Overview
Cheoah Lake is a 644-acre reservoir on the Little Tennessee River in Graham and Swain counties, in the mountains of western North Carolina along the scenic US 129 "Tail of the Dragon" corridor. It was created in 1919 when the Tallassee Power Company (later Alcoa/Tapoco) completed Cheoah Dam, the first of the Tapoco hydroelectric developments; the project is now owned and operated by Brookfield Renewable as part of the Tapoco Project.
Long and narrow, Cheoah has about 20 miles of steep, forested shoreline flanked by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Nantahala National Forest. Its cold, deep water and dramatic gorge setting give it a wild, remote feel, and inflow is driven largely by releases from TVA's Fontana Dam just upstream.
The lake is fished for trout, smallmouth bass, and walleye and is popular with paddlers drawn to the surrounding whitewater and mountain scenery. Fisheries are managed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and access is available through Brookfield and Forest Service points along the reservoir.
Water levels on Cheoah Lake are managed by Brookfield Renewable under its FERC license, with a normal full pool near 1,276.8 feet above mean sea level. Because the reservoir depends on releases from Fontana Lake and passes water down the Little Tennessee chain, levels fluctuate with generation, so monitoring current lake levels is helpful for boating, fishing, and shoreline access.
Current Conditions
Cheoah Lake is currently 4.28 feet below full pool and has fallen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 0.67 ft
- 30-day changeUp 122.72 ft
- Drought conditionsAbnormally Dry
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Cheoah Lake is a 644-acre reservoir on the Little Tennessee River managed by Brookfield Renewable (Tapoco Project).