Overview
Fontana Lake is a 10,230-acre reservoir on the Little Tennessee River in Graham and Swain counties, deep in the mountains of western North Carolina. It was created in the 1940s when the Tennessee Valley Authority completed Fontana Dam, at 480 feet the highest dam in the eastern United States, built during World War II to supply power to the region and the war effort. The lake forms the southern boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Fontana is the deepest lake in North Carolina, with an average depth near 135 feet and a maximum depth of about 440 feet, and it has roughly 238 miles of largely wild shoreline backed by the national park and the Nantahala National Forest. Long, fjord-like arms, islands formed from former peaks, and steep forested slopes give it a remote, scenic character, and the pool can be drawn down substantially for seasonal flood storage.
The lake is popular for boating, houseboating, paddling, and fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass, walleye, and muskie, with fisheries managed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Access is provided through the Fontana Village marina, TVA and Forest Service ramps, and backcountry boat-in sites within the national park.
Water levels on Fontana Lake are managed by TVA around a summer full pool near 1,710 feet above mean sea level, with a lower winter pool near 1,652 feet for flood storage, producing dramatic seasonal drawdowns. Because the reservoir anchors TVA's lower Little Tennessee system above Cheoah Lake, elevations change seasonally and with rainfall and generation, so monitoring current lake levels is important for boating, fishing, and shoreline access throughout the year.
Current Conditions
Fontana Lake is currently 8.7 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 0.48 ft
- 30-day changeUp 2.20 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.
Fontana Lake is a 10,230-acre reservoir on the Little Tennessee managed by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).