Hidden Valley Lake
Washington County, Virginia60 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Mesotrophic
- #1 of 2 in the county
- 27 ft max depth
- Public access
Hidden Valley Lake in Washington County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 9.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Surface area: 59.7 acres.
- Clarity
- 9.7 ft
- Max depth
- ~27 ft est.
- Area
- 60 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 10 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 3.1 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Hidden Valley Lake’s letter
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Hidden Valley Lake is a 60-acre mesotrophic lake in Washington County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 27 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Washington County, Hidden Valley Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-22. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Hidden Valley Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.7 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.1 µg/L. TSI 41. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 9.7 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.1 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 41 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~27 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~17 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 60 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Virginia has not published bathymetry for Hidden Valley Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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
- Hidden Valley LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Hidden Valley Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | -0.005 m/yr | 4 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | 0 µg/L/yr | 4 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +0.11 µg/L/yr | 4 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hidden Valley Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hidden Valley Lake Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Brumley Creek; earth-type dam, 32 ft tall and 560 ft long.
- Surface area
- 59.7 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,350 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,975 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA191004 · Operator website
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 2 lakes in Washington County
Nearby Lakes in Washington County
Frequently asked questions about Hidden Valley Lake
Where is Hidden Valley Lake?
- Hidden Valley Lake is a lake in Washington County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Hidden Valley Lake?
- Hidden Valley Lake in Washington County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 9.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Surface area: 59.7 acres.
Is Hidden Valley Lake safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Hidden Valley Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hidden Valley Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 27 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 59.7 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Hidden Valley Lake?
- Hidden Valley Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hidden Valley Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Hidden Valley Lake across LakeQuality
More Virginia Lake Rankings
Other Grade A Lakes in Virginia
Mesotrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
111 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB111 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Tyler, John. 1968. The secchi disk, Limnology and Oceanograpy, 13(1):1-6.
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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