Islands of the Blue Ridge Region

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You won’t find beaches cluttered with sprawling mega-resorts or cheesy attractions on the islands of the Blue Ridge region. No, the isles in these lakes and rivers remain largely undeveloped - except for the native flora and fauna.

Odds are you won’t be struggling to find solitude either; in fact a few guarantee you’ll have the island all to yourself. The only interruption to your waterside experience is likely to be birds, and the acoustical background is rippling water.

WEST VIRGINIA

Coney Island on the New River, Hinton. Three rivers come together at the former railroad town of Hinton—the New, Bluestone and Greenbrier. There’s no better place to enjoy the music of these merged waters than on Coney Island. Coney Island, West Virginia, has no arcade, no roller coaster, but it’s a great place for kayaking and other water sports. It’s a secluded getaway perched at the southernmost tip of New River Gorge National Park.

Overnighters who rent the three-bedroom cottage get the entire island, including seven acres of sandy beaches and forested trails, for $350 a night. To cross the shallow waters, you’ll need to rent a ducky or kayak (Cantrell Rafting, 304-228-4285) but you reap the benefit in privacy and extra water fun on this easy stretch of river. Just across the water, the town of Hinton offers a variety of dining experiences, a theater and a waterpark. The Cabin on Coney Island is managed by Hinton’s Guest House Inn (877-854-2828).

Sandstone Falls Island, Hinton. When Paramount Pictures cast Lassie in a heroic whitewater scene 25 years ago, they scouted the nation and ended up filming the canine classic at Sandstone Falls. The roar, the mist and the water walloping over boulders show a mighty river in charge of its course. It’s a scene you can only truly experience by getting up close with the New River’s largest falls—from an island. To do this, drive unpaved County Road 26 from Hinton eight miles along the west side of the river. Once you get there, the National Park Service has made things easy by building a quarter-mile boardwalk to the island. On its observation deck, you’re practically within the spray zone of the pounding, 25-foot cascade. 

Fishing for smallmouth bass and catfish is a popular pastime in the shallows above the western half of the falls, but visitors who enter the water should avoid the deadly currents on the eastern side. The island itself is home to unusual trees, including the Kentucky coffeetree and toothache tree. It’s also a key stopover for blue-winged and Swainson’s warblers and other migratory songbirds.

Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, Parkersburg. Blennerhassett Island is separated from Parkersburg by two miles of flowing Ohio River and 225 years of history. Part of the fun of a visit is riding the Island Belle sternwheeler, which zigzags gently when the captain lets children take the wheel. The island is dominated by a palladium-style mansion, a replica of the one built in 1798 by Harman Blennerhassett. The mansion was burned and Blennerhassett routed after he alledgedly conspired with Aaron Burr to harbor a treasonous military encampment on his estate. Why he supported Burr in a reputed plot to form a new country out of the western states no one knows.

These days the park celebrates the Blennerhassett’s happy years of music, parties and guests that included King Charles X of France. The house has been re-created with period accuracy and contains some of the Blennerhassett’s furnishings. Costumed docents entertain visitors with the particulars of the mansion’s decorating and hospitality—solid silver door knobs, for instance. Open May-October, the park features teas hosted by a Margaret Blennerhassett impersonator, culinary talks and carriage tours. (blennerhassettislandsp.com)

VIRGINIA

Deer Island at Philpott Lake, Bassett. Accessible only by boat, Deer Island is steeped in true getaway vibes. Wooded mountains cast their shadows across 13-mile long Philpott Lake, and campers fall asleep to the rhythm of lapping water. The island campground is especially appealing to paddlers exploring the lake. Philpott Blueway is a 25-mile system of water trails leading to Philpott Dam, five waterfalls, and an old mill site. Deer Island’s 21 paddle-in campsites are perfect for relaxing after hooking one of the area’s plentiful largemouth bass. The shady sites have access to pit toilets and are available by reservation only. (540-365-7005) The island is easily accessible from the Goose Point and Salthouse Branch launch sites, and a mile from the Philpott Marina.

