About Lake Toxaway North Carolina:

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect setting in Western North Carolina than Lake Toxaway Estates, home to the state’s largest private lake. Since the turn of the century, people have been drawn to Lake Toxaway. Celebrated dignitaries and notable families – such as the Fords, Edisons, and Rockefellers – sought out the clear, crystal waters and invigorating mountain breezes that provided welcomed relief from the thick, stagnant heat of summer. Today, Lake Toxaway is still attracting families and individuals who crave something more

The largest private lake in North Carolina has 14 miles of shoreline at 3,010 feet elevation. Stream-fed waters from high in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests makes it one of the cleanest lakes you’ll find. Thanks to the reopening of The Greystone Inn in 2018, you don’t have to own a house on the pristine Lake Toxaway to enjoy it. It’s located between Brevard and Cashiers on US Highway 64.

When a few visionary men dammed the Toxaway River in 1903 to create Lake Toxaway, and then built the five-story Toxaway Inn, a resort was born. A decade or so later, however – after a series of floods and tropical storms – the dam burst. And just like that, the lake (and the tourists) disappeared. It wasn’t until 1960, when Reg Heinitsh and a group of investors rebuilt the dam, restored the lake, and began attracting a new generation of visitors. Today, Lake Toxaway stretches out like an oasis in a naturally preserved mountain setting. It covers 640 acres and boasts some 14 miles of scenic, accessible shoreline.