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2022-09-09 17 19 17 UTC minus 4 Aerial view of Roxbury Township and Mount Arlington in Morris County, New Jersey, with Lake Hopatcong visible in the upper left.jpg

Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Lakes → New Jersey → Lake Hopatcong

Lake Hopatcong

New Jersey · Natural · near Hopatcong

2,686 acres 58 ft deep 8 ft clarity Water D

Compare

5.5SCORE

Survey summary · New Jersey

2,686

Surface acres

58 ft

Max depth

45 mi

Shoreline

8 ft

Typical clarity

924 ft

Elevation

2022-09-09 17 19 30 UTC minus 4 Aerial view of Roxbury Township and Mount Arlington in Morris County, New Jersey, with Lake Hopatcong visible in the upper left.jpg

2022-09-09 17 19 34 UTC minus 4 Aerial view of Netcong (lower left), Stanhope (left), Hopatcong (upper left), Mount Arlington (right) and Roxbury (lower right) in Morris and Sussex counties, New Jersey, with Lake Hopatcong visible in the center.jpg

Photographs of Lake Hopatcong via Wikimedia Commons. Credit and licence on each image — hover to view, click through to the source.

Lake Hopatcong covers 2,686 acres in New Jersey and drops to 58 feet at its deepest point. It is a natural lake, which generally means a more stable shoreline and fewer drawdown surprises than an impoundment. Short-term rental posture: Municipal rules. Confirm at the municipal level before underwriting rental income.

What stands out

Boating
Fishing

Watch outs

Nutrient-rich water; seasonal algae blooms are possible

Score breakdown

Water 4.3

Recreation 6.4

Value 3.5

Access 6.1

Investment 7.2

Each axis is computed by published formula from this lake's own attributes. How we score.

Water quality grade

Water A

ExcellentClear, low-nutrient water. Typically oligotrophic with high clarity and little seasonal algae.

Water B

GoodHealthy water with moderate clarity. Some seasonal variation, no persistent problems.

Water C

FairProductive water — good fishing, reduced clarity. Algae possible in late summer.

Water D

PoorNutrient-rich or heavily drawn down. Swimmable conditions vary; check before you rely on them.

Computed from measured clarity, trophic state, and drawdown magnitude — not an opinion. See the formula.

Overall score, 1–10

8.0+

ExceptionalStrong on every axis we measure.

7.0–7.9

StrongClearly above average, usually with one standout axis.

6.0–6.9

SolidA good lake with a trade-off worth understanding.

5.0–5.9

MixedReal strengths and real compromises.

Under 5

CompromisedSomething material — volatility, water quality, or access.

Weighted: water 26% · recreation 22% · investment 20% · value 18% · access 14%.

Fishery

Largemouth bassWalleyeMuskieHybrid striper

On the water

BoatingFishingSailingIce fishing

No USGS gauge on this lake. We only publish a station when its own name matches this water body. Nearby gauges on other lakes would look like data and mislead you, so we show nothing instead. Why we do that.

4.17 ft

Gage height

2026-08-04

Gauge history

Daily values from USGS. Loading up to one year.

What the drawdown looks like

Full pool vs winter low · Lake Hopatcong

The dock sits at full-pool elevation. At low pool the waterline retreats and the reach to navigable water changes. Scale is illustrative; the 5 ft figure is from published operations for this lake.

Where it is

True shoreline from USGS NHD 10 km²

The outline is this lake's actual boundary from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset, not an approximation — 568 boundary points. Basemap is USGS topographic with contours and hydrography. Switch layers at the top right.

Depth profile

Idealized cross-section. Max depth 58 ft, average 19 ft. Depth at a specific dock depends on local bathymetry — verify at the property.

Level behaviour

Level stabilityManaged Typical drawdown5 ft Drawdown seasonWinter Trophic stateEutrophic Typical clarity8 ft Water quality gradeD Elevation924 ft Managing authorityNJDEP

Dock & shoreline

Permitting authorityNJDEP Lake Hopatcong Commission Wake / speed rulesNo-wake 200ft

A dock is never guaranteed. Confirm in writing with NJDEP Lake Hopatcong Commission that the specific parcel is eligible before you remove contingencies.

Short-term rental posture

Municipal rules

Generally permitted, but rules change. Confirm the specific municipality and any HOA covenant.

Model rental income →

Modeled estimates. Market figures are derived from lake attributes and regional patterns, not from MLS data. Treat them as a starting point, not a comp.

$555,000

Median waterfront

$6,287

Per shoreline foot

+4.9%

Year over year

236

Est. inventory

141

Avg days on market

$817

Est. nightly rate

Rental snapshot

Modeled occupancy44% Booked nights / yr116 Gross revenue$101,156 Net operating income$52,179 Yield on median price9.40%

Open the full model →

What a median-priced home on Lake Hopatcong actually costs to carry, with waterfront-specific line items most calculators omit.

$4,674

All-in per month

$127,570

Cash to close + setup

$12,845

Beyond P&I, tax, insurance

Where the annual cost goes

Principal & interest $35,090 (64%) Maintenance reserve (1.1%) $6,105 (11%) Property taxes $5,828 (11%) Utilities $2,700 (5%) Hazard insurance $2,331 (4%) Shoreline / seawall reserve $960 (2%) Dock maintenance $900 (2%) Winterization / seasonal close $750 (1%)

Annual carry

Principal & interest	$35,090
Property taxes	$5,828
Hazard insurance	$2,331
Flood insurance	$650
Utilities	$2,700
Maintenance reserve (1.1%)	$6,105
Septic service	$520
Well & water testing	$260
Dock maintenance	$900
Winterization / seasonal close	$750
Shoreline / seawall reserve	$960
Total	$56,094