Lake Lure
Rutherford County, North Carolina740 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Lure. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 68 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Lure in Rutherford County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.3 µg/L. Surface area: 740 acres.
Lake Lure is a 740-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Rutherford County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 68 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2025-05-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Lure covers about 740 acres in Rutherford 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 Lake Lure on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lake Lure is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 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 Lure 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 Lure
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Lake Lure, 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 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.3 µg/L. TSI 49.
| 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 | 20µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.3µg/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. | 49 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Lure
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~68 ft est.
Surface area
740 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 Lake Lure.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
95 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
12.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,007 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
- Lake Lyre Boat RampPublic
- Lake Lure / Washburn MarinaPublic
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 Lure
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Lure in Rutherford 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 Lake Lure
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 Lure → · more North Carolina lake trips
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Fishing Lake Lure
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Lure is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Lure Dam (completed 1927), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Rocky Broad River; concrete-type dam, 124 ft tall and 480 ft long.
- Surface area
- 740 ac
- Normal storage
- 32,295 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 44,914 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 95 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Town of Lake Lure
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00100 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Rutherford County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Lure
Where is Lake Lure?
- Lake Lure is a lake in Rutherford 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 Lure?
- Lake Lure in Rutherford County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.3 µg/L. Surface area: 740 acres.
Is Lake Lure safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Lure?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Lure, 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 740 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Lure?
- Lake Lure has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Lyre Boat Ramp, Lake Lure / Washburn Marina. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Lure?
- Lake Lure 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 Lake Lure across LakeQuality
3 documented falls within 22.1 mi, nearest Hickory Nut Falls
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
Planning a trip around Blue Ridge?
Lake Lure is about 19 miles from Blue Ridge Parkway. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Blue Ridge →More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Eutrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
45 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. 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 · 2021–2025
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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