Experience the finest among North Carolina Vacation Rentals in Highlands NC at The Lakehouse on Lake Glenville in Cashiers

Cashiers, North Carolina is America’s waterfall country. This gentle valley at 3,500 feet nestled in the southwest corner of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains is where you will find the natural beauty of nature and a dozen scenic waterfalls to visit.

A few miles just north of Cashiers is Lake Glenville and the American Continental Divide. Water from this elevation flows either southeast to the Atlantic Ocean or southwest to the Gulf of Mexico. Part of the water scene in the Cashiers area is the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, Whitewater Falls, a short drive south of the village. Whitewater Falls has a drop of 411 feet which is 244 feet more than Niagra Falls and approximately equal to the drop at Victoria Falls in Africa. When you visit Cashiers, you will want to stay a while. For information about staying at the Lakehouse contact Helen Cook at 904-321-2210 or helen@lodgingresources.com.

One of the many great adventures when you visit Jackson County  (Cashiers-Lake Glenville) in the North Carolina Mountains is a wide range of Great Smoky Mountain fishing opportunities. From dropping a line ‘right off the dock’ at the Lakeshouse to the numerous other lakes, rivers and streams in the area, angles find plenty to suit them here.

The Tuckasegee River is the largest body of water in Jackson County, and has been called “Western North Carolina’s best trout stream for fly anglers“. The North Carolina Mountains also offer scores of small streams that make for great mountain fishing locations. Fishing is also available in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the Cherokee Indian Reservation and on many North Carolina Mountain lakes in Jackson County including Lake Glenville – a 1,500 acre pure-water lake with 26 miles of shoreline habitat.

Fishermen visiting the Great Smoky Mountains have good success in their search for rainbow, brown and native brook trout, bass, bream, walley and crappie. Keep in mind that fishing regulations may apply and vare depending on where you choose to fish. Go to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission website for information about trout regulations, licensing information, Jackson County stream stocking information and directions to handicapped-accessible fishing spots.

Visit WNC Fly Fishing Trail for information about 15 prime spots to catch brook, brown and rainbow trout in Jackson County. Detailed trail maps are available free of charge on the site and at the Cashiers Chamber of Commerce and outfitters throughout Jackson County.

The Chattooga, a nationally designated Wild and Scenic River, has its origins at the base of Whiteside Mountain in Jackson County, NC giving rise to the argument that the Chattooga is really a North Carolina river. The first white water doesn’t appear until the Chatttooga begins to mark the border between Georgia and South Carolina. It is here that the tumultuous river quickly becomes a class III-IV white water paradise flanked by the Chattahoochee National Forest and Sumter National Forest –  one of the most picturesque white-water experiences in the Eastern United States. Free of roads, train tracks and buildings, the pristine setting inspired Hollywood to film scenes from Deliverance on the river. The primitive setting is so treasured that the U.S. Forest Service limits the number of rafting companies allowed to operate trips on the river and spaces rafting trips apart so that you are guaranteed not to see another group while on the water. A rafting trip on the Chattooga isn’t your grandmother’s idea of a leisurely cruise in a rubber raft while enjoying the scenery. This is a participatory adventure, following orders from a guide to helping paddle into the right channels and plunge down waterfall drops of fourteen feet.

Two USFS approved outfitters are Wildwater Ltd. (http://www.wildwaterrafting.com) and Nantahala Outdoor Center (http://www.noc.com). From the Lakehouse outfitters are located outside of Clayton, GA. Total distance is approximately 45 miles, a 70 – 90 minute drive.

In Jackson County, where the Lakehouse at Katie Camp is located, waterfalls cascade under the rugged canopy of the Nantahala National Forest while hundreds of trout streams weave their way through the Smoky Mountains. This county and these mountains have long been a haven for fly fishing enthusiasts. In 2009, the Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail was created for just those people.

Spearheaded by the Jackson County Tourism Authority, the trail highlights 15 prime spots for catching trout and offers everything from wide rivers to medium-sized creeks to small streams. It is the first and only fly fishing trail in the United States.

The trail includes portions of 11 creeks and four rivers – the Tuckasegee, Chattooga and Whitewater Rivers as well as the trail’s newest addition, Raven Fork. The variety of locations, waters and fish make the trail attractive to both beginner and expert anglers.

Serious fly fishers will like the smaller, lesser-known spots such as Pantertown Creek in Panthertown Valley. This spot is on a high mountain valley which, due to its bowl shape and craggy bluffs, is known as the “Yosemite of the East” and requires a two-mile hike to access it. Other popular spots for experts include Chattooga River, Whitewater River and Tanasee Creek.

