Lake Blue Ridge
Fannin County, Georgia3,220 acresView mapDirections
Georgia EPD publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Blue Ridge. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 72 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Blue Ridge in Fannin County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 3220 acres.
Lake Blue Ridge is a 3,220-acre mesotrophic lake in Fannin County, Georgia with an estimated average depth of about 72 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Georgia EPD, last sampled 2025-07-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Blue Ridge covers about 3,200 acres in Fannin County. It has 4 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Blue Ridge on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Blue Ridge is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
- Big water3,220 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 Lake Blue Ridge is safe to swim in today is a call for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Blue Ridge
These are the measurements Georgia EPD publishes for Lake Blue Ridge, 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 9.5 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.8 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.8µg/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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Blue Ridge
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~72 ft est.
Surface area
3,220 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Georgia EPD
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Georgia has not published bathymetry for Lake Blue Ridge.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
222 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
35.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,663 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
- Morganton PointPublic
- Tammen ParkPublic
- Lake Blue Ridge MarinaPublic
- Lakewood LandingPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Lake Blue Ridge
- Morganton Point2.9 kmReserve
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Blue Ridge
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Blue Ridge in Fannin County, Georgia — 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 Lake Blue Ridge
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Lake Blue Ridge
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Blue Ridge is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Blue Ridge Dam (completed 1930), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Toccoa River; earth-type dam, 183 ft tall and 1,000 ft long.
- Surface area
- 3,220 ac
- Normal storage
- 182,436 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 228,045 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 232 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- TVA
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID GA11101 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Fannin County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Blue Ridge
Where is Lake Blue Ridge?
- Lake Blue Ridge is a lake in Fannin County, Georgia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Georgia EPD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Blue Ridge?
- Lake Blue Ridge in Fannin County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 3220 acres.
Is Lake Blue Ridge safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Blue Ridge?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Blue Ridge, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 72 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 3220 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Blue Ridge?
- Lake Blue Ridge has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Morganton Point, Tammen Park, Lake Blue Ridge Marina, Lakewood Landing. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Blue Ridge?
- Lake Blue Ridge has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Georgia's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Lake Blue Ridge?
- Lake Blue Ridge has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Morganton Point. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Lake Blue Ridge across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 20.6 mi, nearest Cochrans Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Georgia's top lakes, each with its readings
Georgia's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Mesotrophic Lakes in Georgia
Where this data comes from
455 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2012–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Georgia DNR Environmental Protection Division
21GAEPD_WQX455 samples · 2012–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles