Lake James State Park keeps its swimming beach in one place only, the Paddy's Creek Area off N.C. 126 at 2229 Lake James State Park Road in Nebo. The park's other three entrances, Catawba River Access, Hidden Cove Boat Ramp and Canal Bridge Boat Ramp, are for boating, camping and picnicking. The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation lists swimming under Paddy's Creek alone, and the old swimming area on the Catawba River side is now a rentable group facility rather than a public beach, so drive to Paddy's Creek if you came to get in the water.

The beach is a curved run of sand roughly 700 feet long on a cove of Lake James, at about 1,200 feet of elevation. Lake James is a Duke Energy reservoir of some 6,510 acres, impounded off the Catawba and Linville rivers, and it runs cool well into summer because of the elevation and the mountain water feeding it. The bottom is sand across the marked swim zone, and the ropes stop short of the western end of the sand, which is kept clear for landing and launching canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. Look north from the towel line and Shortoff Mountain and the southern wall of Linville Gorge sit on the skyline.

The swim area is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., May 1 through September 30. Lifeguards cover only the core of that window, roughly Memorial Day weekend into early September, and hours can shift with staffing. Entering the park costs nothing. Swimming does. N.C. State Parks charges a swim pass of $6 per day for anyone 13 and older and $4 per day for children 3 through 12, with weekly passes at $20 and $16, and $3 per person per day for organized groups larger than 15. Those are state prices, not a concessionaire's, and no senior or military discount applies to them. The pass also covers the bathhouse, where the changing rooms are.

Behind the sand sit the visitor center, a seasonal concession stand, picnic shelters and an amphitheater. Boat rentals have been out of service since Hurricane Helene and had still not returned as of late September 2026. Twenty two miles of hiking trail and fourteen miles of bike trail spread out from this access, including Paddy's Creek Trail along the shoreline, Mills Creek Trail, the kid-scale Holly Discovery Trail and a stretch of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. Several remain affected by Helene: East Wimba is on long-term closure, and the Tindo loops, South and West Wimba, and the park's piece of the Fonta Flora State Trail all close whenever the tread is muddy. The Paddy's Creek drive-in campground is a short way up the road, and paddle-in sites sit out on the Long Arm Peninsula. Dogs are welcome in the park on a six-foot leash but are not allowed on the swim beach.