Hungry Mother State Park, Island Amphitheater, Marion. Hungry Mother, one of Virginia’s six original state parks, is known for its majestic ridges, historic cabins, biking, hiking and its small placid lake. Hungry Mother Lake supports a variety of sport fish including crappie, muskellunge, walleyes and various types of bass. The park has a sandy beach, boat rentals—and an island.

This nameless island is accessed by a footbridge from the main parking area. Its focal point is an open amphitheater where weddings and concerts are held. But on weekdays it’s a secluded spot for picnics with terrific views of the surrounding mountains. A few couples wedded here testify that it’s the perfect place to pop the question. (dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/hungry-mother, 276-781-7400)

Hungry Mother Island Cabin, Marion. Privately owned Hungry Mother Island sits just south of the state park, in the middle of Hungry Mother Creek. The three-bedroom cabin perches on its own island in the quiet forest. The creek is visible from every window, but the best way to enjoy the creek’s water song is to climb a spiral staircase to the rooftop sitting area or to grill dinner on the streamside stone patio. Access to the cabin is via a small footbridge. When it’s time to unwind, there’s a downstairs Jacuzzi and 60-inch television.

It’s your own little island for as long as you stay.

Bordered by Hungry Mother State Park and the Washington & Jefferson National Forest, the site offers lots of opportunities for hiking, biking, fishing and wildlife watching. Access to the cabin through Hungry Mother State Park is fee-free, and park amenities can be used for a small fee.

TENNESSEE

Seven Islands State Birding Park, Kodak. If it’s a bird species that frequents the Blue Ridge mountains, you’re likely to see it sometime at Seven Islands State Birding Park. Located east of Knoxville, the park’s mix of river, forest and grassland is a premier birding destination with nearly 200 species sighted. The site on the French Broad River is situated along a major migratory path for many species.

During the breeding season the refuge echoes with the trills and cries of songbirds, hawks and waterfowl; several ancient barns are a favorite refuge for shy barn owls. Visitors can easily spend hours strolling through the park’s eight miles of trails. Bird and flower walks are offered at least three days a week spring through fall. Banding and other research activities are ongoing at the park, with assistance from volunteers.

For paddlers and anglers, there is a small canoe/kayak launch that provides access to the French Broad River and its islands. At least 50 species of fish, including crappie, bluegill and several varieties of bass swim in these waters.

Osceola Island, Bristol. Osceola Island is smack dab in the middle of one of the Southeast’s best trout streams, the South Fork of the Holston River. Fly fishermen and -women travel hundreds of miles to ply these waters. Located across a footbridge a mile below South Holston Dam, the island is encircled by a 1.5-mile wildlife trail. Picnic tables with grills dot its perimeter, ready to broil fresh trout pulled from the river.

The island is flanked by weir dams. Deep-water releases from hydroelectric dams provide the cold-water habitat favored by trout, but often don’t have enough oxygen for fish to thrive. The South Holston weir is a series of manmade small waterfalls, forming air pockets that burst into bubbles as they plunge downstream. These bubbles permit oxygen to penetrate the depths of the water, allowing trout, especially wild brown trout, to thrive. Water spills over the weir dam area only when the dam is generating electricity. If you’d like to visit when the weir is bubbling, check the release schedule at tva.gov/Environment/Lake-Levels/South-Holston.

SOUTH CAROLINA/GEORGIA

Cemetery Island on Lake Hartwell, Seneca, South Carolina. Lake Hartwell, meandering along the Georgia-South Carolina line, is the most popular and largest Army Corps of Engineers lake in the Southeast. Hartwell’s blue waters are dotted with so many uninhabited islands that nobody has bothered to name them all. One island, though, stands out—Cemetery Island, which is generally known as Ghost Island for its rumored supernatural activity.

