lake norman state park

I have no experience with the swimming, campground or picnic areas. There are a few well marked and somewhat improved trails (meaning natural features not steps). Lots of great, lake views. Quiet and we've never been crowded. The boat launch has a spacious parking lot and good room to back the boat in. The restroom is also accessible from the walking trails.

The park has many picnic tables all around the lake. There are bike trails and they have a nice camp ground, fishing and walking trails. The swimming area is nice to lay out but can get muddy. They are building a new visitor center. Some times we just come out to ride around and look for deer. They have a very nice community building they rent out.

Enjoyed a mountain bike trail the first day, then a hike around the lake. Well maintained trails, too cold to swim, but looked inviting. Would recommend to anyone in the area.

We had limited experience as were traveling through and only stopped to picnic. The picnic area was amazing. It overlooked the lake and the dining areas were in great condition.The bathroom facilities were some of the cleanest I've ever seen in a state park. We didn't see the camping facilities, and there were a lot of opportunities for biking. I have a feeling that I would spend a lot of time here if I lived nearby. It was beautiful, clean and the lake views were great.

This was the first part of Lake Norman I have seen. I has nice hikes around the lake, there is a small swimming beach. The water in the lake is not very inviting when it comes to swimming, looks muddy and dirty probably because of the nature of the lake's bottom. You can also ride your bike on and off the road. The main problem of the area are people walking their dogs with no leash on the hiking trails. It is a good place to visit but I was not overly impressed.

A scenic state park with loads of serene walking trails and quiet lake view. Don't waste your time in the so called 'beach'. Instead explore the trails by the side of Lake Norman, grab one picnic table by the shore. We did camping for a night. Enjoyed the place.

We took our kids here for a day hike one Saturday. We did a lake trail that winds around with views of Lake Norman. State parks are great because they are a free way to have some healthy fun. One additional thing I loved about this park, was that on this trail they had pamphlets at the start available for the parents to lead the children (or child led if old enough) on a nature scavenger hunt. There was one about different types of trees, which we completed, and actually learned a lot. It has pictures and characteristics of trees that you are to identify with your kids as you hike. They also had one about birds, which was harder, so we skipped that one. There was one that was more general, like find a rock with two colors on it, find a wildflower, find a mushroom, find a rotting log...etc. It was a lot of fun, and we completed it as well. There was another one that was for kids to do animal like exercises, like flap your wings like a hummingbird, crawl like an ant, hop like a frog...etc. So, although it slowed our pace considerably because we stopped so much, I was able to turn our hike into an educational experience thanks to these free pamphlets! It was great fun, and we all learned some new things. We also enjoyed the lake views and the trail itself wasn't too difficult. We did end up getting a bit lost, and ended at the wrong parking lot, but we were able to find our way back because there are maps posted in several spots, which is helpful. All in all, I'd say it's worth a visit, if you need some exercise, fresh air, and want to learn about nature for free!

looking for water on a hot day, we drove to lake norman state park. the website says its a beach, but I forgot in the south, "beaches arent beaches". lol. its a cute area for public access with a man made LITTLE play area and sand... pretty crowded and no place to really sit if you didnt bring lawn chairs or a tent. limited amounts of people can access this spot but everyone seemed friendly and the kids were having a blast. cant go out very far - its roped off. you pay a fee to swim in the lake. office and staff sell light snacks and swim passes on site. lifeguard on duty. i stayed 15 minutes.

Lake Norman State Park is a free park with hiking trails, bicycling, boat launch, camping and a beach for families. It's a great place!

My husband and I took our youngest,a 10yr old, for an easy day of hiking. We chose the Lake Shore trail and we meandered for a couple of hours. The terrain was up and down, not enough to hurt you afterwards but just enough to make you break a sweat. Our daughter, who would rather play video games all day long, had a terrific time. There were several pamphlets available to entice her to look for various animals, trees, hidden objects, etc. She had a great time and is already asking when can we go back!

This park is well taken care and seemingly well loved by everyone. There are plenty of trails for walking,hiking and biking. Campsites open from March through November. I beach with nice changing facilities. The concession has not been open on the various times we've visited. Oh, and canoe and paddle boat rentals too.

Nice family retreat especially in the summer. This is the kind of place you can take your family for a picnic and a day for no money.

I was rather disappointed by this experience. The beach was a tiny "fenced" off area and you had to pay to use the water. The only good part was that there were lifeguards watching constantly. While the refreshment stand served Pepsi, snacks, and a few types of ice cream, they did not accept credit or debit cards--BRING CASH!! I would not recommend wasting your time here, unless you absolutely have nothing else left to do in North Carolina. (Hint: Your time may be better spent visiting Freedom Park, Grandfather Mountain State Park, or the Blue Ridge Parkway.)

Very reasonable rate to rent the indoor facility for a party but the beach/sand is dirty and very thin(not much sand). I would not take my shoes off there or even lay down on a towel/blanket it would be to hard not enough sand for a cushion. The water is only a small space roped off for swimming. We went to look at it for a party because it looked so nice and clean online and indoor facility was a great rate. We did not book

we went for birthday party, the scene was pretty. we rode though there bunches and we love to just ride around looking or get out and walk around. kids like to swim and get ice cream