Lake Information

Watauga Lake is the third cleanest lake in the United States. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Appalachian Mountains, Watauga Lake is truly a pristine setting for family fun and enjoyment. Created by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1942, the 6,430-acre lake is 16 miles long and boasts more than 100 miles of shoreline. Much of this is owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Forest Service, so its natural beauty remains intact.

Both Mountain City, Tennessee, and Elizabethton, Tennessee, are nearby Watauga Lake. Boone, North Carolina, as well as the Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol areas of Tennessee are within an hour’s drive.

In addition to boating, Watauga Lake is a great venue for swimming, sailing, canoeing and fishing. The lake’s favorite game fish include rainbow trout, bluegill, walleye, small mouth and large mouth bass.

Completed in 1949, Watauga Dam impounds the Watauga River for power generation, flood control and other obligations of TVA. Watauga Dam is 318 feet high and extends 900 feet across. It is the highest lake in the TVA system with the elevation being 1900 feet above sea level which allows for naturally cool waters, even in the summertime. The lake covers the Watauga River Valley south of Iron Mountain and part of the lower Roan Creek Valley in Carter and Johnson Counties of Tennessee to the North Carolina border.