Located in Browns Summit, NC, The Summit Environmental Education Center at Haw River State Park offers hiking trails, educational programs, overnight stays, a disc golf course, scenic overlooks, and a six acre lake for fishing and canoeing. It is a frequented location for bird watchers, fisherman, herpetologists, and hikers. It offers a unique bird walking trail as well as an extensive wetlands area inhabited by a diverse group of reptiles and amphibians. It also offers a, “serene and natural setting for successful employee training programs, family reunions, youth retreats, teambuilding conferences, spiritual retreats, and club events.” Frequent clients include businesses, governmental agencies, conservation organizations, college and university groups, health care organizations, hobby groups (herpetologists, ornithologists, etc.), churches, and scout groups. 
The wetlands themselves are an area of focused protection for the park because they serve as a key habitat in the breeding of amphibians such as spotted salamanders, chorus frogs, and cricket frogs. Adjacent to the wetlands is a creek bed laced with stone that is known for its abundance of snapping turtles. The park has also been found to be a frequented area for tortoises as well. During my visit, I sighted a milk snake, four species of frog, a snapping turtle, boxed turtles, a toad, a salamander, and a skink.
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