Tennessee Valley Authority Reservoirs In North Carolina

Updated June 2025.

The Tennessee Valley Authority reservoirs in North Carolina 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. It is immediately downstream from the Hiwassee Reservoir (see below) and a shared day-use park at Apalachia provides access and has a picnic pavilion that can be rented. Apalachia is open to fishing, canoeing, hiking and primitive camping. See the Hiwassee River water trail guide (with maps) and the Apalachia Dam recreational release schedule.

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. The Nantahala National Forest’s Jackrabbit Mountain Recreation Area operates a swimming beach on Chatuge Reservoir. See the Hiwassee River water trail guide (with maps)

Fontana Reservoir
Little Tennessee Watershed Team
http://www.tva.gov/sites/fontana.htmSuite 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. The WWII-era Fontana Dam construction village is now the Fontana Village Resort & Marina, with a lodge, cabins, campground, a pool, restaurant and guided recreational activities.

Hiwassee Reservoir
Hiwassee Watershed Team
600 Powerhoue Road
Murphy, NC 28906
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 the Hiwassee Dam, a day-use park on Apalachia Reservoir has a picnic pavilion that can be rented. See the Hiwassee River water trail guide (with maps).

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