Lake Glenville, NC

Lake Glenville is pristine reservoir located just 8 miles from Cashiers in Jackson County. Located in a beautiful North Carolina mountain rain forest, the lake has 26 miles of shoreline and is the highest elevation of any lake east of the Mississippi (3,494 feet). It offers plenty of things to do for outdoors-lovers, including tubing, skiing, paddleboarding, kneeboarding, swimming and fishing. It's about 15 miles south of Western Carolina University.

Signal Ridge Marina
The wonderful folks at Signal Ridge Marina (located on NC Highway 107) rents a variety of easy-to-operate Bennington pontoons and tritoons for you to explore the lake (by the hour or for multiple days), perfect for both novice and experienced boaters. They are open April-October and also rent tubes, stand up paddleboards, skis, wakeboards and kneeboards. And they have the only gas on the lake! Water temperature runs about 80 degrees in July and August. Click here to visit their website.

Waterfalls
A unique feature for a lake is three waterfalls! Rent a boat from Signal Ridge Marina and explore the lake to Norton Falls, Hurricane Falls and Mill Creek Falls, along with the flowers and lush foliage. Take a picnic or watch the sunset over the lake.

Fishing
For the fisherman, the lake has large and small mouth bass, walleye, yellow perch. crappie, rainbow and brown trout, large brim and a few catfish. Best fishing is in the spring with walleye and bass below the falls and on the rocks. Crappie and brim move on the banks and trout over the channel. Summer is best early and late in the day. In fall, the trout and walleye move shallower as the water cools. Again, check with Signal Ridge Marina for advice and any help with your boat or renting one. The lake bottom plunges as steeply as the mountains that meet the shore. The depth a short distance from the water's edge may reach 80 feet or more.

Beach
Amenities at the Pines Recreation Area include a sandy mountain beach, swim area, fishing pier, picnic tables, vault toilets, and a parking lot. It's also fully handicap accessible. From Highway 107 in Glenville, take Pine Creek Road two miles to the signed "Pines Recreation Area" on the left. Free admission. No pets allowed here.

High Falls
Just below the dam is the 150-ft. High Falls. A hiking trail takes you to the base, starting across the road from Pine Recreation Area. On several days each year, big volumes of water are released from the dam to create a thundering waterfall with plenty of water for kayakers to navigate down the river. Read about the hike to High Falls.

On the week of July 4th, rent a boat and enjoy a big fireworks show over the lake.

Each fall, rent a boat to see colors from the water! Peak color is usually mid-October.

Nearby: Take a scenic drive from Lake Glenville north to Western Carolina University, Dillsboro, and Sylva. And see more things to do in Cashiers.