Chickamauga Lake attracts millions of visitors each year, with over 810 miles of shoreline and more than 35,000 surface acres. The area offers two state parks, two county parks, four municipal parks and two wildlife centers. Chickamauga Lake provides the perfect setting for outdoor recreation enthusiasts of all skill levels.

Chickamauga Lake is named for a tribe of Native Americans that broke away from the Cherokee Nation in the 1700s. They lived in villages along North Chickamauga Creek, which joins the river just below Chickamauga Dam. Chickamauga Lake is a great for flat-water paddling beginners and families.

Fish are abundant in the lake; primary species of sport fish include white crappie, bluegill, white bass, channel and blue catfish, largemouth bass, and sauger. The Big Ridge Small Wild Area is a 200-acre upland hardwood forest situated on a high ridge above the north shore of the reservoir at the dam. An easy 1.3-mile loop trail leads through the forest. Spring wildflowers include bloodroot, toothwort, larkspur, trillium, and mayapple.

Related Activities: hiking, backpacking, flatwater paddling

Address: Chattanooga, TN

Distance from Outdoor Chattanooga HQ: 10 minute drive

Map(s) and directions: Take exit 4 from I-75 and go north on Highway 153 (Chickamauga Dam/Airport exit) to the Chickamauga Dam exit.

Activity type: leisure, family

Dates/Hours: open year round