Clay County: Lake Chatuge, forests and Cherokee culture

At Lake Chatuge, Clay County reveals itself as a destination for days by the water and in a heavily forested landscape. The lake has 133 miles of shoreline and covers 7,200 acres; one half lies in North Carolina and the other in Georgia. Along the shore, you can go boating, swimming and fishing, as well as picnic and stroll. There are also trails through open forests and insights into Cherokee history and culture. This allows you to tailor your stay to different interests rather than reducing all your experiences to a single type of outing.

Lake Chatuge, forests and trails

About 87 percent of Clay County’s 213 square miles are forested. This includes forested mountains along the northern and eastern borders. Nantahala National Forest covers 85 percent of the county’s forested area and was established in 1920. The two figures refer to different measures: the share of the county’s total area that is forested and the share of the forested area covered by the national forest.

Lake Chatuge offers several ways to spend time by the water: boating, camping, swimming, fishing, picnicking and walking along the shore. Jackrabbit Mountain Recreation Area provides access to the lake for motorized boats; details of lake access may vary seasonally, and individual facilities may be subject to seasonal restrictions. If water activities are important to your trip, check the relevant conditions before your visit.

The Jackrabbit Mountain Trail offers a different perspective: the 2.4-mile, easy loop trail passes through open forests and offers views of Lake Chatuge. Nearby, the Leatherwood Loop and Fires Creek Trails include a 1-mile paved trail and a 0.7-mile hike around Leatherwood Falls. In the Tusquitee Ranger District, which includes Clay County and Cherokee County, the Hiwassee River offers opportunities for canoeing.

Cherokee history and local insights

The Old Jail Museum is housed in the former Clay County jail, built in 1912. The Cherokee Homestead Exhibit is an open-air site with reconstructed buildings from a 17th- and 18th-century Cherokee village. A free, self-guided tour includes a summer house, a winter house and a food storage building.

Fort Hembree served as a gathering point for Cherokee people from the northern and central parts of what is now Clay County. The Cherokee Cultural Center is located in Moss Memorial Library in downtown Hayesville. It displays Cherokee artifacts, as well as books and historical maps about Cherokee history and culture. At the Cherokee Botanical Sanctuary, interpretive signs explain traditional uses of plants as medicine and food, as well as materials for household items and weapons.

Classes, crafts and recurring events

The John C. Campbell Folk School offers adults weeklong and weekend classes year-round. Subjects range from traditional and contemporary crafts to art, music and dance, as well as cooking, gardening, nature studies, photography and writing. The 300-acre campus extends across Clay County and Cherokee County.

The Cherokee Heritage Festival takes place every year on the third Saturday in September. The program includes demonstrations of traditional Cherokee crafts and Cherokee dishes such as fry bread with various toppings. The Folk School’s Annual Fall Festival was founded in 1974 and takes place every year on the first full weekend in October. The two events therefore offer different reasons to visit in September or October, while Folk School classes are offered year-round.

Discover more destinations: Hayesville, Craven County, Granville County, Alleghany County, Macon County, Cleveland, Lenoir, Davie County.

View the main travel guide: North Carolina.