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Center Hill Lake

 

Center Hill Lake View

Center Hill Lake, located 60 miles east of Nashville off I-40, offers abundant opportunities for boating, fishing, water skiing, wakeboarding, picnicking and camping, as well as enjoying traditional crafts.

Center Hill Lake features 9 marinas, 41 boat ramps, 364 picnic sites, 8 playgrounds, 9 miles of trails and 6 swimming areas.

Center Hill Lake’s nine commercial marinas provide services such as fuel, private boat moorage, electrical and water hookups, boat rentals, fishing and marine supplies, restaurants and snack bars, and restrooms.

Also located at Center Hill Lake are:

Edgar Evins State Park, which is classified as a wildlife management area. The park features a modern, 34-unit village cabin complex and 60 sites for tent and trailer camping.

Cabins at Edgar Evins State Park.

The Joe L. Evins Appalachian Center for Crafts, which is nationally known for preserving traditional crafts and for its professional programs in fine craft media.

Burgess Falls State Natural Area, which features sheer bluffs, narrow ridges, rolling water, and abundant mixed forest. The Falling Water River runs through.

Rock Island State Park., which is located at the falls of the Caney Fork River between McMinnville and Sparta. There are 10 cabins and 60 campsites in the park. The campsites are each equipped with electrical and water hookups, grill, and picnic table.

Vacation homes and other residential real estate are situated convenient to Center Hill Lake. 

 

Statistics

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Center Hill Lake, formed by the damming of the Caney Fork River, covers 18,220 acres of water and includes 342 miles of shoreline. 38,551 acres of surrounding land are included in the site.

The ordinary high water mark (summer pool) of Center Hill Lake is 648 feet above mean sea level. The lake, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is drawn down during the fall to a minimum elevation of 620 feet above mean sea level. The average surface water temperature is 75 degrees. The warmest temperature on record was 90 in July and the coolest temperature was 32 in January.

The deepest point in Center Hill Lake is the original river channel along the face of the bluffs near the dam at 195 feet.

Regulations

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Among the regulations for Center Hill Lake:

• A primitive camping permit is required when camping along the shoreline. The camping must be within a designated primitive camping area. House boaters who are not involved in camping activities do not need a primitive camping permit nor do they need to locate adjacent to a primitive camping area. Since there are a limited number of designated primitive campsites on Center Hill Lake, houseboats should not use these sites for moorage if primitive campers occupy the sites.

• Open campfires are not permitted on the shoreline of Center Hill Lake. However, portable grills and chimneys are allowed as is the use of fireplaces. All fires must be attended and extinguished upon leaving. Dead wood may be gathered for use as firewood. Live vegetation may not be cut.

• Day use fees are charged at Hurricane Bridge, Floating Mill and Ragland Bottom Recreation Areas. Day use fees apply to users of the facility whether they arrive by vehicle or boat. At Floating Mill and Ragland Bottom, the fee is $4 per vehicle per day regardless of type of use or size of group. At Hurricane Bridge the fee is $3 for those using the boat launching ramp. A $30 annual pass is available for purchase from each of the Corps managed recreation areas as well as from the Resource Manager's Office.

• Hunting is permitted on government property during regulated hunting seasons. Areas where hunting is not allowed include developed parks and recreation areas, commercial marinas, and areas close to private residences.

• Fireworks are not permitted. (but like with many lakes and open areas, a lot of people get away with lighting off some pretty significant fireworks show to celebrate our Country's Independencs day on the 4th - fourth of July.)

• Houseboats may be tied up anywhere along the shoreline unless posted. Prohibited areas include the face of the dam and adjacent areas. Tied-up vessels may not obstruct, or appear to obstruct, access to any portion of Center Hill Lake. The vessel’s bow must not be tied more than 25 feet from the shore. A vessel may not be tied across any embayment or tributary that is greater than 100 feet in width at the stern of the vessel.

• Metal fenceposts, tires or modified docks may not be used to moor boats.

Contact information

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Management of Center Hill Lake may be contacted at

Resource Managers Office
Center Hill Lake
158 Resource Lane
Lancaster, Tennessee 38569

(931) 858-3125 or (615) 548-4521

Email: Chief.Public-Affairs@lrn02.usace.army.mil

Other lakes in Middle Tennessee (region around Nashville)

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Other large lakes in Middle Tennessee (the region around Nashville) include: Old Hickory Lake, JPercy Priest Lake, Cheatham Lake, Cordell Hull Lake, Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake, Dale Hollow Lake, Tims Ford Lake.

Related Nashville-Middle TN topics on Civic Scope

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Outdoor Recreation