Lake Rabun
Rabun County, GeorgiaView mapDirections
Georgia EPD publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Rabun. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 59 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Rabun in Rabun County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.7 µg/L.
Lake Rabun is a mesotrophic lake in Rabun County, Georgia with an estimated average depth of about 59 feet. 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 Rabun County, Lake Rabun ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Georgia EPD, last sampled 2025-08-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Rabun has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Rabun on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Rabun is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.9 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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 Rabun 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 Rabun
These are the measurements Georgia EPD publishes for Lake Rabun, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10.9 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.7 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.9ft | 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) | 3.7µg/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 Rabun
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~59 ft est.
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 Rabun.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
153 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
512 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
10.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,722 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
- Hall's 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 Rabun
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Rabun in Rabun 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 Rabun
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Lake Rabun → · more Georgia lake trips
Follow Lake Rabun’s readings
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Fishing Lake Rabun
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 13 years of monitoring (2013–2025).
Water clarity
Stable12 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.12 µg/L/yr13 years
Nearby Lakes in Rabun County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Rabun
Where is Lake Rabun?
- Lake Rabun is a lake in Rabun 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 Rabun?
- Lake Rabun in Rabun County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.7 µg/L.
Is Lake Rabun safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Rabun?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Rabun, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 59 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 Rabun?
- Lake Rabun has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hall's Marina. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Rabun?
- Lake Rabun has 1 documented boat landing 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.
Explore Lake Rabun across LakeQuality
4 documented falls within 14.7 mi, nearest Minnehaha 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
More lakes in Georgia
Other Lakes in Georgia
Mesotrophic Lakes in Georgia
Where this data comes from
390 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2013–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Georgia DNR Environmental Protection Division
21GAEPD_WQX390 samples · 2013–2025
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