Lake Hickory
Catawba County, North CarolinaView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Hickory. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 63 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Hickory in Catawba County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14 µg/L.
Lake Hickory is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Catawba County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 63 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Catawba County, Lake Hickory ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2022-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Hickory has 3 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 Lake Hickory on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lake Hickory is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
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 Lake Hickory 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 Lake Hickory
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Lake Hickory, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 14 µg/L. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 14µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Hickory
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~63 ft est.
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 Lake Hickory.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1,326 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
3,267 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
52.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
938 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
- WittenburgPublic
- Dusty RidgePublic
- GunpowderPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Hickory
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Hickory in Catawba 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Lake Hickory are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Hickory
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 Lake Hickory → · more North Carolina lake trips
Follow Lake Hickory’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Lake Hickory
Nearby Lakes in Catawba County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Hickory
Where is Lake Hickory?
- Lake Hickory is a lake in Catawba 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 Lake Hickory?
- Lake Hickory in Catawba County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14 µg/L.
Is Lake Hickory safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Hickory?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Hickory, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 63 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Hickory?
- Lake Hickory has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Wittenburg, Dusty Ridge, Gunpowder. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Hickory?
- Lake Hickory has 3 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 Lake Hickory across LakeQuality
More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Eutrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
45 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ45 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- 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