Outdoor & Recreation Frost Bite Race Sail boat enthusiasts hit Watauga Lake on New Year’s Day to take part in the Frost Bite Sail Boat Race, which takes it name from the frigid conditions that can sometimes be expected on the lake at that time of year.
Watauga Lake The local name of the Watauga Reservoir created by the Tennessee Valley Authority with the 1948 completion of the Watauga Dam. Fed by the Watauga and Elk Rivers, the lake has an average depth of 52 feet, and covers 10 square miles of a valley that was once the town of Butler,Tennessee. It is stocked by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Administration with Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill and more.The Cherokee National Forest surrounds Watauga Lake in some of the most beautiful country in the Tennessee River watershed. The original town of Butler,Tennessee, now sits at the bottom of Watauga Lake.“New” Butler was relocated to higher ground above the summer pool edge of the TVA reservoir. According to lake expert Holly C Ward, Watauga Lake is the third cleanest in the country. More than half of Watauga Lake’s shoreline lies within the Cherokee National Forest and cannot be developed. Recreational uses include boating, fishing, water-skiing, and camping.There is no horse-power limit or speed limit for boats operating on the lake. Several fee-based public and private boat launch ramps provide access on the Hampton side of the reservoir.The release of impounded water from both TVA Watauga Dam and TVA Wilbur Dam provides additional downstream river recreational opportunities such as whitewater rafting, trout fishing, and kayaking on the Watauga River, and several Cherokee National Forest recreation areas are located along its shores.
Page 10 • Carter County Visitors Guide Fall/Winter 2020/2021
Laurel Falls Located along the Appalachian Trail between Hampton and Dennis Cove. Also known as Laurel Fork Falls, it is a fairly large waterfall in a deep gorge. It can be reached from the trail head in Dennis Cove or from the Laurel Falls trail head in Hampton, located along Laurel Fork on Highway 321. The Hampton trail merges with the Appalachian Trail, which splits off over the mountain toward Watauga Lake. Parts of the trail running along Laurel Fork lie on an old narrow gauge railroad bed. In places there are two parallel trails. The blue blazes indicate the alternate high water trail. The trail from Dennis Cove is shorter and mostly level except for a couple places, like the descent down to the falls. The Hampton trail is much longer, mostly level with a few climbs. It takes about an hour of walking to reach Laurel Falls from Hampton but it is a nice hike.
