Lake Sequoyah
Macon County, North Carolina54 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Sequoyah. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
Lake Sequoyah in Macon County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7 µg/L. Surface area: 54 acres.
Lake Sequoyah is a 54-acre mesotrophic lake in Macon County, North Carolina. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Macon County, Lake Sequoyah ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-11-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Sequoyah covers about 54 acres in Macon County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Sequoyah on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Sequoyah is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
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 Sequoyah 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 Sequoyah
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Lake Sequoyah, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.4 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7 µg/L. TSI 52.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7µg/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. | 52 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Sequoyah
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
54 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Sequoyah, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Lake Sequoyah
- Van Hook Glade Campground2.6 km
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 Sequoyah
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Sequoyah in Macon 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 Sequoyah
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at North Carolina’s top lakes →
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Fishing Lake Sequoyah
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Sequoyah is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sequoyah Dam (completed 1926), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Cullasaja River; concrete-type dam, 25 ft tall and 194 ft long.
- Surface area
- 54 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,980 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,376 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 14.4 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Town of Highlands
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00160 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Macon County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Sequoyah
Where is Lake Sequoyah?
- Lake Sequoyah is a lake in Macon 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 Sequoyah?
- Lake Sequoyah in Macon County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7 µg/L. Surface area: 54 acres.
Is Lake Sequoyah safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Lake Sequoyah?
- Lake Sequoyah has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Van Hook Glade Campground. 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 Sequoyah across LakeQuality
4 documented falls within 9.1 mi, nearest Dry 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
More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
60 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ60 samples · 2024
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles