It may come as a surprise to many in North Carolina that we have an untouched state park. That is to say, it’s technically never been developed, yet is classified an (undeveloped) state park. If you’re all about spending time out of doors in quiet places where the masses don’t follow, then this could be your new secret hideaway. Take a look:
Located in North Carolina's Coastal Plain, Baytree Lake State Park is on the shores of Bay Tree Lake, a 609 acre lake filled to the brim with rich, blue waters.
You can't see it in this photo, but the north shore of the lake has a small amount of residential development. (It's not part of the state park.) From this vantage point, all you see is sapphire-blue water and white sand. (Also, please note: this photo was taken July 2017, and since then, NC State Parks has blocked access for vehicles to this area of the park.)
But at this link you can find a whole report compiled in 1996 for Bay Tree Lake State Park, including development plans that specified facilities, a swimming area, picnic shelters and a campground; all of which never came to fruition. Instead, according to Katie Hall, Public Information Officer for NC State Parks, the park is now officially designated as Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area (although it is conveniently absent from their list of managed parks accounted for on their official website). Further, (and thankfully!) the state's current intention is to never develop the park. In fact, they try to discourage recreational use of this state-owned land. Says Hall, "We have 34 state parks, 4 recreation areas, and a few other natural areas with trails that people should use for hiking, fishing, biking, four wheel beach driving, etc."
With all the being said, the Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area IS open to the public so... When can you get over there to check it out?
Bay Tree State Natural Area is located near Elizabethtown. As a point of reference, it's located 60 minutes northwest of Wilmington, and 60 minutes southeast of Fayetteville.
You'll see Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area is located on the western shore of Bay Tree Lake. A sandy road turns off from Highway 41 and leads to a parking lot.
This gorgeous North Carolina state park has never been developed, leaving the entire place protected and untouched for decades! Here’s a link to a Google Map that should help you with navigating to this untouched beauty in North Carolina.
Love discovering underrated state parks? We’ve listed seven here (in a previous article) that are definitely worthy of exploring.
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