Big Canoe Amenities: Golf, Lakes, Trails & Community Life
Plenty of gated communities offer a clubhouse and a pool. Big Canoe offers something closer to a private mountain resort that you happen to live in. Here's a complete look at what's actually here — and how residents use it.
Golf
At the center of it all is a 27-hole mountain golf course routed through the ridges and hardwoods. It's the kind of course where the scenery is part of the challenge. It plays well year-round, and interest stays strong — rounds played and golf revenue regularly run ahead of the community's own projections, a good sign the course is genuinely used and loved rather than just marketed.
The lakes and marina
Big Canoe is built around three lakes, with a marina for kayaking, paddling, and fishing. Summer mornings on the water are one of the quiet perks longtime residents talk about most. Aquatics and lake activities anchor the warm-weather calendar.
Trails and the outdoors
The community maintains 25+ miles of hiking trails, including waterfall routes, cared for by a long-running, dedicated Trails Committee of resident volunteers. This is one of the most extensive private trail systems in the region — a major reason nature-minded buyers choose Big Canoe over a conventional subdivision. (For trail maps and details, residents point newcomers to the community's trails resources.)
Wellness, tennis, and pickleball
A wellness center covers fitness and recreation, and racquet sports are thriving — established tennis plus a fast-growing pickleball scene that's become one of the community's most social activities.
Dining and gathering places
Clubhouse dining gives residents a place to eat, meet, and host without leaving the mountain. Food-and-beverage activity consistently runs ahead of budget — another sign these spaces are genuinely part of daily life here, not just amenities on a brochure.
A full community calendar
What turns amenities into a community is the calendar. A snapshot from summer 2026: the Fourth of July is a multiday celebration with live music, a Color Run, a community concert, steel-drum entertainment, a Patriotic Dog Parade, a Playfield Celebration, and an expanded fireworks display — plus an America 250 celebration featuring patriotic ceremonies, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, performances by the WPA dancers, and a watermelon contest. Throughout the year, clubs and interest groups give residents dozens of ways to plug in.
Stewardship of the natural setting
Big Canoe treats its 8,000 wooded acres as an asset to manage, not just enjoy. In 2026 the community partnered with USDA Wildlife Services to add a full-time wildlife biologist for proactive, science-based management of deer, wild hogs, geese, and other species — protecting both the landscape and residents' enjoyment of it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Big Canoe have a golf course? Yes — a 27-hole mountain course open to property owners.
Can you swim and boat at Big Canoe? Yes. The community has three lakes with a marina for kayaking, paddling, and fishing, plus aquatics facilities.
How many hiking trails does Big Canoe have? More than 25 miles of maintained trails, including waterfall hikes, managed by a resident Trails Committee.
Is there pickleball at Big Canoe? Yes — pickleball is one of the community's fastest-growing activities, alongside established tennis.