This is a great park with lots of winding trails - some paved, some gravel. Pavilions for picnics…read moreand barbecues, a restroom, great place to take dogs. Beautiful scenery and lots of birds.

Love this playground for kids of ages 2-6 is awesome…read more Fun rock climbing, nets, and slides for all. Clean restrooms and picnic tables. Awesome walking trails Great parking

Beautiful park! Plenty of well marked trails, lush green forest and numerous parking lots. Kind…read morehikers, walkers and runners on the trail + plenty to explore. My only issue is WHY are there so much paid staff to issue parking tickets in a state park?!?!? They seemed to be a bit too eager on a beautiful Saturday morning to issue whatever was on those adhesive stickers . Otherwise, well worth the drive!

Drove here on a Wednesday mid morning to hike the Sulphur Springs trail. There's a $6 entry fee to…read moreenter the park which they clearly put to good use. The park is extremely well-maintained -- great paved roads, excellent trail markings, tons of shelters and picnic areas. There was still some hurricane damage, unfortunately. I parked in the Sulphur Sorings trailhead lot and did the approximately four mile loop. I then visited the park visitor center to get a state parks book and a stamp for Paris Mountain. There was a lake with lots of kids swimming. Overall a great park to visit. I'll definitely be back to hike more trails.

Waterfall tour was amazing . From start to finish! Each waterfall more beautiful than the last…read more.. Capt Shane and was helpful & kind. Affordable and bring your bathing suits if you want to swim! Sidenote: parking is convenient if your their early and there's a separate charge for that. $8 per person! Sidenote 2: the water is a beautiful turquoise.... Close to the color of the water in the Caribbean!

Great value! The team was very helpful in getting us ready to go out on the water, The lake is…read morebeautiful, and there are plenty of little coves to explore. The equipment was well maintained, and we definitely got our money's worth with our time out on the water. It would be nice if they gave you a little map, because they mentioned a waterfall to us, but we couldn't judge how far we were paddling, and felt the need to go into every little cove along the way to try to find it. 1 star lost for the awkwardness of getting in and out of the kayaks. You just are pulled up onto some flat rocks that are uneven. Both my friend and I fell and stumbled trying to get out.It would be nice if they could devise a way to do it a little more safely.

Site 46 was amazing. Caught lots of fish they really like everything bagels. Cabin was cozy and the…read morestaff were wonderful. Lots of activities to do including a pool table in the game room. Bathrooms were clean. Although the exit gate was locked at 8:00 am so we had to exit through the entrance.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Orchard Lake Campground opened its arms to the Saluda and…read morewider community in several ways that cannot be underestimated. They offered hot showers, the ability to charge devices, potable water, meals and the only consistent Internet access during this devastating weather event. They were and are a testament to the community spirit that helps all of us to get through tough times. I will say that when you come to stay at Orchard Lake Campground, you will be surprised by the amenities, from the "general store" to the common room to the game room and facilities. Everything is clean, well stocked, and well appointed. Also: the friendliest staff I've ever encountered.

My husband and I are staying (late Sept, 2023) at the Club Wyndham-Sapphire Valley, and we were…read moregiven a "Sapphire Valley Master Association Amenity Card" for use of amenities while staying on-site. One of the amenities is access to Fairfield Lake, an 80 acre lake at 3,160' elevation in Sapphire, NC. The lake's length is 1 mile, and it is 35' at its deepest point. The amenity card also allows us to use the private beach, picnic tables, a grill, rest room, and to rent motor boats, canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, fishing poles, etc. at the boat house. There is also a Lake Trail around the lake, which is the private property of Camp Merrie-Woode. However, the trail is open to the public (at your own risk) for hiking purposes only during daylight hours from August 15th to May 15th, when camp is not in session. Dogs are allowed but must be on leashes. We saw two brochures, one of which stated that the trail is a 3.3 mile loop while another said that it's 3.8; my Fitbit recorded 3.55 miles. The trail is mostly flat, with an occasional incline or descent, and has a variety of trail surfaces (gravel, pine needles, small rocks, tree limbs, etc.). Besides the lake, there are a few highlights on the trail -- (1) Fairfield Falls. With a height of 25', the waterfall is created by the stream of the Trays Island Creek, a tributary of the Horsepasture River, which runs along the western side of the all Bald directly into Lake Fairfield. (2) Presley Pass. The Iron Bridge across the stream above the waterfall was built by Camp Merrie-Woode caretaker, James Presley, in the mid-1950s. (3) Intersection with the trailhead for the Old Bald Trail, a more strenuous 3 mile hike. The trail is mostly well-marked with small green-white tags. We walked clockwise, and got a bit confused relatively close to our ending point (after a paved road when the signs seemed to disappear).

