State Lakes are all large, naturally formed bodies of water in the state's Coastal Plain. Most of the lakes are Carolina Bays. The NC Division of Parks & Recreation describes its State Lakes as follows:
Chapter 165 of the Laws of 1929 specified that “all lakes now belonging to the State having an area of 50 acres or more” should be “administered as provided for other recreational areas now owned by the State.” This allowed the then-Department of Conservation and Development to assume management authority for seven Coastal Plain lakes that became units of the State Parks System known as State Lakes. Most of these are administratively included as part of an adjoining State Park, but one of the lakes (White Lake) has no public ownership on its shoreline.
| State Lake | Adjoining State Park | Counties | Size | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Tree State Lake | Bay Tree State Park | Bladen | 70031418000000000001,418 acres (5.74 km2) | Bay Tree Lake was formerly known as Black Lake. |
| Jones State Lake | Jones Lake State Park | Bladen | 7002224000000000000224 acres (0.91 km2) | The shore line of Jones Lake is entirely owned by the state. |
| Phelps State Lake | Pettigrew State Park | Washington, Tyrrell | 700416600000000000016,600 acres (67 km2) | Phelps is North Carolina's second largest natural lake. |
| Salters State Lake | Jones Lake State Park | Bladen | 7002315000000000000315 acres (1.27 km2) | Salters is the only State Lake without development along its shores. |
| Singletary State Lake | Singletary Lake State Park | Bladen | 7002572000000000000572 acres (2.31 km2) | The shore line of Singletary Lake is entirely owned by the state. |
| Waccamaw State Lake | Lake Waccamaw State Park | Columbus | 70038938000000000008,938 acres (36.17 km2) | Lake Waccamaw is the largest natural Carolina Bay lake. |
| White State Lake | None | Bladen | 70031068000000000001,068 acres (4.32 km2) | This is the only State Lake without public lands along its shores. |
Read more about this topic: List Of North Carolina State Parks
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