Lake James State Park is located in Burke and McDowell Counties. Boating, swimming, and fishing are available on Lake James within the park. The trails also offer different ways to experience nature: Paddy’s Creek has 22 miles of trails, while the Catawba River area has 4.5 miles. These two distances offer a concrete point of comparison if you’d like to include trails in your travel plans.

Lakes, trails, and elevations

South Mountains State Park offers a different perspective on the landscape. The Jacob Fork Access is in Burke County; elevations there reach up to 3,000 feet. High Shoals Falls is a notable feature of this access area. The park also has more than 40 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Alongside views of the elevations, the focus is on the different ways to use the trails.

At Fonta Flora State Trail, the focus returns to Lake James: the trail is beginner-friendly, is designed as a doubletrack trail, and offers lake views. If you’re looking for a trail specifically described as beginner-friendly, this is a concrete option. Together with the hiking trails of varying lengths at Lake James and the extensive trail network in the South Mountains, it shows how varied nature experiences in Burke County can be.

Waldensian history and county culture

The History Museum of Burke County combines a broad historical span with an extensive collection: it houses more than 23,000 artifacts in 10,000 square feet of exhibition space, and admission is free. The collections cover local history from prehistory through the county’s industrial development in the late 1960s. The museum can therefore offer a look at several eras, rather than limiting the history of Burke County to a single subject.

Waldensian heritage takes center stage in Valdese. The Waldensian Heritage Museum houses the largest collection of Waldensian artifacts in the United States. The Waldensian Festival offers another window into Waldensian history and culture: it brings locals and visitors together to celebrate that history and culture.

The Trail of Faith also offers a practical look at the design of a visitor route: it runs along level concrete, with a sitting wall extending along its entire length. The Then & Now Walking Tour lets visitors stroll through Valdese and discover historical stories and selected downtown buildings. The focus is on stories spanning generations and the buildings highlighted by the tour. Trail design, storytelling, and architecture are different ways to get to know Valdese.

A place from film history

Henry River Mill Village was the original filming location for District 12 in the first Hunger Games film. Visitors can explore the remains of the site on guided tours. Its connection to the film and the history of the former village give this experience a different character from Burke County’s nature and museum experiences.

Discover more destinations

Morganton, Valdese, Henderson, Chowan County, Beaufort County, Northampton County, Avery County, Person County

For the overarching travel overview: North Carolina.