Hanging Rock Lake
Stokes County, North Carolina12 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Hanging Rock Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
Hanging Rock Lake in Stokes County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.8 µg/L. Surface area: 11.9 acres.
Hanging Rock Lake is a 12-acre mesotrophic lake in Stokes County, North Carolina. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Stokes County, Hanging Rock Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-10-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Hanging Rock Lake covers about 12 acres in Stokes County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Hanging Rock Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
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 Hanging Rock 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 Hanging Rock Lake
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Hanging Rock Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.8 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.9ft | 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) | 6.8µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 51 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Hanging Rock Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
12 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Hanging Rock Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Hanging Rock Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hanging Rock 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 Hanging Rock Lake
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Fishing Hanging Rock Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hanging Rock Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hanging Rock State Park Dam (completed 1938), built primarily for recreation on the Cascade Creek; concrete-type dam, 38 ft tall and 190 ft long.
- Surface area
- 11.9 ac
- Normal storage
- 140 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 290 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.71 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Hanging Rock State Park
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00342 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.19 km)
Nearby Lakes in Stokes County
Frequently asked questions about Hanging Rock Lake
Where is Hanging Rock Lake?
- Hanging Rock 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 Hanging Rock Lake?
- Hanging Rock Lake in Stokes County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.8 µg/L. Surface area: 11.9 acres.
Is Hanging Rock Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Hanging Rock Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
20 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 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
21NC03WQ20 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 (1)
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.