We did the walk while in Sapphire for the week, and it was beautiful! Luckily, the camp was closed,…read moreso we are able to do the entire loop around the lake. It ends up being about 3.5 miles from end to end. There are some steep areas, and some areas are challenging to navigate due to the rocks, but it was worth it. There is even a waterfall you pass if you need another reason to check this out. The photos do not do justice to the beauty.

What a gorgeous park, even in the winter time…read more Since it's winter when I visited, I can't review all of the incredible summer time water sports but I know this park can get busy then. Winter was in incredible time to visit, easy parking, a chance to chat with the staff at the visitor center, and walk around. The lake is beautiful. I've heard that this area did get some hurricane/ storm damage but everything needed to drive around is up and running! Make a plan to visit next time you're nearby. It's about 1 hour drive from downtown Asheville.

This has the look of one of those parks formed around a dam. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for…read morehydroelectric power, but artificial lakes always feel like they're lacking a certain mystique. This park had an impressive visitor center and restrooms were open even after it closed, though neighboring water fountains were not functioning on a hot summer day. The trail I selected was rugged and had occasional waterside views, most notably on a footbridge that offered a mountain vista. Cell service was not great for me, and while I'd hoped to do a zoom meeting on the run I had to return to more urban areas. But if you actually want to get unplugged, the people on boats here appeared to be having a good time.

Three stars for the Lake Thickety Fishing Rodeo. I hope you take time to see my video of this…read moreevent. As I predicted; there were more people fishing than the public access area could handle. There were several game wardens onsite and a couple of deputies. What I was surprised about most was the cordiality between of the grownups . Strangers helping each other untangling crossed fishing lines. Grownups weren't allowed to fish but they could help their youngsters do so. I saw a lot of catfish being caught. No shocker there as the lake had been the day before stocked. To their credit the officials in charge were very helpful and mingled with the people fishing. Also to their credit the first 100 participants got a nice rod and reel combo I estimate to be a fifty dollar value each. Not begrudging any but that's where a lot of hard earned tax dollars got spent.

Great family spot! There are many locations for family gatherings/ cooking areas. A boat ramp and…read moreit cost $10 to put in. The lake it's self is small so don't expect too much in that regard but the wardens office/ park is great.

how to review a lake, hmmmm well it is big and has lots of water! by the way one of the best views…read morein the area! look at the photos. there is a boat ramp and two dock areas you can fish from. plus lots of places to picnic at. here for a wedding that is being held here on the shore of the lake. perfect place for a wedding. now my special recommendation, who would think that a park restroom could get one of my "its ok" award? these do! very clean and nice smelling, sure didn't expect that! why do i care about clean restrooms? tells me a lot about the place and staff plus I'm 64, yea I'm old and need my potty breaks on a regular basis. if you're in the area pack a picnic lunch of stop by you'll be glad you did.

Did the 3 hour tubing trip with my family (3 adults and 3 kids ) and we had a wonderful relaxing…read moretime. The water was low. There used to be a hydroelectric dam upstream that could control releases, but it was destroyed in Hurricane Helene. The future of the dam is uncertain. I appreciated the warm welcome we received when we arrived. We had booked online and signed all of our waivers before we got there. We reserved(rented) water shoes for several folks, as they did not have appropriate footwear. Check in, shoe selection, and safety briefing went quickly , and we were in our tubes in no time. The river was mainly calm stretches punctuated by intermittent small rapid areas. Nothing felt daunting or too dangerous. It had the right level of excitement for the kids to handle themselves. The take out was well marked. It was easy to get our tubes up to the van for the short ride back. We took the first time slot of the day, and were amazed by the crowded parking lot when we returned around noon. We look forward to returning.

My husband and I have been tubing down this river for years. This year we decided to try the…read morekayaks. We loved it! Also, I was amazed at how clean ans broad the river is now. We will be back. Green Rover Adventures is great! (Also, the water is so much warmer than at the Natahala) -- We are older but enjoyed hearing all the happy families in the parking lot as we left. This is an adventure for all ages, I believe.