Lake Rhodhiss

Lake Rhodhiss (pronounced “Road-hiss” by the locals) was formed in 1925 with the creation of the Rhodhiss dam.

Lake Rhodhiss is smaller than it’s neighbor to the east (Lake Hickory) and has 90 miles of shoreline with a surface area of approximately 3,060 acres. Some beautiful mountain views can be seen from this lake and full pond elevation is 995.1 feet. There are four public boat access areas and one bank fishing area on the lake in cooperation with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Lake Rhodhiss has long been the forgotten lake on the Catawba River chain and really didn’t see any development until the early 2000’s. However in the past 15 years the Lake has really taken off with several large lakefront communities on the north and south shores of the Lake. The explosion of interest can be attributed to several factors.

Clean Waters; Lake Rhodhiss is the second lake from the top of the Catawba River chain (just east of Lake James) meaning it has some of the cleanest/clearest waters in the area. Fish and game from the lake are safe to eat and the nearby town of Granite Falls pulls it’s drinking water directly from the lake.
Location - Those wanting the feel and views of the mountains but more moderate temperatures this is your location. Located just north of I-40 in western North Carolina just between the cities of Hickory and Morganton you find yourself right at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Nature - A large portion of the Land surrounding the lake is owned by Duke Energy who maintains that their plan is to keep Lake Rhodhiss the most naturalistic lake on the Catawba River chain. As a matter of fact they have recently put into place several new restrictions making it harder to get a dock permit as well as how much of a homesite can be cleared. As for the Wildlife that can be found It’s an almost daily sight to see beaver, raccoon, blue heron, and musk rat along the shoreline of this lake. It’s almost impossible to take a drive through the lakefront community of Paradise Harbor and not see one of the several flocks of turkey that live in the pine forest. Tougher to find species but present in the area are white tail deer, black bear, and soaring bald eagles. This lake is second to none in North Carolina for wildlife viewing.
Excellent Pricing – Post recession this lake has really had some excellent values on vacant land listings due to over supply. There are several other quality Lakefront home sites available sub $100,000 With construction prices of around $100 per sq ft you can build the house of your dreams for far less than much older homes currently on the market.