Lake Junaluska is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Junaluska is named after nearby Mount Junaluska, which in turn was named after Chief Junaluska, a Cherokee leader. As of the 2010 census the population of the community was 2,734.The 200-acre manmade lake is surrounded by private residences and the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, owned by the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. The lake is fed primarily from Richland Creek and discharges into the creek, maintaining an approximately constant lake level. Richland Creek is a tributary to the Pigeon River. Recreation on the lake includes canoes, kayaks, fishing and swimming. Only electric trolling motors are permitted on the lake to maintain a quiet environment. There is a 3.5-mile paved walking trail around the lake.