Jackson County has a great selection of park spaces to get out and enjoy the great outdoors with your family and friends.

A park in Little Canada up N.C. 281 has picnic facilities with a covered shelter and tables, a playground and bathrooms.

“It’s the newest one we have,” said Dan Coward, an assistant park manager at Ralph J. Andrews Park.

Ralph J. Andrews Park, located on Lake Glenville, is the only park to include a campground. There are full hook-ups, tent sites, primitive campsites, picnic shelter, picnic facilities, fishing, hot showers, bathrooms, and dump station. The park is only open April through October.

East LaPorte is a riverside park that offers waterfront access to the Tuckasegee for activities such as fishing or tubing, as well as sand volleyball, basketball and a covered picnic shelter.

In Sylva there is Fairview Park, which has three baseball fields, a concession stand and bathrooms. And in the downtown area, Mark Watson Park also has ballfield, a playground and bathrooms and is the location for many youth and adult baseball and softball games.

To rent any of the these shelter spaces, call the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department at 828.293.3053, though the Ralph J. Andrews shelter must be reserved by calling the park directly at 828.743.3923. Department officials can check calendars for availability. A $20 deposit is required for rentals.

Those who want to put a boat in the water can access Lake Glenville from two boat ramps near Andrews Park at the end of Pine Creek Road. Access to Bear Lake is provided by a boat ramp off N.C. 281. Access to the Tuckasegee River is allowed wherever one can reach the water, Coward said.

Two additional parks are located in Sylva and managed by the town. Charles E. Poteet Park is the largest and most used park and has a playground, horse shoe pits, covered picnic facilities and restrooms. The park pavilion may be reserved for picnics, parties, and other functions. Poteet Park Pavilion reservations can be made in two-hour blocks for $20 per block. The park is located in downtown alongside Scotts Creek and near the pool. The pool is outdoors and offers a high dive and a children’s water park. It is a popular location for parties.

Sylva’s Bryson Park, located just off Chipper Curve Road, has a small picnic shelter, playground and basketball court.

In Dillsboro, there is a public park under development adjacent to the Monteith Farm property. The park has been targeted for a July 2008 opening date. It will feature a playground, picnic shelter, additional picnic tables, restrooms, horseshoe pits and access to Scotts Creek with a specialized dock to allow fishing access for the disabled. The park connects via a greenway to a small park along the Tuckasegee River that provides access for boaters. In addition to the park, the property will include a community theater to serve as a home base for the Kudzu Players and historical museum with a focus on local, influential women.

For more information about reserving Sylva’s park facilities, call 828.586.2719.