Places to Paddle Around the Triangle

Places to Paddle around the Triangle

The various places to launch a canoe or kayak include ramps that are owned / managed by various government entities (state parks, county parks, and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, WRC for short). Some are only open during "park hours" and some are open 24 hours. Quite a few are free.
JORDAN LAKE
Farrington Point, NC WRC, open 24 hours, no fee
Ebeneezer Church, Jordan Lake State Park, open 24 hours, no fee
Robeson Creek, Jordan Lake State Park, open 24 hours, no fee
New Hope Overlook, Jordan Lake State Park, park hours only, fee
Seaforth Jordan Lake State Park, park hours only, fee
White Oak Jordan Lake State Park, park hours only, fee
Vista Point Jordan Lake State Park, park hours only, fee
There are three of the Jordan Lake State Park launches that are for campers only and they are Crosswinds, Poplar Point, and Parker’s Creek.
There is a canoe and kayak launch at the bottom of the Haw River just before it empties into LakeJordan. Depending on the water level it can be a challenge to put in there. But that area is interesting as there are three channels of the Haw River as it comes into the lake (when there is enough water). I am not sure who has jurisdiction over that launch site.
FALLS LAKE
Eno River Red Mill Road, NC WRC, open 24 hours, no fee
Hickory Hill, NC WRC, open 24 hours, no fee
Ledge Rock, NC WRC, open 24 hours, no fee
Upper Barton's Creek, NC WRC, open 24 hours, no fee
Rolling View, Falls Lake State Park, park hours only, fee
Beaver Dam, Falls Lake State Park, park hours only, fee
There is a free place to put in on the Beaver Dam area off Old Weaver Trail. It is where the old road used to be.
SandlingBeach offers a beach to launch non-motorized watercraft, but paddlers must carry canoes or kayaks across the beach to the water by hand.
There are only two of the FallsLakeState Park launches that are for campers only and they are BW Wells and HollyPoint.

HARRIS LAKE
Cross Point Landing, NC WRC, open 24 hours, no fee
Holleman's Crossing, NC WRC, open 24 hours, no fee
Harris Lake County Park, Wake County Parks & Rec park hours only, not sure about fee
(has a launch area for car top boats such as canoes and kayaks)

Falls and JordanLake are so big and there are so many different places to put in, and enough variety in the terrain that you can spend a lot of time there and never see it all.
Go to the NC WRC boat ramp list for maps of the locations of all of their boat ramps across the state. Select a region and the next page has a list of all the WRC boat ramps in that area.
Also check Paul Ferguson's book, Paddling Eastern North Carolina, available at REI & GOP, and at: