Lake James

Created between 1916 and 1923 and named after the founder of the Duke Energy Company, Lake James is fed by the Catawba and Linville River tributaries. In 1987, 565 acres were set aside to form Lake James State Park. In 2010, more than 3,000 more acres around the lake were added and opened to the public.

It’s a beautiful area of North Carolina. From the Paddy’s Creek Visitor Center you can see Shortoff Mountain and the Linville Gorge in the distance.  You can also read about the Native American town of Joara and the Fonta Flora State Trail, which was named after a community of African American sharecroppers, who were displaced when the land was flooded to provide electricity for the surrounding areas.

I arrived shortly after sunrise to park near the beach and pull my kayak into the water. I spent a couple of hours taking photos before the sun burned away the morning fog.