Overview
Boone Lake is a 4,400-acre reservoir on the South Fork Holston River in Sullivan and Washington counties in northeastern Tennessee, near Kingsport and Johnson City. It was created in 1952 when the Tennessee Valley Authority completed Boone Dam, named for frontiersman Daniel Boone. The reservoir is operated for hydropower, flood storage, water supply, water quality, and recreation.
Boone has about 127 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth near 160 feet at the dam, with two long arms extending roughly 16 miles up the South Fork Holston and 15 miles up the Watauga River. In a normal year the pool varies about 20 to 25 feet from summer to winter for seasonal flood storage, exposing steep banks and creating a mix of deep channels and shallow flats.
The lake is popular for boating, water skiing, and fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, and catfish, with fisheries managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Public access is available through TVA recreation areas, marinas, and boat ramps around the reservoir.
Water levels on Boone Lake are managed by TVA around a summer full pool near 1,382 feet above mean sea level, with a lower winter pool for flood storage. Because the reservoir sits between South Holston Lake and Fort Patrick Henry Lake on the South Fork Holston, elevations shift seasonally and with rainfall and generation, so monitoring current lake levels is important for boating, fishing, and dock access.
Current Conditions
Boone Lake is currently at full pool and has fallen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 0.17 ft
- 30-day changeDown 0.23 ft
- Drought conditionsNo Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Boone Lake is a 4,400-acre reservoir on the South Fork Holston River and Watauga River managed by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).