Harris Lake, or Shearon Harris Reservoir, is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

New Hill, North Carolina New Hill is an unincorporated community located in southwestern Wake County, North Carolina, United States, at the crossroads of old U.S. 1 (State Road 1011, running northeast–southwest), New Hill Olive Chapel Road (running north) and New Hill ...

. The lake covers in southwestern

Wake County Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

and southeastern Chatham County, located 220 feet above sea level. It is the source and outlet of cooling water for the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant. The lake is adjacent but not connected to B. Everett Jordan Lake. It was created by impounding Buckhorn Creek. There are two public boat ramps; one is near the southern end off

North Carolina Highway 42 North Carolina Highway 42 (NC 42) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina and a semi-urban traffic artery connecting Asheboro, Sanford, Clayton, Wilson and Ahoskie as well as many small- to medium-sized towns t ...

, and the other near the northern end by Avent Ferry Road. Harris Lake County Park is located on the northeastern section of the lake. The park was leased to Wake County by

Duke Energy Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Overview Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy owns 58,200 megawatts of base-load and peak generation in ...

in 1985, and opened to the public in 1999. The 680-acre park features five miles of hiking trails, almost eight miles of bike trails, and other amenities including picnic areas, a fishing pier, and a disc golf course. The park is home to several historic sites from an agricultural community, including the remains of the Womble, Smith, and Holleman households. The park also protects valuable

Longleaf Pine The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

forests.

References

External links

* http://www.wakegov.com/parks/harrislake/Pages/default.aspx * https://web.archive.org/web/20130105074838/http://www.trailsofnc.com/harris_lake/ Reservoirs in North Carolina Protected areas of Wake County, North Carolina Protected areas of Chatham County, North Carolina Bodies of water of Wake County, North Carolina Bodies of water of Chatham County, North Carolina {{WakeCountyNC-geo-stub