Overview
Cordell Hull Lake is an 11,960-acre reservoir on the Cumberland River in Smith, Jackson, and Clay counties in Middle Tennessee, about five miles upstream of Carthage. It was completed in 1973 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District for hydropower, navigation, and recreation, and is named for Cordell Hull, Franklin D. Roosevelt's Secretary of State and a native of the region. The lock-and-dam project extends commercial navigation farther up the Cumberland while creating a long, scenic recreation pool.
About 72 miles long with roughly 381 miles of shoreline at normal summer pool (504 feet), Cordell Hull is a mainstem Cumberland reservoir held in a relatively narrow operating band. Wooded hills, limestone bluffs, creek arms, and a lock at the dam support both recreation and barge traffic. The mix of river channel, secondary creeks, and protected coves gives the lake a varied physical character for boaters exploring from Carthage toward Celina.
The lake offers fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, catfish, and striped bass, with fisheries managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Corps parks, campgrounds, boat ramps, and marinas provide public access along the reservoir, drawing anglers and recreational boaters from Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky. The lock also lets trailered and cruising boats move between Cordell Hull and the pools below.
Water levels on Cordell Hull Lake are managed by the Corps of Engineers around a normal full pool of 504 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29), with a minimum near 499 feet. The lake sits above Old Hickory Lake on the Cumberland mainstem, so elevations respond to lockages, generation, and upstream inflows from the Obey and upper Cumberland. Monitoring current lake levels is helpful for boating safety, fishing, and dock access throughout the year.
Current Conditions
Cordell Hull 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 0.40 ft
- 30-day changeDown 0.19 ft
- Drought conditionsNo Drought
- Active advisories1 active (Notice)
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Cordell Hull Lake is a 11,960-acre reservoir on the Cumberland River managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.