Lake Waccamaw State Park

Walk boardwalks and trails along the largest Carolina bay, a shallow oval lake home to fish and snails found nowhere else on Earth.

1866 State Park Drive, Lake Waccamaw, NC 28450 · Lake Waccamaw, NC

About Lake Waccamaw State Park

Lake Waccamaw State Park sits 40 miles west of Wilmington on the shore of the largest Carolina bay, one of about 500,000 shallow oval basins on the Atlantic coastal plain and one of the few still holding open water. A limestone bluff lowers the lake's acidity, and several aquatic species live here and nowhere else. The park covers about 2,400 acres with 10 miles of hiking trails, a boat ramp, paddling, fishing, picnic areas, tent camping and a visitor center with exhibits. A footbridge over the Waccamaw Dam links trails along the lake's 14-mile shoreline. Day use is free.

#state park
#carolina bay
#paddling
#hiking
#fishing

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Lake Waccamaw State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Museums
Lake Waccamaw Depot Museum
No admission fee
A preserved 1904 train depot near Lake Waccamaw that now operates as a local history museum.
4.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville
No admission fee
A Whiteville branch of the state natural sciences museum, with exhibits and events and no general admission charge.
14 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
History Buff
Moores Creek National Battlefield
No admission fee
Walk the History Trail to the rebuilt bridge where North Carolina Patriots stopped a Loyalist broadsword charge in February 1776.
24 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Museums
History Buff
Battleship North Carolina
Under $25
Explore nine levels of a World War II battleship, from the gun turrets to where the crew ate and slept.
Transit: reachable by public transit
29 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
Carolina Beach State Park
No admission fee
Look for wild Venus flytraps on the trails, climb Sugarloaf Dune and launch a boat onto the Cape Fear River at a free park south of Wilmington.
36 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
New Hanover County Extension Service Arboretum
No admission fee
A county arboretum in Wilmington, NC, run by N.C. Cooperative Extension, focused on plants suited to southeastern North Carolina.
36 mi awayMore like this