College lake and training program offers free sandy experience.
Lees-McRae College students are manning lifeguard stands and welcoming visitors this summer to Wildcat Lake at Banner Elk, North Carolina.
That includes overseeing a sandy beach near Beech Mountain, the mile-high peak where it’s long been jokingly asked, “Which way is the beach?”
Answer: “If you’re looking for the beach on Beech Mountain, Wildcat Lake is where you’d want to come to,” says A.J. Czarnecki-Atwell, outdoor recreation management coordinator for Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk.
Over recent summers, students have gained “hands-on experience” in the rigors of recreation management by working at Wildcat, according to Czarnecki-Atwell.
“We use Wildcat Lake as another outdoor learning lab,” she says.
Students take charge of kayak, canoe and stand-up paddleboard rentals. “The students who are working for us are actually part of a waterfront recreation management class,” says Czarnecki-Atwell, the course instructor.
All while as many as 350 daily visitors spread out blankets and build sand castles miles from any ocean. This 13-acre retreat offers free access and was created in 1933 on a stream called “Wildcat” after a devastating drought destroyed the water supply, according to Czarnecki-Atwell.
“The beach spans about the size of a football field,” says Czarnecki-Atwell. “And there’s a playground and fishing around the lake as well.”
The story above first appeared in our July / August 2025 issue.
