Travel NC With Kids: Lake Norman State Park

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Lake Norman State Park - Extensive Trails and a Ton of Ways to Ride the Waves

Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Lake Norman State Park, located in Iredell County about 40 miles north of Charlotte, lies on part of North Carolina's largest man-made lake. The park includes about 17 miles along the northern shore of Lake Norman. There is no fee to enter the park, but some activities like camping, boat rentals, and swimming do have fees.

Lake Norman State Park Visitor Center © Katrena

When some people think of Lake Norman, they might automatically think of all the houses along the shore and multiple piers and docks as seen from the interstate. The state park celebrates the natural beauty of the lake and wooded areas with hiking trails, biking trails, camping, boating, swimming, and other activities.

State Park Near Troutman NC © Katrena

We visited Lake Norman State Park in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The welcome center, swimming, and boat rentals were closed, but the trails were open and well-maintained. The larger bathrooms were closed, but two single-stall bathrooms on the side were open and clean. Visitors were free to walk onto the back deck of the welcome center and enjoy the view and rocking chairs as well.

Beautiful Hiking Trails in NC © Katrena

North Carolina State Park - Lake Norman © Katrena

Enjoy Nature with the Family © Katrena

The park has a lot of picnic areas. Many are right by the lake and have pretty views. Most picnic tables are shaded while a few eating and sitting areas are sunnier.

Hiking Trails Near Water in NC © Katrena

Hiking Trail at Lake Norman © Katrena

A park ranger happened to be walking by and stopped to talk from a distance. Many of the rangers provide regular programs at the state parks and share their knowledge of the park, animals, and plants in the area. I always enjoy having a chance to ask a ranger about the park and get tips for things to do and see!

Dragonfly Trail at Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Paved TRACK Trail that is Handicap Accessible © Katrena

We hiked the Dragonfly Trail first. It is a paved 0.15 loop with informational signs. Many of the signs are interactive with questions. Visitors can find the answers by opening doors or turning segments of the display. The Dragonfly Trail is wheelchair accessible. The informational signs include a nice variety of information.

Learn About Nature While Hiking © Katrena

Outdoor Educational Activities © Katrena

We heard quite a few birds in the wooded area near the parking lot and along the Dragonfly Trail. The park is home to a large number of birds, such as bald eagles, scarlet tanagers, and yellow-billed cuckoos, just to name a few. We also saw squirrels and other small animals as we hiked.

Lake Norman Viewing Areas that are Free © Katrena

Fishing on Lake Norman © Katrena

We found a nicely maintained deck with stairs to a lower deck overlooking the water on the left side. Our family saw turtles, fish, and dragonflies while listening to beautiful bird calls at the deck. Water seems to always attract mosquitoes, so if your crew has mosquito magnets in the bunch, I would suggest bug spray in warmer weather.

Easy Hiking Trails in NC © Katrena

The Alder Trail is not paved but is nicely maintained. It hugs the edge of the water. One side trail takes hikers a short way out to a small dammed area with steps to the water's edge. This spot provides a nice view of the visitor center.

Alder Trail at Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Interesting Mushrooms Along Lake Norman Hiking Trail © Katrena

Beauty of Nature at State Park in Iredell County © Katrena

Pretty Flowers at Lake Norman © Katrena

We continued down the Alder Trail and found a nice variety of trees, shrubs, mosses, mushrooms, and a few wildflowers.

Pretty Picnic Spots in North Carolina © Katrena

Alder Trail View © Katrena

Wildlife on Hiking Trail in NC State Parks © Katrena

At the far end of the trail we found a picnic table and small bench. We stayed in that spot and enjoyed watching the dragonflies, damselflies, minnows, a lizard, and fish. It was quite enjoyable and relaxing!

Boating on Lake Norman © Katrena

Fishing at Lake Norman © Katrena

Paddling at Lake Norman © Katrena

Jet Skiing at Lake Norman © Katrena

Water Activities at Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Quite a few people were out on the water the day we visited. We saw fishing boats, kayaks, paddleboards, jet skis, and more. It was a lot of fun to see how others were enjoying the beautiful June morning on the water. The park normally offers a variety of boats for rent, including pedal boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards, but these are all on hold due to pandemic regulations.

Paddleboarding at Lake Norman © Katrena

Faith Talks About Paddling at Lake Norman and Hammocks Beach © Katrena

Faith, the person on the paddleboard in the photos, talked with us as she floated on the water. She mentioned seeing a lot of turtles and herons on the lake that day and also paddling to Hammocks Beach, one of the state parks we have not yet visited.

Turtle at Alder Trail in Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Shaded Hiking Trails in Piedmont NC © Katrena

Fun Outdoor Family Activities - Could Normie be Watching Us from Lake Norman? © Katrena

We walked back on the other side of the Alder Trail loop. It took us to the lower deck that we had seen earlier. Is there a monster-like creature that lives in the depths of the lake? We didn't see Normie, if he exists, but perhaps Normie saw us!

