February 3, 2026
Why Does Lake Jocassee Look Like the Caribbean but Feel Like the Alps?
If you grew up in the American South, you know what a lake is supposed to look like. It is usually green, perhaps a bit murky, and stained with the ubiquitous red clay that defines the region’s geology. The water is warm, often feeling like bathwater by August. This is the standard “eutrophic” southern reservoir—nutrient-rich, full of life, but opaque. Then, you arrive at the edge of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, look down, and your brain stumbles. The water below isn’t green. It is a startling, impossible shade of turquoise. It is clear enough to see the rocks on the