Beginners will enjoy the five spots along the Tuckasegee River. These open areas and well-stocked catch and release waters can be fished year-round. Catch all three species of trout (rainbow, brown and brook) and you’ve achieved something worth bragging about to your friends – the Tuckasegee Slam. Try the spot along the NC 107 Bridge to Dillsboro Park for your best chance.

The more remote spots, such as the Panthertown Creek location, allow for a more solitary, serene experience. The trail’s small streams (Moses Creek, Mull Creek, Rough Butt Creek, Chastine Creek and Piney Mountain Creek) offer mountainous terrain and several large waterfalls. If you just want to squeeze in a quick trip during a busy weekend, that’s okay too; the trail offers plenty of locations that allow for convenient drive-up access.

Raven Fork, also known as Cherokee Trophy Water, was just added to the trail in 2010. It’s not unusual to find fish 20-30 inches long at the end of your line here.

If you want to introduce kids to fly fishing, the Tuckasegee River along East Laporte Park is a good location. With easy parking, plentiful stock, public restrooms and picnic tables, the experience should be nothing but calm waters.

Because the NC Wildlife Resources Commission annually stocks the waterways in Jackson County with nearly 100,000 trout, nearly all of the spots along the trail offer a good chance for a successful fishing trip.

A free, water-resistant map of the trail is available by request on the website or by visiting the Jackson County Travel & Tourism Authority. The map provides detailed information such as access points, waterway designations and regulations as well as the species of fish available, whether a stream produces fish of quantity or size, interesting information about the site and how far you have to walk to get there.

In the spirit of a mountain tradition, spend a morning or afternoon with the family at a Jackson County Christmas tree farm. Choose your own family Christmas tree, and take it home on top of your car.

Tom Sawyer Tree Farm is located just across Lake Glenville from the Lakehouse at Katie Camp. The tree cutting excursion includes a ride in a horse-drawn carriage and an elf village where, once children cross a bridge into the village, they don an elf cape. Tom and Vicki Sawyer’s tree farm is open rain, shine or snow. Hours are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm beginning the Saturday before Thanksgiving. They are closed on Thanksgiving Day.

In addition to 1,425-acre Lake Glenville, location of our mountain home, Jackson County offers a superb selection of classic mountain golf courses that are both challenging and scenic.

From Cashiers’ world-renowned resorts and courses in the south to the picturesque Sequoyah National Golf Club in the county’s north end, the area is replete with one-of-a-kind mountain golf in a variety of awe-inspiring settings. In addition to Jackson County’s premier golf courses, other offerings, such as Mill Creek Resort & Country Club and Maggie Valley Club, are within a 55-minute drive.

Below is a description of two area courses that allow public play:

High Hampton Inn and Club (828) 743-2450

If you can imagine playing golf in a velvet green park shadowed by two of the prettiest peaks in North Carolina – Rock Mountain and Chimney Top Mountain – that’s the essence of High Hampton. The late George Cobb, a legendary golf architect who crafted more than 350 courses, designed the layout at High Hampton. It is part of the 1,400-acre grounds of the High Hampton Inn and amongst the most scenic golf courses in America.

The signature hole is the par-3 eighth. The green rests on a finger in a lake, overshadowed by the sheer rock cliff of Rock Mountain. It’s easy to understand why Golf Digest named it one of “America’s Great Golf Holes.”

Cobb once said of the course, “I have yet to see a course – designed by me or by others – with greater natural beauty or one more enjoyable to play.”

One of the oldest courses in the mountains, High Hampton plays at 6,012 yards from the back tees to bent grass greens. Amenities include a covered driving range and two putting greens. The club also hosts golf schools and tournaments. It is located in Cashiers.

Sequoyah National Golf Club (828) 497-3000

A spectacular golf course, Sequoyah National Golf Club, debuted in the fall of 2009 just outside Cherokee. It is a high-end, public course created by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians to complement the tribe’s nearby casino, hotel and entertainment complex.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones II, one of the country’s pre-eminent golf architects, the par-72 layout offers great mountain vistas and a nice mix of holes. Instead of the standard four par-5s and four par-3s, there are five of each.

And despite its mountainous location in northern Jackson County on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the course does not play like a roller coaster. Fourteen of the holes are level or downhill, with most of the climbing taking place between holes.

“Robert Trent Jones II did a fantastic job with the layout,” says director of golf Ryan Ott. “The topography that we have here is second to none.”

Sequoyah National’s elevations range from 2,000 to 2,300 feet, and the layout is open 12 months a year, weather permitting. The course features excellent greens comprised of T1 bent grass, while fairways and tees are low-mow bluegrass.