Outdoor & Recreation
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.
Cardens Bluff Campground Boasting 40 sites, Cardens Bluff Campground looks out over Watauga Lake. Opportunities for swimming, fishing, and boating in the pristine waters of the Watauga Lake are located nearby. Access to the campground is located right off of Highway 321 in Carter County.
Page 10 • Carter County Visitors Guide Fall/Winter 2021-2022
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.
