Lakes / North Carolina / Macon County / Nantahala Lake
Nantahala Lake, North Carolina
1,380.58 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - North Carolina
35.18 degrees N, 83.66 degrees W - Macon County. State and county outlines drawn from Census boundary data; the lake marker is placed by its USGS National Hydrography Dataset coordinates, not by eye. Schematic - not a survey map.
How Nantahala Lake Stacks Up
- Larger than 89% of the 295 lakes counted in North Carolina.
- The largest lake in Macon County among those counted.
- About 69 miles from Asheville, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatuge Lake | Clay | 14 mi | 6,364.45 acres |
| Santeetlah Lake | Graham | 17 mi | 2,638.1 acres |
| Lake Emory | Macon | 17 mi | 83.03 acres |
| Fontana Lake | Graham | 17 mi | 9,478.42 acres |
| Lake Sequoyah | Macon | 26 mi | 47.04 acres |
| Persimmon Lake | Cherokee | 27 mi | 5,914.47 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Nantahala Lake
How Big Is Nantahala Lake?
Nantahala Lake covers 1,380.58 acres in Macon County, North Carolina.
What Is the Largest Lake in Macon County?
Nantahala Lake is the largest lake in Macon County, at 1,380.58 acres.
Largest Lakes in North Carolina
| # | Lake | County | Surface Area | Max Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Norman | Iredell | 30,797.52 acres | - |
| 2 | Lake Mattamuskeet | Hyde | 26,110.39 acres | - |
| 3 | Lake Gaston | Warren | 18,986.78 acres | - |
| 4 | Phelps Lake | Washington | 15,941.02 acres | - |
| 5 | B Everett Jordan Lake | Chatham | 13,118.99 acres | - |
All 295 North Carolina lakes ranked by surface area
Sources: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (The National Map) lake data (ID 90513324). Verified October 30, 2026.