Bear Creek Reservoir
Jackson County, North Carolina476 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Bear Creek Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 49 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Bear Creek Reservoir in Jackson County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.1 µg/L. Surface area: 476 acres.
Bear Creek Reservoir is a 476-acre mesotrophic lake in Jackson County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 49 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Jackson County, Bear Creek Reservoir ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-11-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bear Creek Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bear Creek Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Bear Creek Reservoir
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Bear Creek Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.7 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.1 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Bear Creek Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~49 ft est.
Surface area
476 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NC DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. North Carolina has not published bathymetry for Bear Creek Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
73 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
6.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,592 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Bear CreekPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bear Creek Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bear Creek Reservoir in Jackson County, North Carolina — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Bear Creek Reservoir
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Fishing Bear Creek Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bear Creek Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bear Creek (completed 1954), built primarily for hydroelectric on the East Fork Tuckasegee River; earth-type dam, 215 ft tall and 760 ft long.
- Surface area
- 476 ac
- Normal storage
- 34,600 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 34,600 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 75 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Duke Energy
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00336 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Jackson County
Frequently asked questions about Bear Creek Reservoir
Where is Bear Creek Reservoir?
- Bear Creek Reservoir is a lake in Jackson County, North Carolina. Its water-quality measurements are published by NC DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bear Creek Reservoir?
- Bear Creek Reservoir in Jackson County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.1 µg/L. Surface area: 476 acres.
Is Bear Creek Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bear Creek Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bear Creek Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 49 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 476 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Bear Creek Reservoir?
- Bear Creek Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bear Creek. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bear Creek Reservoir?
- Bear Creek Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by North Carolina's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Bear Creek Reservoir across LakeQuality
4 documented falls within 12.5 mi, nearest Courthouse Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at North Carolina's top lakes, each with its readings
North Carolina's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Great Smoky Mountains?
Bear Creek Reservoir is about 36 miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Great Smoky Mountains →More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
38 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ38 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory