Waterfall Hero Hikes: Lake James State Park NC

Lake James State Park is a 3,700-acre North Carolina State Park in Burke and McDowell County, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains between Marion and Morganton. The park surrounds the 6,812-acre man-made lake with recreation opportunities on land and water. The lake was constructed by Duke Power Company in the early 20th century by building dams on Catawba River and two tributaries - Linville River and Paddy Creek. Named for James B. Duke, who founded the power company, the lake has produced hydroelectric power for a century. The state park was established in 1987 with 565 acres and has since grown to its present size. Today, the park offers several campgrounds, including remote paddle-in camping, a swim beach, boat rentals, and hiking and mountain biking trails, including sections of the Fonta Flora State Trail and Overmountain Victory State Trail.

Contact Information:

7321 N.C. 126
Nebo, NC 28761

Phone: (828) 584-7728
Email: lake.james@ncparks.gov
GPS: 35.75038, -81.89208

Map:

Trails:

Fishing Pier Trail:

Length: 0.3 miles (out-and-back)

Difficulty: Easy

Blaze: Blue Square

Fishing Pier Trail starts at the Catawba River Visitor Center and leads down to a wooden fishing pier in a scenic cove on the lake.

Fox Den Loop:

Length: 2.25 miles (loop)

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Orange Triangles

Fox Den Loop starts from the Catawba River Visitor Center and leads past the fishing pier to form a loop hike on the western end of the Catawba River Access of the park.

Holly Discovery Trail:

Length: 0.75 miles (loop)
Difficulty: Easy
Blaze: Red Triangles

Holly Discovery Trail is the park's TRACK Trail, in the Paddy Creek section of the park. The trailhead parking is on the left as you enter the Paddy Creek area. The trail has interpretive signs along the way and a spur leads down to a scenic spot on Paddy Creek.

Homestead Trail:

Length: 0.7 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Easy
Blaze: Blue & White Triangles

Homestead Trail is a connector that leads from the mountain bike parking area to Paddy Creek Trail.

Lake Channel Overlook:

Length: 1.5 miles (out-and-back)

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Red Diamonds

Lake Channel Overlook Trail starts at the Catawba River Visitor Center and leads past the walk-in campground, ending at a scenic overlook on the lake.

Mill's Creek Trail:

Length: 3.6 miles (loop)

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: Blue Triangles

Mill's Creek Trail starts from the swim beach and makes a loop around the campground.

Paddy Creek Trail:

Length: 1.0 mile (one way)
Difficulty: Moderate
Blaze: Orange Triangles

Paddy Creek Trail runs along the shore of Lake James from the visitor center to the entrance road, just across from Holly Discovery Trailhead parking.

Sandy Cliff Overlook Trail:

Length: 0.5 miles (out-and-back)

Difficulty: Moderate

Blaze: White Circles

Sandy Cliff Overlook Trail starts from the Catawba River Visitor Center and leads out to an overlook on the lake.

Points of Interest:

Lake Channel Overlook:

An overlook of the lake past the campground at the Catawba River Access.

Linville Gorge Overlook:

The Linville Gorge Overlook is near the entrance to the Paddy Creek section of the park. There is a nice view from here of the south end of Linville Gorge and Shortoff Mountain.