Tennessee National vs Chickamauga Lake: How Do They Compare?

Chickamauga Lake and Watts Bar Lake are neighbors on the Tennessee River. Chickamauga is Chattanooga's lake. Watts Bar is the next lake upstream, and Tennessee National is a private, gated lake and golf community on it, in Loudon, Tennessee, about 30 minutes from Knoxville.

Same river, same agency. The choice comes down to which city you want and whether you want a community around you.

What is the difference between Chickamauga Lake and Tennessee National?

Chickamauga is an open lake with many neighborhoods to choose from, and Tennessee National is one gated community with golf and a marina inside. On Chickamauga you are mostly choosing a house and a neighborhood near the water. At Tennessee National you are choosing a homesite or a home in a place where the course, the marina and the social calendar already exist.

Details about Chickamauga Lake change. Confirm current lake levels, dock rules and listings with TVA and a local agent before you decide.

How are the two lakes connected?

Chickamauga Lake begins where Watts Bar Lake ends. Watts Bar Dam sits between them, and its lock lets boats pass from one lake to the other.

Both are main-river TVA lakes, so the same agency sets the shoreline rules and posts the lake levels for both. Watts Bar changes about 5 to 6 feet between summer and winter. For Chickamauga, check TVA's lake level page for current numbers.

Watts Bar Lake has more than 39,000 acres of water and 722 miles of shoreline, and it is a 72-mile navigable reservoir. A cruise from Tennessee National toward Chattanooga is a real trip, so plan it as one. Our guide to boating from Tennessee National to Knoxville and Chattanooga explains the locks.

Which city do you want nearby?

Chickamauga puts you at or near Chattanooga's door, depending on how far up the lake you buy. Tennessee National puts you about 30 minutes from Knoxville and about an hour and a quarter from Chattanooga.

So with Tennessee National, Chattanooga becomes a day trip. With Chickamauga, Chattanooga is home.

From the gate at Tennessee National, I-75 is about 10 minutes and McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is about 35 minutes. Loudon is about 5 minutes for everyday errands.

What about fishing and boating?

Chickamauga Lake is well known among bass anglers, and Tennessee runs state parks on its shore. If bass fishing is the center of your lake life, give that real weight.

At Tennessee National the marina is inside the gates: full service, with 140+ boat slips. Days on the water look like pontoon cruises, kayaks and sunset runs. Ask the marina what is open now. If a private dock matters to you, ask what is possible on a specific waterfront homesite and what TVA requires. The same question applies to any lot on Chickamauga.

What about golf and neighbors?

Golf at Tennessee National is one Greg Norman Signature course inside the gates: 18 holes, 7,393 yards, par 72. Tennessee National is a golf cart community. For membership, ask the club. The golf page is the place to start.

There are also 22 social clubs and 180+ events a year, plus a clubhouse with Kendall's restaurant, a pool, a fitness center, pickleball, tennis and walking trails. See social life.

Around Chickamauga, golf and social life come from the city and from whichever neighborhood you choose. You put the pieces together yourself, and some buyers prefer it that way.

What drives the cost at each?

On an open lake, price follows the water. Does the lot touch it? Is there a dock? How old is the house, and how close is it to the city? A local agent can show you how those price out around Chickamauga today.

Tennessee National has five ways to own: The Timbers (wooded homesites), lake homesites, waterfront homesites, Land & Home packages and townhomes. Which one you choose sets the cost. Homes are custom built and go through design review, and there is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite. Pricing is in the info pack.

Chickamauga Lake and Tennessee National are both in Tennessee, which has no state income tax. Property tax is a county question, so ask the county for each address.

Who should look at Chickamauga Lake?

Look at Chickamauga Lake if Chattanooga is where you want to be. For example:

• You want to live in or right beside the city.
• City life matters more to you than a gated community.
• Bass fishing is the main event.
• You want to choose from existing homes in many neighborhoods.

Who should look at Tennessee National?

Look at Tennessee National if you want a community around the water. For example:

• You want golf, a marina and a clubhouse inside one gate.
• You want Knoxville as your city, with Chattanooga as a day trip.
• You want neighbors, clubs and events without organizing them yourself.
• You want to build a custom home on your own schedule.

What should you check in person?

The two are close enough to see on the same trip. At each one:

1. Ask TVA what a shoreline permit would allow on the lot you like.
2. Look at the shoreline in winter as well as summer.
3. Ask where the boat will live and what is open right now.
4. Drive to the grocery store, the hospital and the airport you would use.
5. Get the costs in writing: price, HOA fees, dock or slip costs, property tax and insurance.

The honest trade-off

If you want a city at your door, Tennessee National is not that. Loudon is about 5 minutes away and Knoxville is about 30. Dinner downtown is a drive, not a walk.

What you get instead is 1,492 gated acres where the course, the marina and the neighbors are already in place. Same river, two different lives. See both and decide which one sounds like yours.

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.