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J. Percy Priest Lake
J. Percy Priest Lake, located a few miles east of downtown Nashville, offers recreational opportunities to millions of visitors each year. There are many opportunities for boating, camping, fishing, swimming, water skiing and wakeboarding. The lake also is home to the Nashville Shores water park.
J. Percy Priest Lake features 5 marinas, 33 boat ramps, 2 fishing docks, 381 picnic sites, 363 camping sites, 6 swimming areas and 68 miles of trails.
The visitor’s center for J. Percy Priest Lake is located near the west side of the dam at 3737 Bell Road. It is open Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. except federal holidays. More information is available at (615) 889-1975.
Residential real estate exists convenient to J. Percy Priest Lake.
J. Percy Priest Lake is named for a congressman who represented the Nashville area for 16 years.
Water Sports
Other than the Cumberland River, J. Percy Priest Lake is the closest large body of water to the Nashville metro area. It is in a flatter area than most of the other lakes in the middle Tennessee area which gives it much larger expanses of open water and more wind. These factors lead to Percy Priest being one of the more sailed lakes in Tennessee. There are several sailing clubs that operate in and around this lake:
Because of the large expanses of water, higher winds, and higher amount of boat traffic, Percy Priest is not the best place to practice sports such as Wake Boarding or wakesurfing, but there are some areas where it can be done better than others.
There is also an area that some people refer to as party cove. You can generally tie up to a group of other boats full of people just floating, drinking beer, listening to music, and enjoying the lake. There are also some good spots on percy priest to jump off cliffs. Safe places to jump range from 5 feet to about 40 feet!
Statistics
Formed by the damming of the Stones River, J. Percy Priest Lake covers 14,200 acres of water and features 213 miles of shoreline. 33,054 acres of surrounding land are included in the site, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The average depth of J. Percy Priest Lake is 28.7 feet. The summer pool of the lake is 490 feet above mean sea level. The winter low is 483 feet and the lake has a flood storage capacity of 504.5 feet. The average surface water temperature of the lake in 2001 was close to 64.4 degrees. The warmest temperature, 84 degrees, was recorded in late June and again in early August. The coolest temperature, 35 degrees, was recorded in late January.
The deepest part of J. Percy Priest Lake is approximately 100 feet in the main river channel about a half mile upstream of the dam.
Regulations
Among the regulations for J. Percy Priest Lake:
• Primitive camping is allowed only on islands. There are no reservations for sites; each site is available on a first-come first-serve basis. No permanent structures, nails or other fixtures are allowed on trees. Campers are responsible for their campfires and should not leave them unattended. Cutting of live trees, standing dead timber or other vegetation is prohibited.
• Open campfires are not permitted on the shoreline of J. Percy Priest 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 and standing dead timber may not be cut.
• 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.
• Day use fees are charged at selected recreation areas. The areas on J. Percy Priest Lake charging these fees are Cook and Anderson Road. These two areas offer sand swimming beaches, playgrounds, launching ramps, bathrooms, picnic sites and picnic shelters. The fees are $4 per vehicle for use of a boat launching ramp, swimming beach and other facilities. Holders of Golden Age and Golden Access passes receive a 50% discount on these fees. Day use annual passes are available.
Contact information
Management of J. Percy Priest Lake may be contacted at
Resource Manager’s Office
J. Percy Priest Lake
3737 Bell Road
Nashville, Tennessee 37214
(615) 889-1975
Email: Chief.Public-Affairs@lrn02.usace.army.mil
Other lakes in Middle Tennessee (region around Nashville)
Other large lakes in Middle Tennessee (the region around Nashville) include:
Old Hickory Lake,
Cheatham Lake,
Cordell Hull Lake,
Lake Barkley,
Kentucky Lake,
Center Hill Lake,
Dale Hollow Lake,
Tims Ford Lake.
Related Nashville-Middle TN topics on Civic Scope
Outdoor Recreation
Lakes And Rivers
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