Coming to the end of Lakeview Drive, Lakeshore Trail begins. Following the proposed route of the re-routed North Carolina 288, the trail covers 28.5 miles through wilderness alongside the shoreline of Fontana Lake. Starting from the road, the trail goes 0.6 miles through a tunnel carved in the mountain. From here, the trail meets Tunnel Bypass Trail, for those who don’t like going underground.
From this intersection, the trail goes about 0.2 miles to where Goldmine Loop Trail comes in from the left. After this, the trail goes 1.3 miles, where it meets Whiteoak Branch Trail coming in at the right. The next trail intersection is only 1 mile away. Here, Lakeshore Trail meets Bear Creek Trail to the right. Continuing along, the trail runs by Campsite #74 before stretching 21 miles and meeting another trail. Along the way, Lakeshore Trail goes by Campsites #98, #76, #77, and #81. After the 21 miles, the trail comes to an intersection of Hazel Creek Trail.
Taking Hazel Creek Trail to the left leads to Campsite #86, while going right can take you all the way up close to Silers Bald. Going straight, Lakeshore Trail runs by Campsite #88 and continues 4.4 miles to the Eagle Creek Trail intersection at Campsite #90. Lakeshore Trail then continues on 5.2 miles to Fontana Dam, near the Appalachian Trail crossing. The whole Lakeshore trail is approximately 34.7 miles long, and the majority of it is a section of the even larger Benton MacKaye Trail.