Adventures in
at Watauga Lake in
Carter County, Hampton, Tennessee
Watauga Point Recreation Area is located on the southern shore of Watauga Lake in Carter County Tennessee. The large multi-purpose area boasts a campground, pavilions and shaded areas for picnicking and sunbathing, a gravel trail that loops through the nearby forest for hiking, a boat ramp and a nice shoreline.
Interesting Facts about Lake Watauga…..
The meaning of the Cherokee name, Watauga, is relatively undecided but there are several conjectured meanings of “Watauga” that you can find online: “beautiful waters”, “clear waters”, “whispering waters”, “running waters”, “falling waters”, “village of many springs”, “broken waters”, “river of plenty”, and more. Regardless of its true semantic origins, most visitors agree that Watauga Lake is all of the above.
The lake surface covers 10.05 square miles that is nestled in the Appalachian Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest in northeastern Tennessee.
Arguably, the area offers some of the most stunningly beautiful lake and mountain views in the ‘Volunteer State’.
The Appalachian Trail crosses the southwestern tip of Watauga Lake.
The Lake is accessible only by winding mountain roads so because of its relatively difficult road access and steep shoreline, it is lightly touristed. There is just one small motel and several seasonal marinas and restaurants with water views on its 104.9-mile shoreline.
Started in 1942 and finally dammed on the last day of 1948, Watauga Lake is the TVA’s highest-elevated reservoir in Tennessee.
Part of Watauga Lake covers what was once Butler, Tennessee. Old Butler — as it is now called — was a town where Native Americans interacted with white settlers, Daniel Boone stopped to rest, and pioneer families farmed for generations. The TVA’s decision to dam the Watauga and Elk Rivers sealed Old Butler’s fate: it would soon lie on the bottom of the new lake.
Instead of watching Old Butler disappear, its citizens relocated their town to higher ground. “New” Butler is located lakeside and is home to the Butler Museum, which preserves the history of life in Old Butler.
Our Adventure
We drove 45 minutes from our campsite in Erwin and began our paddle around 9:30 AM.
The weather was of moderate temp with haze and mist. We had some nice blue sky with interesting clouds but as we were packing up we received a light rain shower.
This was our 9 mile-path. So much more to explore next time.
The bridge, Highway 321…
The morning haze gives it an other-worldly feel.
Spectacular views of the Appalachian Mountains.
No matter how you chose to enjoy Lake Watauga; motor boat, fishing boat, kayak, canoe, paddle board…. just have FUN and be safe!
Let’s protect and enjoy our natural world together and we will continue to enjoy places like these…….
We give this adventure a……
Dream Big, Travel Far, Live Well…
What’s Next?
More adventures in Tennessee’s Tri Cities area.
Enjoying our Photography?
If you enjoy our photography, you can view and purchase from our Fine Art America site. Please check us out for featured nature photography from Florida to the Pacific Northwest.
Nspired Adventures 