TVA Reservoir recreation in North Carolina

TVA Reservoir recreation in North Carolina Stylesheet

Carolina Outdoors Guide - Parks & Forests

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Tennessee Valley Authority Reserviors

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There are 47 large Tennessee Valley Authority reservoirs on the Tennessee River and its tributaries, including four in the North Carolina mountains - Apalachia, Fontana, Hiwassee and a portion of Chatuge.

Reservoirs in North Carolina have a combined surface area of nearly 21,000 acres and about 530 miles of shoreline. The TVA maintains four day-use areas on the reservoirs and 13 stream access sites, and offers camping, fishing, boating, swimming and other recreational opportunities.

Click on the map above for a larger version. Click here to get an interactive map of TVA reservoirs.

The North Carolina reservoirs are:

Apalachia Reservoir
Hiwassee Watershed Team
221 Old Ranger Road
Murphy, NC 28906
(828) 837-7395
Locator Map
Apalachia Reservoir, covering 1,100 acres of surface area and 31 miles of shoreline in Cherokee County, is a small, deep, cool-water lake that receives little fishing pressure because of its isolated nature. A day-use park provides access. It is open to fishing, canoeing, hiking and primitive camping. (See Hiwassee Reservoir below.)

Chatuge Reservoir
Hiwassee Watershed Team
221 Old Ranger Road
Murphy, NC 28906
(828) 837-7395
Locator Map
Chatuge spans two states, with its dam and lower reaches near Hayesville in North Carolina and the upper end of the lake in Georgia. The lake has 130 miles of shoreline and 7,000 surface acres at normal summer pool levels. Wade fishing for trout below the dam is popular since fish are attracted to concrete weirs installed to provide a steady flow of water and to increase oxygen levels.

Fontana Reservoir

Little Tennessee Watershed Team
Suite 300, 804 U.S. 321, North
Lenoir City, Tenn. 37771-6440
(865) 988-2420
Locator Map
The 480-foot-high Fontana Dam on the Little Tennessee River is the tallest dam east of the Rocky Mountains. The 29-mile-long Fontana Lake in Graham and Swain counties in western North Carolina has more than 280 miles of shoreline and nearly 11,000 acres of water. It is bordered by Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the north and Nantahala National Forest to the south. It is open to boating, fishing and swimming, and the dam site has a visitors center and a picnic pavilion that can be rented. The Appalachian Trail crosses the dam and the TVA maintains a trail shelter with hot showers here. Here's a color brochure (.pdf) with a nice aerial photo of the dam and a map of the park. Click the photo for more info.

Hiwassee Reservoir
Hiwassee Watershed Team
221 Old Ranger Road
Murphy, NC 28906
(828) 837-7395
Locator Map
Surrounded by the Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests, Hiwassee and the adjacent Apalachia Reservoir serve as a rich habitat for deer, wild turkey and other animals. The reservoir has more than 163 miles of shoreline and 6,090 surface acres, and is well-suited for canoeing, rafting and learning the basics of whitewater boating. Below Hiwassee Dam a day-use park on Apalachia Reservoir has a picnic pavilion that can be rented and access to boating, fishing and exploring the reservoir and its tributaries.

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