Sugar Mountain Dam
Sugar Mountain Dam is an earth dam located in Avery County, North Carolina. It carries a High hazard potential classification and has a fair condition assessment.
About Sugar Mountain Dam
Sugar Mountain Dam is a dam in Avery, North Carolina. The dam is owned by Sugar Mountain Ski Resort, Llc (private). It impounds the Flattop Creek near Banner Elk.
The dam stands 32 feet tall and stretches 370 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 0 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 11 acre-feet.
This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. Its condition is rated fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 04/15/2025.
At 32 feet, this dam is taller than 76% of dams nationwide.
Living Downstream
If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The North Carolina dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.
Search for dams near your address to see all dams in your area with hazard classifications and safety data.
Location
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Avery |
| Nearest City | Banner Elk |
| River/Stream | Flattop Creek |
| Coordinates | 36.13040, -81.85490 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 32 ft |
| Dam Length | 370 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 11 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 11 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 8 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 0 acres |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Other |
| Owner | Sugar Mountain Ski Resort, LLC |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Fair |
| Last Inspection | 04/15/2025 |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | NC01859 |
| Federal ID | NC01859 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |