Big Laurel
Madison County
· Jun 10, 2026 at 13:45 (on 6/2)
Meets Primary & Secondary Recreation - Swimming & Boating
E. coli
100
MPN/100 mL
Turbidity
13.5
NTU
Sample date
Jun 10, 2026
13:45 (on 6/2)
Last sync
Jun 10, 2026
2:18 pm
Swimming / Primary contact
Passes 126 MPN/100 mL limit
Boating / Secondary contact
Passes 886 MPN/100 mL limit
Site details
County
Madison
Sheet name
Big Laurel
Coordinates
35.9126, -82.7572
Quality standards
Primary Recreation - Swimming
Passes 126 MPN/100 mL
Secondary Recreation - Paddling, Wading, Fishing
Passes 886 MPN/100 mL
Current reading
100 MPN/100 mL
About this location
Big Laurel Creek, downstream of the US 25/70 bridge in Madison County, has several “swimming holes” along a popular hiking trail. The section drops 200 feet in 3.7 miles, creating a series of class III and IV rapids that are prized by serious whitewater boaters. This trout stream flows into the French Broad River near Hot Springs, NC. Samples here are done in collaborative effort between MountainTrue and NC DEQ. NC DEQ takes samples on Mondays. MountainTrue takes samples on Wednesdays.
All data displayed on this page has been collected by Mountain True & volunteers