Belews Lake
Stokes County, North Carolina3,863 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Belews Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 68 ft max depth
- Public access
Belews Lake in Stokes County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Surface area: 3863 acres.
Belews Lake is a 3,863-acre mesotrophic lake in Stokes County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 68 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Stokes County, Belews Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-10-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Belews Lake covers about 3,900 acres in Stokes County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Belews Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Belews Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.6 ft of visibility
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water3,863 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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 Belews Lake 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 Belews Lake
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Belews Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 11.6 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.5 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.6ft | 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) | 3.5µg/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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Belews Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~68 ft est.
Surface area
3,863 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 Belews Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
70 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
36.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
732 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
- Pine HallPublic
- Piney BluffPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Belews Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Belews Lake in Stokes 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 Belews Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Belews Lake → · more North Carolina lake trips
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Fishing Belews Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.55 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Belews Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Belews Lake Dam (completed 1972), built primarily for other on the UT to Dan River; earth-type dam, 170 ft tall and 3,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 3,863 ac
- Normal storage
- 185,110 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 263,490 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 69.34 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Duke Energy Corporation
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC05942 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Stokes County
Frequently asked questions about Belews Lake
Where is Belews Lake?
- Belews Lake is a lake in Stokes 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 Belews Lake?
- Belews Lake in Stokes County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Surface area: 3863 acres.
Is Belews Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Belews Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Belews Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 68 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 3863 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Belews Lake?
- Belews Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Pine Hall, Piney Bluff. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Belews Lake?
- Belews Lake has 2 documented boat landings 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 Belews Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
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
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Other Lakes in North Carolina
Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
109 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2022–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ109 samples · 2022–2024
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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