Lake Lure - Closed!

As you approach Lake Lure from the south, on State Route 9 in NC, you drive down a hillside and the grandeur of Lake Lure sweeps out ahead of you. Some of that grandeur is missing this year. 

In September 24, 2024 Hurricane Helene devastated this area. Over 20 inches of rain fell in a day (after days of rain) causing local rivers to rise to phenomenal heights, roaring down the gorges and sweeping trees, fences, cars, shops, restaurants and homes down river. There were harrowing stories of people who rode the raging waters on mattresses, the roof of a house or on other debris. There were horrific stories of people being swept away and drowning. Bridges were torn out, roads were undermined, power was out, sewer lines were torn apart, water sources were contaminated. Life as folks knew it was disrupted for months. For some, normalcy won't return for years - if ever. The lake was, and still is, closed to all recreational use: no swimming, boating, paddle boarding...nothing. Therefore, the tourist trade, the mainstay of economy in this area, is non-existent. Many restaurants, shops and hotels were swept away in the flood in nearby Chimney Rock, and many establishments in surrounding communities were flooded - some having 2 feet of mud left by the storm. 

Clean up began almost immediately after the storm. The water level of the lake was dropped and is now over 20 feet lower to help with access to the debris from the storm, which in some areas was over 50' in depth! Additionally tons of dirt and silt poured into the lake from various rivers. 

Buffalo Creek is in the foreground in this picture, where it enters Lake Lure at the northern end of the lake. The creek used to have water almost up to the trees on the right. In the middle of the picture you see Lake Lure...or what used to be the lake where you'd see water craft and the water extended to the trees on the far side of the picture.

When we visited the lake in June you would have seen earth moving equipment in the lake bed in this picture. Dump trucks were moving silt and dirt dug from the lake. At one point it was reported that 140 trucks were carrying over 25 tons of dirt making up to three trips each and every day! 

More recently heavy equipment was digging out the marina (just out of sight from this picture) and the beach and swimming area, pictured below. You can see the life guard chair sitting amongst a sea of sand and dirt! 

Continuing excavation of the lake was halted as of a few days ago. Government funding was pulled. As of that time a total of 1,254,230 tons of sand/silt and sediment had been removed from Lake Lure, as well a total of 100,374 cubic yards of debris has been removed from the waterway.  To put this in perspective, I read online that 1 million tons of sand/silt would fill 300 Olympic size swimming pools! 

The lake is being allowed to slowly fill. The rate at which it does so is dependent on the amount of rain. 

The white structure with one door showing (above) is a boat house. 

The owner previously would pull his boat into the structure.

In some areas you can see boats resting on the mud banks, 

some still in below their boathouses!

This is the Lake House Restaurant on Lake Lure.  

We have eaten here many times over the years.

Last year we would ride with friends, in their boat, from our end of the lake 

and tie up at the dock to enjoy a nice lunch.

It will be a while before the lake fills enough to be able to do that again.

Whether the lake will reopen for recreational use next season remains unanswered. If additional funding is procured then dredging will continue in an attempt to make the depth of the water in the lake match what it was originally, and it is likely the lake won't reopen. If there is no new funding, the lake will fill, and it will open for recreational use again. But it will not have the original depth of water. 

PS: Did you know that many of the scenes in the film 'Dirty Dancing' were filmed at Lake Lure? The film was taking so long to shoot that the leaves began turning. Film crew had to go out in some areas and spray paint the leaves green!