Cheoah Point Beach is the day-use swim beach inside the Cheoah Point Recreation Area, a U.S. Forest Service site on Santeetlah Lake in the Cheoah Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest. The recreation area sits on a wooded peninsula in Graham County, North Carolina, about 6 miles north of Robbinsville. The beach shares the peninsula with a campground, a pair of rental cabins, a picnic pavilion and a boat launch, but the beach itself is open to anyone, not just campers.

From Robbinsville, drive north on US 129 for roughly 6 miles and turn left onto Thunderbird Mountain Road (SR 1145). Follow it about 1.3 miles to the Cheoah Point entrance, then keep to the day-use side for the beach parking lot, which sits just above the sand. A short footpath and a set of steps lead down from the lot to the water. Parking is limited on busy summer weekends and the Forest Service warns that a pass does not guarantee a space. Cars left outside marked spaces can be ticketed or towed.

The beach is a strip of sand at the head of a small, sheltered cove, with a roped swim area out in front of it that keeps boats away from swimmers. Behind the sand there is a grassy lawn with picnic tables and a covered pavilion that looks out over the lake. Santeetlah Lake is a hydroelectric reservoir of about 2,880 acres, formed in 1928 by Santeetlah Dam and run by the Tapoco power company, and the water drops off into deep lake beyond the shallows by the sand. It is mountain water, so expect it to feel cold in April and May and comfortable by midsummer. No lifeguard is listed for this site, so you swim at your own risk and children need an adult watching them.

Cheoah Point Beach is open April 15 through October 31 and is closed for the off season the rest of the year. It is not free: the Forest Service charges a $5 day-use fee per private vehicle, or $30 for an annual pass that is good only at this beach. The day pass covers everyone in one car and is valid until the site closes at 10 PM on the date shown. You can buy it ahead of time on Recreation.gov or on site; the site pass is checked against your license plate, and cell service on the peninsula is spotty, so it is easier to buy and print the pass before you leave town.

A few rules here differ from other lake beaches. Dogs and other pets are not allowed anywhere in the beach area, even on a leash, and alcohol is banned throughout the site. Boats, including personal watercraft, use the lake all around the peninsula, so stay inside the ropes. The lake level is controlled by the dam operator rather than the Forest Service, so the waterline at the beach can sit higher or lower from one visit to the next. The Forest Service lists no potable water or confirmed restrooms on the beach page itself, so plan on bringing your own drinking water.

If you want to stay longer, the Cheoah Point campground next door has tent sites at $20 a night, RV sites with electric hookups at $25 and two cabins at $40, bookable through Recreation.gov, plus flush toilets and hot showers. The boat launch stays open all year for anglers fishing for bass, walleye, trout and crappie, and the Wauchecha Bald Trail starts nearby and climbs to the Appalachian Trail.