In the late 1700s, long before the lake existed, a Revolutionary War veteran named John Harris built Harrisburg Plantation on a rise in the forest. In 1950, when the looming construction of Hartwell Dam would soon submerge the plantation, Harris descendant Eliza Brock greeted contractors with her rifle. Eventually she acquiesced and moved to the mainland. But she refused to move the 59 graves in the family cemetery. The hilltop graveyard on Cemetery Island is the only remaining trace of Harrisburg Plantation. Today the island is a spooky attraction for intrepid campers who venture uphill to explore the cemetery. The site reputedly lives up to its name with occasional ghost sightings and reports of singing in the woods. An earlier legend claims the spot was home to Serril Broin, the granddaughter of a woman hung as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Broin purportedly haunts the island to this day, though no hard evidence indicates Broin or her grandmother ever existed.

The sandy shore of Cemetery Island has morphed into an informal camping area. It can be reached by paddling half a mile southeast from Oconee Point Campground. The lake itself offers nearly 1,000 miles of shoreline, 40 species of fish and 45 public boat ramps. (visitoconeesc.com/visit/lake-hartwell)

NORTH CAROLINA  

Blannahassett Island Park, Marshall. Not to be confused with the more famous Blennerhassett Island in West Virginia, the name of this island in Marshall, North Carolina, was changed to Blannahassett a century ago. Monster floods of the surrounding French Broad River made homes on the island untenable. Now the 10-acre isle is a natural area, a park with walking paths, picnic tables, a fishing pier and disc golf. One building remains—Marshall High Studios, a former school retrofitted into workspaces and a gallery. Locals say the school won acclaim in Ripley’s Believe It or Not as “the only U.S. school located on an uninhabited island.” These days the island is a popular site for recreation, concerts and outdoor festivals, including the September Art on the Island fest.

Island Park, Bryson City. Accessible only by foot bridge, Bryson City’s Island Park is separated from town by the Tuckasegee River. The five-acre park and its surrounds have become the playground of kayakers, anglers, walkers, birdwatchers and picnickers. When the water’s clear, you might glimpse redhorse, smallmouth bass, bream or trout hovering in eddies over the sandy bottom. Near the picnic area are steps for launching kayaks and canoes to play in “Devil’s Dip” mid-stream rapids. This area is also ideal for fly fishing.

A popular trail marked with quilt blocks loops around the island, past stone relics from the town’s past. A one-footed hermit called Ironfoot Clarke was probably the sole person in modern memory who lived on the island. Ironfoot was rumored to have travelled with robber Jesse James’ gang in the late 1800s and to have lost his foot in a shootout. The hermit lived peaceably on the island. During floods, he’d climb a tree and townspeople would slide food over to him via a wire attached to his tree. No trace of Ironfoot’s existence remains on the quiet island today.

KENTUCKY

General Burnside Island State Park, Burnside. This 400-acre oasis in Lake Cumberland has the distinction of being Kentucky’s only island park. What’s more, it’s the only Southern park named for a Union general. Sideburn-whiskered Civil War general Ambrose Burnside led patrols along the Cumberland River, circling the island while on the lookout for Confederate soldiers. These days the lake is the world capital of houseboating, and pleasure craft and houseboats stream past the island. A marina adjacent to the park rents fishing boats, ski boats, pontoon boats and houseboats. General Burnside Island State Park also features an award-winning “best public” golf course and a 102-site campground.

Lake Cumberland provides some of the finest fishing in the nation, especially for crappie and largemouth, smallmouth and striped bass.

While some parks go quiet as winter begins, General Burnside gears up for six weeks of holiday entertaining. Starting in mid-November, General Burnside becomes the Christmas Island, dazzling visitors with thousands of twinkling lights and whimsical holiday displays.

The story above first appeared in our July / August 2022 issue. For more like it subscribe today or log in with your active BRC+ Membership. Thank you for your support!