Fontana Reservoir

From the top of Fontana Dam you can look out onto the lake or back down below and behind the dam (below). The lake is great for fishing and all kinds of boating, and houseboats, which are rented like cottages, are popular. The state has five public boat ramps on Fontana Lake (see here), and the TVA has a picnic pavilion with six tables seating 36 people that can be reserved. The TVA's visitors center is at the top of the dam. It has exhibits about building the dam and bringing electricity to the southern Appalachians. It also points out that families were displaced, but I remember thinking that what it didn't say was that people whose families had been there for generations were forcibly removed from their land.

These photos (scanned in from old 35mm shots) show the approach road to the dam and a closer view of the tailrace. The TVA campground behind the tailrace was closed and just about to be removed when we were there in the summer of 2002. It has since been replaced by a private firm's campground.

Below is a look at the back of the dam from the approach road and from the observation deck. These were shot by our sister-in-law, Tara Nelson, on a visit in July 2008.

The Appalachian Trail crosses the dam and, from where Pam stands, leads southward toward Georgia. AT hikers - or just their backpacks sitting outside the visitors center - are a common sight at the dam. Hot showers available at Fontana Dam are much anticipated on the trail.