Mountain Island Lake in North Carolina

Trip Overview

I would like to answer the question -- is there a mountain in Mountain Island Lake? The answer is yes. It's located almost a mile and a half south of the highway 16 bridge. In fact you can see it from there.

My friend Bob Vass and I launched from the put in on the north side of the bridge and made the paddle at sunrise on a Sunday morning (yes, skipped church that day). We experienced a little chop in the open water approaching the island but nothing serious.

When you get close, you realize that it's a lot bigger than it looks from the bridge. You can spend some time exploring the mountain but that morning there were campers on the island (and their dogs), so we circled and continued to explore the top side of the dam and some nice coves on the way back.

The short paddle will leave you with plenty of time to explore the rest of Mountain Island Lake. If you put-in at Latta Plantation, it's a 4 mile paddle to the mountain.

Accommodations:

It's run by Duke Power and is free to the public. Very clean and safe.

Fees:

No

Directions:

From Interstate-85 take hwy 16 north across the Mountain Island bridge. Take your first right to the boat launch in Gaston County.