Lakes · Little Tennessee River · North Carolina
North Carolina lake on the southern edge of the Smokies — a Smokies gateway for East Tennessee visitors, below TVA’s tallest dam.
Fontana Lake is in North Carolina (Swain and Graham counties), not Tennessee. It’s on the Little Tennessee River, which flows on into Tennessee through Tellico Lake and joins the Tennessee River near Lenoir City (TVA system). Great Smoky Mountains National Park borders the lake to the north.
TVA calls Fontana Dam the highest dam east of the Rocky Mountains, and the Appalachian Trail crosses it. From East Tennessee, it’s a mountain drive over the state line — a good add-on to a Smokies trip rather than a quick stop. Water levels change a lot between summer and winter.
Checked Oct 29, 2026 · we link to official pages instead of printing water levels, hours or fees.
Swain County, NC · Graham County, NC · Coming from East TN: Blount
We’re building verified lists of marinas, public ramps, boat rentals, fishing guides and places to stay on Fontana Lake. Nothing is listed until we’ve checked it.