North Carolina has lakes where blue-green water meets forest-covered mountains, sandy swimming beaches, rocky shorelines, and quiet coves that look almost too perfect to be real.
Some stretch for miles beneath the Blue Ridge Mountains, while others hide among huge national forests or offer clear water made for kayaking, swimming, fishing, and boating.
You’ll even find lakes with towering dams, bald eagles flying overhead, famous movie connections, and shorelines where you can camp just steps from the water.
Grab your swimsuit, hiking shoes, or kayak because these seven North Carolina lakes pack in some seriously incredible scenery.
1. Fontana Lake
Fontana Lake stretches for about 29 miles across western North Carolina, where its deep blue-green water winds between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Nantahala National Forest.
The 10,230-acre reservoir has more than 240 miles of shoreline, much of it surrounded by forest, making kayaking, boating, fishing, and swimming especially scenic.
You can fish for smallmouth bass, walleye, and trout, paddle into quiet coves, or take a boat across the lake to reach remote hiking trails inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
At the lake’s western end, check out Fontana Dam, a 480-foot-tall concrete dam completed in 1944 that remains the tallest dam in the eastern United States and offers huge mountain-and-water views from the top.
2. Nantahala Lake
For an even higher mountain escape, Nantahala Lake sits at about 3,000 feet above sea level in Macon County, surrounded by the forest-covered peaks of Nantahala National Forest.
This 1,605-acre reservoir has around 30 miles of shoreline, with clear water that makes swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, and boating easy ways to spend a sunny afternoon.
Anglers come here for trout and bass, and Nantahala Lake was historically known for its unusual population of kokanee, a landlocked form of Pacific sockeye salmon.
The lake also feeds the Nantahala River, famous for whitewater rafting, while nearby Wayah Bald offers sweeping mountain views from a stone observation tower at 5,342 feet.
3. Lake Lure
From Nantahala’s high mountain waters, Lake Lure brings a totally different scene, with 720 acres of water framed by the steep slopes of Hickory Nut Gorge in western North Carolina.
You can swim at Lake Lure Beach, rent a kayak or pontoon boat, or cruise past wooded coves while looking up at nearby Chimney Rock, a 315-foot granite outcrop towering above the gorge.
Movie fans may recognize the area from the 1987 classic Dirty Dancing, which filmed several scenes around Lake Lure, including locations used for the staff cabins and dance sequences.
For an incredible view over the lake, head to Chimney Rock State Park and climb to the top of Chimney Rock, where Lake Lure spreads out below the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains.
4. Lake James
Lake James is all about outdoor adventure, spreading across 6,812 acres near Morganton at the base of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
Lake James State Park gives you easy access to the water, including a swimming beach at Paddy’s Creek, kayak launches, picnic areas, and more than 20 miles of hiking and biking trails.
For a closer look at the shoreline, tackle the 0.75-mile Holly Discovery / K.I.P. Track Trail, or paddle past forested coves with views of the mountains rising beyond the water.
The lake was created between 1916 and 1923 by damming the Catawba and Linville rivers, and anglers can cast for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, and catfish.
5. Badin Lake
Leaving Lake James and the Blue Ridge foothills behind, Badin Lake spreads across roughly 5,300 acres in central North Carolina, with much of its shoreline bordering the 50,000-plus-acre Uwharrie National Forest.
Boating is a big deal here, and you can launch from several access points to explore quiet coves or cast for largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, catfish, and sunfish.
For time on land, head to the nearby Badin Lake Recreation Area and hike the 5.6-mile Badin Lake Hiking Trail through the wooded lakeside recreation area.
Badin Lake was created in 1917 by damming the Yadkin River, and today its mix of forest, rocky shoreline, islands, and wide-open water makes it especially fun to explore by kayak.
6. Jordan Lake
Next up is Jordan Lake, a nearly 14,000-acre reservoir located 35 minutes from Raleigh near Apex, Pittsboro, and Chapel Hill.
Jordan Lake State Recreation Area has nine access areas, where you can swim at sandy beaches, launch a kayak, camp near the shoreline, or boat across miles of open water.
Keep your eyes on the sky because the lake supports one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles in the eastern United States, with these massive birds often spotted fishing near the water.
For an easy hike, try the 1.5-mile Seaforth Pond Trail, then cool off at nearby Seaforth Beach, or grab a fishing rod and cast for largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and striped bass.
7. Santeetlah Lake
Santeetlah Lake brings you back to the mountains, covering about 2,880 acres near Robbinsville in far western North Carolina.
More than 75 percent of its 76-mile shoreline is protected by Nantahala National Forest, so instead of rows of buildings, you’ll see wooded mountains dropping straight toward clear blue-green water.
Launch a kayak or boat from Cheoah Point Recreation Area, swim from its small beach, or fish for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, trout, and crappie.
The lake was created in 1928 by damming the Cheoah River, and you can camp right beside the water at primitive lakeside sites along Santeetlah Lake, making sunrise paddles ridiculously easy.
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