Nantahala Lake
Macon County, North Carolina1,605 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Nantahala Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 95 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Nantahala Lake in Macon County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Surface area: 1605 acres.
Nantahala Lake is a 1,605-acre mesotrophic lake in Macon County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 95 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Macon County, Nantahala Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-11-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Nantahala Lake covers about 1,600 acres in Macon County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Nantahala Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Nantahala Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Camping1 public campground nearby
- Big water1,605 acres
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 Nantahala Lake 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 Nantahala Lake
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Nantahala Lake, 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 12.5 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.1 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.5ft | 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) | 3.1µg/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 Nantahala Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~95 ft est.
Surface area
1,605 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 Nantahala Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
84 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
16 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
3,018 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
- Rocky BranchPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Nantahala Lake
- Wine Spring Horse Camp4.7 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 Nantahala Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Nantahala Lake 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 Nantahala Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Nantahala Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Nantahala Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Nantahala (completed 1942), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Nantahala River; rockfill-type dam, 250 ft tall and 1,042 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,605 ac
- Normal storage
- 126,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 126,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 108 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Duke Energy
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00371 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Macon County
Frequently asked questions about Nantahala Lake
Where is Nantahala Lake?
- Nantahala Lake 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 Nantahala Lake?
- Nantahala Lake in Macon County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Surface area: 1605 acres.
Is Nantahala Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Nantahala Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Nantahala Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 95 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 1605 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Nantahala Lake?
- Nantahala Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Rocky Branch. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Nantahala Lake?
- Nantahala Lake 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 North Carolina's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Nantahala Lake?
- Nantahala Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Wine Spring Horse Camp. 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 Nantahala Lake across LakeQuality
16.7 mi away · cable-pulled, no boat wake
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 Great Smoky Mountains?
Nantahala Lake is about 30 miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 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 Great Smoky Mountains →More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
57 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
21NC03WQ57 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
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