Watauga Lake, Mountain reservoir in eastern Tennessee, United States
Watauga Lake is a reservoir in eastern Tennessee that spans 2,600 hectares and offers 167 kilometers of shoreline. The water reaches depths of 80 meters near the dam structure.
The Tennessee Valley Authority built the Watauga Dam between 1942 and 1948, requiring the relocation of the original town of Butler to higher ground. The flooding of the valley permanently changed the entire landscape of this region.
The Butler Museum displays artifacts and documents from the submerged town, preserving the memory of the original settlement beneath the water. Visitors can learn there how life looked before the flooding.
Several boat ramps provide water access, while the Cherokee National Forest surrounds more than half of the shoreline with undeveloped natural areas. Anglers and boaters find calm conditions here, especially outside summer weekends.
The reservoir sits higher than any other lake in Tennessee and ranks among the cleanest water bodies in the entire United States. This exceptional water quality makes it especially popular with divers and nature enthusiasts.
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