Overview
Hyco is a Powerplant lake built and owned by Progress Energy. The plant is coal-fired and uses the lake for cooling. As a result, Hyco is usually 5-10 degrees warmer than other NC lakes.
Hyco has a lot of narrow and deep channels that are excellent for foiling. Water is fairly clean and there are few hazards in the main part of the lake. You will need to go under at least one low bridge to get to the good riding areas, so be prepared to lower your tower.
Directions
Hyco Lake is Northwest of Roxboro, NC, on NC 57, or Southeast of Danville, VA.
From Roxboro: Take #57 North out of town. Cross the lake twice, and turn left
on Kelly Brewer Road at the Shell station. From Danville: Take #58 East toward
South Boston. 8.4 miles East of the Hampton, turn right on Hwy #62.
Go 12 miles (the road turns into #57 at the NC line), and turn right on Kelly
Brewer Rd. Both: Once you’re on Kelly Brewer, go 0.7 miles and turn right on
Pointer Dr. Follow the signs for Boats (left at the guardhouse) and pay at
the office before launching. If you are coming by car, go right at the
guardhouse and park in the designated area.
Places to ride
When you come out of the ramp area into the main body of the lake, turn right. Lower
your tower to get under the bridge, then follow the channel North past the Marina,
bearing left where the lake splits in front of the power plant (Note: if you go to
the right here and then toward the power plant, you are headed toward the "warm spot"
where the cooling water exits the plant. Back up to the cable across the narrow
channel and take a dip). Keep heading North until you get to a "T" junction.
There are a number of places both to the left and right here where nice water can
be found pretty much anytime.
Hazards
Not many in the North end of the lake. When you go to the left of the power
plant past the first island, look for a buoy in the middle: supposedly this is
a sunken house. Some of the more gently sloping banks shoal out so give them
a bit of a berth. If you go around to the left at the end, and then left again,
you will see a floating platform. If you decide to got up the channel North of
the platform where the slalom course it, stay reasonably close to it - there's
a shallow area marked by stakes to the east. Don't go on the East side of the
slalom course unless you want to leave part of your boat there.
Map
