I accidentally stumbled upon the Fonta Flora State Park Trailhead off NC-126 and am so glad I did! I probably hadn’t heard of it because construction of the Fonta Flora State Trail (FFST) only began in 2016. Formally the Lake James Loop Trail, the trail loops around Lake James on the Burke County side. The long-term plan is to connect downtown Morganton to downtown Asheville with the loop around the lake at the center. The trail system will be 90 miles long at completion! I barely scratched the surface of the existing trail with my 5 mile trail hike/run and will definitely return to explore more (likely with my mountain bike next time). The primarily natural surface trail was easy to hike with some gentle hills and lake and nature views. There is a nice paved parking area with restrooms and a detailed map of the trail.
I highly recommend the FFST for walking, hiking, mountain biking, trail running, dog walking, and nature exploring for people of all ages and abilities!
Rachel Stark is a multimillion-dollar top producing real estate professional & REALTOR, who is known for her high standards of professionalism and dedication to client satisfaction. Rachel has an extensive market knowledge of the Lake James, Marion and Morganton areas. Call Rachel Stark at (828) 329-3552 for a free consultation, if you are interested in buying or selling real estate near Lake James, NC.