Travel NC With Kids

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:

Interactive Ways to Learn About Nature © Katrena

Thanks for visiting Travel NC With Kids!

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Lumber River State Park - National Wild and Scenic River with Tea-colored Water

My family visited six state parks in two days when traveling toward the southeastern part of North Carolina. Lumber River State Park was our last stop.

We visited the Chalk Bank Access in Wagram. The state park has another access, Princess Ann, about an hour away in Orrum. Lumber River State Park follows the river through four North Carolina counties and 115 miles.

The entrance road at the Chalk Bank Access is gravel and we could see several trails branching off on each side. We found a small parking area by a small pond. The park is rather natural and untamed in many ways.

We saw what looked like the beginnings of a TRACK trail beyond the parking area. One informational sign was up. At this point the trail is not paved, but it looks like they may be working on paving the area in the future.

The water here at this park is an unusual tea color and according to the web site, it is a black water river with a federal designation as a national wild and scenic river. The color comes from leached tannins from vegetation decaying along the water. The Lumber River, previously called Drowning Creek, is divided into sections: recreational, scenic, and natural.

Beyond the TRACK trail, we found primitive campsites. They are shaded, have ample room, and each site has a picnic table. One looks to be handicap accessible with a picnic table that will allow someone with a wheelchair to sit at the table.

My crew explored one of the small trails on the other side of the pond. A birdhouse was close to the road and a bridge crossed the water.

We found quite a few dragonflies or damselflies along this section. One dragonfly landed on two of us! Any outdoor area near water in most warmer months is going to have mosquitoes, so I would recommend bug spray if you plan to hike.

Since this was the last stop on our six-park excursion, my crew was pretty tired and ready to hit the road back home, so we only explored a few minutes at this park. It looks to be in progress and is very much geared toward those who are interested in taking to the waters by boat or perhaps fishing along the shore.

If you're interested in finding more information about the park, including maps, location, camping, history, ecology, or videos, go to the Lumber River State Park official page on the North Carolina State Parks web site. Click here to find a word search puzzle I designed related to Lumber River State Park. Find lists and photos of plants and animals at the park at the Natural Resources Inventory Database.

You can read more about my family's visits to various state parks and other locations in North Carolina at the site map or you might start with these nearby state parks:

Thanks so much for visiting Travel NC With Kids!