Can You Boat From Tennessee National to Knoxville?

It is one of the first questions boaters ask: can I take the boat to Knoxville?

Yes. Watts Bar Lake is not a closed pond. It is a stretch of the Tennessee River, and with a lock your boat can go where the river goes. The longer answer is about planning.

How is Watts Bar Lake connected to the rest of the river?

By a lock at each end.

Watts Bar Lake is a TVA reservoir on the Tennessee River. It has more than 39,000 acres of water, 722 miles of shoreline and 72 navigable miles. The lake runs from Fort Loudoun Dam at Lenoir City down to Watts Bar Dam near Spring City. Both dams have navigation locks. TVA owns the dams, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the locks.

Tennessee National is in Loudon, toward the upper end of the lake. That makes the Fort Loudoun lock the closer of the two. The Watts Bar lock is at the far end.

So a boater here has three choices.

How does a lock work for a recreational boat?

You pull in, tie off, ride the water up or down, and idle out the other end.

A lock is a concrete chamber with gates at both ends. The water inside rises or falls to match the next lake. If you have only boated on one lake, it sounds like a bigger deal than it is.

The basics:

• Contact the lock first. Recreational boats reach the lock operator by marine radio or phone and wait for instructions.
• Expect to wait sometimes. This is a working river. Commercial tows use the same locks and may go first.
• Follow the operator. They will tell you where to tie off and what to do with lines and engines. Have fenders out and life jackets on.
• Check before you leave the dock. Lock hours change, and locks close at times for maintenance. The Corps of Engineers posts the status of each lock.

TVA and the Corps both publish information for boaters on using the locks. Read it before your first trip. Your first lock is a small adventure. Your second is routine.

What is the trip to Knoxville like?

It is a full day on the river, and better as an overnight.

Lock up through Fort Loudoun Dam and you are on Fort Loudoun Lake. It carries the Tennessee River up past Farragut to downtown Knoxville and the University of Tennessee. The riverfront is the draw, and on football Saturdays the water near the stadium fills with boats.

We are not going to print a travel time. It depends on your boat, the lock wait and the slow zones along the way. Plan to leave early and set a firm time to turn around. Better yet, call a marina near Knoxville about a slip for the night and come home the next day.

By car, Knoxville is about 30 minutes from Tennessee National, so a friend can meet the boat by road with the overnight bags.

What is the trip toward Chattanooga like?

Longer. Plan it as a cruise of several days, not a day trip.

From Tennessee National you run most of the length of Watts Bar Lake to reach Watts Bar Dam. Lock through and you are on Chickamauga Lake, which runs down to Chickamauga Dam at Chattanooga. Downtown Chattanooga's riverfront sits below that dam, so reaching it takes one more lock.

Confirm marinas and fuel stops, and check the status of every lock on the route with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, before you commit. By car, Chattanooga is about an hour and a quarter from Tennessee National, which makes a one-way cruise with a ride home a fair option.

Do you need the locks to enjoy the lake?

No. Watts Bar Lake is a lot of water without them.

With more than 39,000 acres and 722 miles of shoreline, there are coves, long open runs and quiet corners enough for years of Saturdays. Pontoon cruises, kayaks and sunset runs are the everyday version of life on the water here. See marina and lake life.

The lock trips are the exception. They are something to plan once or twice a year. The locks matter more as a fact about the lake. Your boat is on a river system, not on a lake that ends at a dam with no way past it. That is worth knowing when you compare lakes.

If you do not own a boat yet, do you need a boat at Tennessee National covers the other ways onto the water.

What should you plan before a lock trip?

Plan for the locks, the water, the fuel and the weather.

• Lock status and hours. Ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
• Lake levels and river flow. TVA manages both. Watts Bar Lake sits about 5 to 6 feet lower in winter than in summer. See Watts Bar lake levels and TVA.
• Fuel and range. Know how far your boat goes on a tank, with a reserve. Call ahead to confirm where fuel is sold and when.
• Charts. Use a current chart or navigation app and stay in the marked channel.
• Weather. Summer afternoons can build storms fast. Start early.
• Rules and registration. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) handles boating rules and boat registration in Tennessee.
• A float plan. Tell someone on shore where you are going and when you will be back.

The honest part

• It is a long day. The lock can add a wait you do not control.
• Not every boat suits the trip. Range, comfort and weather protection matter more on a river run than on a cove day.
• Schedules change. A lock that was open last month may be closed for repairs this month.

Most days there is no reason to leave Watts Bar Lake. On the day you want to, the river leads both ways, as long as the locks are operating. Check with the Corps and TVA first. If you are moving a boat here, bringing your boat to Watts Bar Lake covers transport and registration, and boat slips has the marina details.

Facts about Tennessee National come from the community. Lake facts come from TVA. Rules, taxes, loans and insurance change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the right office or professional before you buy.