camping at Raven Rock.

Raven Rock is a North Carolina State Park. The visitors' center is at 3009 Raven Rock Road, Lilington, N.C.  

“It’s a hidden secret,” said Daniel Brown, a park ranger at Raven Rock, which is about an hour's drive from Fayetteville.

Brown has worked at Raven Rock for 21 years and has witnessed the park’s development over time. “Raven Rock has a new visitors’ center,  which has allowed us to extend programming,” he said. The state park also has an exhibit hall that displays the cultural and geological history of the park.  

Raven Rock has over 11 miles of well-maintained, hiking trails and two bridle trails for horseback riders. The park also has three camp sites next to the Cape Fear River. One of the campsites is designated for group campers, one campsite is located near the Cape Fear River for those traveling by canoe or kayak, and the third campsite is classified as a wilderness campsite in the middle of wooded terrain.

Hours and Reservations

This summer, Raven Rock State Park’s gate hours are from 8 a.m.to 9 p.m.

Reservations, which can be made online, are required for camping in large groups and highly recommended for smaller groups. If a trip will occur within 48 hours, reservations must be made at the Raven Rock Visitors’ Center.

Call the Raven Rock Visitors’ Center at 910-893-4888 to learn more about programs and guidelines. To learn more about future MWR kayaking and canoeing trips to Raven Rock, call 910-396-1774.