Jones Lake

Activities Jones Lake State Park is located north of Elizabethtown in the North Carolina Coastal Plains region. The park opened in 1939 as the first state park in North Carolina for African Americans. The surrounding area is also rich in history, dating back to the 1720s, when European migrants settled in this bay lakes region of Bladen County. One of these migrants, Samuel Woodward, originally gave his name to what was then called Woodward’s Lake. It was later renamed after Isaac Jones, who donated some of his land to establish Elizabethtown. Jones Lake and Salters Lake are two of mysterious geological formations known as Carolina bays, a series of elliptical depressions along the Atlantic coast, the origins of which are unknown. Jones Lake State Park 4117 Hwy. 242 N Elizabethtown, NC 28337 910-588-4550 jones.lake@ncparks.gov GPS: 36.682743, -78.59542 Experience the Park! ■■ Red Cockaded Woodpecker ■■ Pine Barrens Tree Frog Fun Facts ■■ Yellow-throated warblers ■■ Carolina anoles ■■ The park was established in 1939. ■■ The park consists of two Carolina bay lakes: Jones Lake (224 acres) and Salters Lake (315 acres). ■■ The lake is fed only by precipitation, making it very shallow, reaching only about 8.7 feet. ■■ Carolina Wren Visitors can rent canoes and paddleboats at the park ■■ During World War II, training programs by the Anti-Aircraft School from Camp Davis were held here. ■■ The lake’s tea-colored waters come from the tannins that leach from the peat that surrounds the lake. ■■ White-tailed deer ■■ Chickadees ■■ Fox Plantlife consists of evergreens, sheep laurel, fetterbush, pond pocosin, pine and Atlantic white cedar ■■ Longleaf pines in the area provided pitch, turpentine and timber to naval stores. ■■ The park achieved prominence in the spring of 1970, when astronomers gathered there to view a total eclipse of the sun. ■■ The acidic waters of the lake mean few species of fish live in the lake. Yellow perch are most abundant. ■■ White-eyed vireo ncparks.gov MNQP