Lake Norman State Park

About Lake Norman State Park

Lake Norman State Park is the perfect destination for outdoor fun near Charlotte. The impressive Itusi Trail features nearly 31 miles of single-track mountain biking trails for outdoor enthusiasts. The park also overlooks the largest man-made lake in the state, Lake Norman, covering 17 miles of its northern shoreline. Park Lake, set off from the lake by a dam, provides quieter fishing spots and great paddling opportunities. To top it off, two islands in the park are home to heron rookeries with more than 25 great blue heron nests. Experience a perfect getaway at Lake Norman State Park, just 40 miles north of Charlotte. The Itusi Trail offers mountain bikers an impressive 31 miles of single-track trails, while the park overlooks the largest man-made lake in the state. Park Lake, set off from the larger lake by a dam, provides peaceful fishing spots and paddling. Bird-lovers might be interested in the heron rookeries on two islands, boasting over 25 great blue heron nests. Whether you prefer biking or fishing, Lake Norman State Park has something for everyone. Lake Norman State Park provides an array of outdoor activities just 40 miles north of Charlotte. The popular Itusi Trail offers 31 miles of single-track mountain biking trails, while Lake Norman and Park Lake provide great fishing and paddling spots. In addition, heron rookeries on two islands shelter over 25 great blue heron nests. It's the perfect place to enjoy a weekend away with friends and family, or just to relax and take in the beautiful scenery.

Programs

The classes, camps and experiences this business offers.

Junior Ranger Program

Becoming a Junior Ranger gives kids the opportunity to learn about and explore North Carolina's beautiful state parks with their families or scout, school, and homeschool groups through self-led educational activities and programs. Junior Rangers may also have the opportunity to help park staff protect the health of the park through short community service projects.

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Educational Programs

The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation has long been committed to providing interpretive and educational programs for the public. After all, we call our state parks “nature’s classrooms.” But it wasn’t until recently that we rewrote our mission statement to specifically name education as a tenet. By doing so, we wanted to acknowledge that education is at the center of our mission —to teach the safe and healthy ways to recreate outside, from fishing tournaments to backpacking lessons and hands-on demonstrations about camping... all while exemplifying good stewardship of our natural resources. Passion for nature starts with learning about the world around us. To love something is to know something, and we believe in sparking that knowledge at a young age. We offer a lot of engaging programs at state parks, such as Track Trails and the Junior Ranger program, to start encouraging children's natural curiosity about what they experience on a trail, by the water, or in the forest. We also launched the Schools in Parks initiative to ensure every public school student experiences our state parks by the time they finish secondary school.

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