The Lake has over 100 miles of shoreline, totaling over 4200 acres of surface area. Lake Hickory offers 16 public boat launches and six marinas. Lake Hickory is a full recreational lake, allowing jet skis, water skiing, swimming, tubing, boat docks, fishing, and other water activities.  During the summer months you can enter various fishing tournaments since the lake abounds with many species of fish.

There are several things that have made Lake Hickory extremely attractive: the constant water level, water clarity, and the natural shoreline. Since some communities use Lake Hickory as their drinking water supply, the water level remains constant, where other lakes in the Carolinas as well as other state can vary dramatically. Unlike most other North Carolina lakes, Lake Hickory offers a crystal blue color, since it has a sandy bottom, as opposed to clay. The attractive shoreline of Lake Hickory is one of its greatest assets. Duke Power, the owner of the lake, has kept over 20 miles of shoreline for natural areas. The rest of the shoreline displays custom built homes, ranging in size from 2,000 to 7,000+ square feet, with beautiful docks, many with second level viewing decks. With boating traffic rated as low to moderate, you can see why so many people describe the natural beauty of Lake Hickory as "breathtaking." And when you see it, you will feel the same.