35.7481958, -81.9669290

Black Bear Boat Ramp

Fee not yet verified Status not yet verified Public access
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Black Bear Boat Ramp is a public launch on Catawba River (Lake James) in McDowell County, North Carolina . We currently track 2 public launch sites on this waterbody.

The nearest community is Marion, about 5.0 miles away. The closest larger city is Asheville, approximately 34.5 miles away. The site lies within the Lake James-Catawba River watershed, as defined by the EPA, with its latest assessment summarized below.

Sourced from North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission . Last checked against the source on July 11, 2026. Listed on Boat Ramp US since August 20, 2026.

Boat ramps on Catawba River (Lake James)

We currently track 2 public boat ramps on Catawba River (Lake James) , including this one. The other public launch sites on this waterbody are listed below, starting with the closest.

Nearby boat ramps in McDowell County

We currently track 2 public boat ramps in McDowell County. The closest ramps are listed below, along with the waterbody each one provides access to.

Frequently asked questions

We haven't confirmed the current launch fee with the managing agency yet - check the fee badge at the top of this page, which updates as soon as we do.

We don't yet have a confirmed parking count for this location from the managing agency.

This ramp's access type isn't specifically flagged for hand-launched craft, but a trailer ramp can generally be used to launch a kayak or canoe by hand as well.

Black Bear Boat Ramp provides access to Catawba River (Lake James), one of 2 public launch sites we track on it.

This listing is sourced from North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission records.

This listing was last checked against the source on July 11, 2026.

Quick facts

County
McDowell County, North Carolina
Nearby places
Marion (5.0 mi)
West Marion (7.0 mi)
Glen Alpine (10.6 mi)
Coordinates
35.7481958, -81.9669290 Gaia
Waterbody
Catawba River (Lake James)
Access type
Public

Current weather

76°F Clear

Wind N 0 mph

Full NWS forecast · via National Weather Service
Last updated Aug 27, 2026 at 3:03 PM

Water quality

36%
Good
1%
Impaired
0%
Unassessed

Full EPA report · via EPA ATTAINS
Last updated Jul 12, 2026

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