Ocoee No. 1 (Parksville)

With about 47 miles of shoreline in a steep mountain setting, Parksville fluctuates roughly nine feet from summer to winter. Forested ridges, rocky points, and creek arms create a compact but scenic highland lake, while the Ocoee River below the dams is one of the top whitewater rivers in the country and was the whitewater venue for the 1996 Olympics. The contrast between the quiet reservoir and the scheduled whitewater runs below defines the Ocoee corridor.

The lake is popular for camping, boating, paddling, and fishing for bass, bream, and catfish, with Forest Service campgrounds, commercial outfitters, and public ramps serving both the reservoir and the whitewater runs below. Fisheries are managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Visitors often combine a day on Parksville with rafting or kayaking on release days farther down the Ocoee.

Water levels on Parksville Lake are managed by TVA around a summer full pool near 828.5 feet above mean sea level. Because the three Ocoee dams — including Ocoee No. 2 and Ocoee No. 3 — are operated together for power and scheduled whitewater releases, monitoring current lake levels and TVA's Ocoee release schedule is helpful for boating, fishing, and paddling throughout the season.