Mere minutes before we embarked on our pontoons, the fog covering Watauga Lake held visibility down to zero.  As our boats silently moved across the waters, the early morning mist lifted revealing a deep blue sky above and autumn colors all around. The eighth annual Watauga Lake Conservation Tour was underway!  Nestled between Big Laurel and Pond Mountain wilderness areas within the Cherokee National Forest, the clean waters and beautiful Appalachian vistas of Watauga Lake play host for fishermen, swimmers and those seeking the peace wilderness offers.  

On this cool Appalachian morning, we were the only boats on the lake.  Watauga Lake is a hidden gem of our High Country thought by many to be one of the cleanest bodies of water in the United States.  With a maximum depth of 305 feet -- and 265 feet at the dam (picture the height of a 24 story building underwater) Watauga Lake boasts 105 miles of shoreline with numerous coves to explore redtail hawks and eagles perched on limbs above. 

Appalachian National Scenic Trail #1 follows the west and north sides of Watauga Lake. AT hikers trek overtop the 69 year old earthen dam to cross the reservoir. Watauga Dam was completed in 1949 by TVA, creating a lake at 2000′ elevation.  At the time of its construction, it was the highest elevation earthen dam in the world, and today is the highest in the eastern United States. 

TVA impounded Elk River, Roan Creek and Watauga River to create this 6,430 acre lake located in both Johnson and Carter County, TN. Submerged road beds, foundations, sidewalks and train tracks remain that once serviced the drowned town of Butler, then a regional trade center and a thriving agricultural community in excess of 600 residents.  Today, the lake benefits from several environmentally minded groups, the Watauga Group perhaps the most visible.