Lake Glenville

Lake Glenville fills the valley of the West Fork of the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County, a few miles north of Cashiers along NC 107. Nantahala Power and Light built the dam in 1941 for hydroelectric generation; Duke Energy, which bought Nantahala in 1988, now controls the water level. The lake covers about 1,470 acres with 26 miles of shoreline and a full-pond elevation of 3,492 feet, which is why it is so often described as the highest lake east of the Mississippi. It was originally called Thorpe Reservoir, and the flooded settlement of Hamburgh gave up everything but its church and graveyard, which were moved to the shore.

Three waterfalls feed the lake: Hurricane, Norton and Mills Creek. Signal Ridge Marina is the only marina, Ralph J. Andrews Park offers public camping, and Duke's relicensing plan includes a public swimming beach. Private lakefront homes line the coves, Trillium Links and Lake Club runs a marina on the lake for its members, and Mountaintop's members use a lake club here.