Bikers on Itusi Trail and Accessible Picnic Table at Lake Norman © Katrena

Itusi Bike Trail at Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

As we hiked, we saw several people taking advantage of the bike trails at Lake Norman State Park. The Itusi Trail includes 8 loops with 30.5 miles of biking trails. The bike trails are more narrow than the hiking trails and also looked well-maintained.

Dog Friendly State Parks in NC © Katrena

Several vehicles were in the parking lot. I think many were biking and boating that day, which made social distancing quite simple and easy for our group as we find hiking to be a fun, safe activity in the midst of a pandemic. The few people and pets we did see on the trails were friendly and respectful to others on the trail.

Hiking Trails in North Carolina © Katrena

If you are interested in learning more about Lake Norman State Park's location, hours, history, ecology, camping, trails, videos, and more, check out the Lake Norman State Park official page on the North Carolina State Parks web site.

North Carolina State Parks and Recreation © Katrena

If you have favorite spots in North Carolina where you like to travel, feel free to send me an email with suggestions for other places to go in the state. You might also like to check out more of my articles by looking at my site map, reading my other article about Lake Norman, or looking at some of these articles of state parks that are near Lake Norman, including:

Thanks for visiting Travel NC With Kids!

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Lake Norman State Park - Enjoy the View from the Porch and Beautiful Trails

Lake Norman State Park - Photo by D.W.

Lake Norman State Park, located at 759 State Park Road in Troutman, North Carolina, is actually the closest state park to my home town. It is only 30 minutes from where I grew up, and I'm ashamed to say this is the first time I have ever visited the park. I guess we all might be a bit guilty of taking our own back yard for granted.

I had heard that folks could swim in the lake at Lake Norman State Park, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of the park. Yes, it does have a sandy beach area where swimmers can enjoy swimming for a nominal fee. There were very few swimmers when we visited on a weekday late morning. Entrance into the park and use of the trails is free. Those who wish to camp, boat, or swim can check rates at the link provided near the bottom of this article.

We visited Lake Norman State Park in July 2016 and decided to check out the Welcome Center first. My kids have gotten involved with the NC State Parks Passport program, so we get a stamp for each state park we visit. This year, 2016, is the centennial celebration of our state park system, so this year's stamps all include a special 100-year insignia.

Fun Free Family Activities in Iredell County NC

The folks at the Welcome Center were very nice and helpful. Although I do a good deal of online research before visiting a state park, there is nothing that can replace the helpful hints offered by someone who works there. Whenever I ask which trails they might suggest, I have always found the advice to be helpful. The state park system is creating some wonderful interactive educational centers in the various parks that highlight something pertinent to the region, so we toured the indoor displays first and then headed outside to the trails.

One of our favorite spots at this park lies on the back porch of the Welcome Center. You will find a huge, welcoming back porch with rocking chairs that overlook the lake. One Facebook friend described it as "sort of like Cracker Barrel but with a better view." Yep, that about sums it up. My mom said she could easily spend half the day out there in a rocking chair, soaking up the beauty of the scenery and sounds of nature.

We decided to try the 0.15 mile Dragonfly Trail first. The trail begins just to the left of the Welcome Center and is handicap accessible. This trail is quite educational with large, colorful interactive displays that encourage visitors to read about the various plants and animals of the area. Many of the displays asked questions and would offer answers after lifting a flap.

The Dragonfly Trail leads to the Alder Trail, which includes 0.8 mile of shaded, scenic lake views. This trail is not paved and has some tree roots and a few stairs along the way. It includes some interactive displays and a deck with stairs leading down close to the water on the left. Seeing the lake from several different directions provided lots of photo opportunities and a nice walk that was level in most areas in addition to the opportunity to see a few animals that were drawn to the water on a day with temperatures in the mid- to high-90s.

This state park is also known for an extensive 30.5-mile bike trail. We saw several people bringing their bikes to enjoy the day here. We didn't have bikes with us, but from what I could see, the bike trail seemed to be cleared and marked well.

We also drove to another area of the park on Shortleaf Drive and found shaded picnic tables and a picnic shelter. We had our picnic lunch in this area, but I don't think it offered as good a view as the area near the Nature Center. The next time we visit Lake Norman State Park, we'll probably plan to have our picnic in that first area and will likely hang out in those rocking chairs on the back porch for a while!

Visit the Lake Norman State Park official web site for directions, swimming fees, trail maps, and more.

Additional articles by Katrena

Easy Family Hiking Trail in North Carolina

Thanks for visiting Travel NC With Kids! I hope you find my articles and pictures to be helpful if you are planning a family outing. Have you visited Lake Norman State Park? If so, what was your favorite memory of your visit?