Lake Phelps is North Carolina's second largest natural lake. It has a surface area of 16,600 acres (67 km2), and it is located primarily in Washington County on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula between the Albemarle Sound and the Pamlico Sound. The easternmost part of the lake extends into Tyrrell County. An Indian dugout canoe was found in the lake dating back nearly 4,400 years. Other artifiacts have been found around the area dating as early as 8,000 B.C. The lake was established as a North Carolina State Lake in 1929, and it is managed by the adjacent Pettigrew State Park.