In this latest edition of “Off the Beaten Path”, my wife Jamie and I continued our exploration of the Tennessee River. For this trip, we visited Tellico Lake (Reservoir) which is an impoundment of the Little Tennessee River. It is located southwest of Knoxville and is an easy drive from central and northern Alabama. Tellico Lake was created by TVA in 1979. The dam impounds the Little Tennessee River and the lower Tellico River and is approximately 16,000 acres in surface area providing 357 miles of shoreline.
The river flows from south to north before it reaches the Tellico Dam at the confluence of the Little Tennessee and the Tennessee River near Lenoir City.
In route we stopped at Mountain View Winery in Wears Valley, the Hiwassee River and Fort Loudoun Historic State Park.
We stayed in a waterfront cabin at Sequoyah Lake Tellico Resort and Marina, where we rented a pontoon boat. The resort is centrally located on the lake. To the north is Tellico Village where we enjoyed a waterfront restaurant and to the south, upriver, is relatively remote with miles of undeveloped shoreline…we went south. Totally loved the scenery.
As we approached the Calderwood Dam we noticed an unexpected drop in temperature. The water flowing from the bottom of the dam was very cold. The air temperature was in the 90’s, but when the wind blew over the surface of the cold water it felt like a 60° breeze. No way was I going to jump in.
…however, a swim on the way back in warmer waters was really fun.
On the way home, we cooled off at the Lost Sea Adventure which is a cave tour of Craighead Caverns named after a former owner, Chief Craighead. The Cherokees used the cave as a meeting place for their councils. During the Civil War, the caves were mined by Confederate soldiers for saltpeter, which is used to make gunpowder. Moonshiners used it during Prohibition. It is the largest underground lake in North America and the second largest in the world. The water was crystal clear and over 100′ deep in some areas.
Hope you’ve enjoyed our photos and find the time to go off the beaten path in Tennessee.