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Center Hill Lake, Tennessee, USA

Also known as:  Center Hill Reservoir

Center Hill Lake is almost completely surrounded by the beautiful hardwood forested hills of the Tennessee Eastern Highlands. Center Hill Lake has 18,000 acres of boating, fishing and water recreation with over 400 miles of shoreline. It is an outdoor recreation jewel with over 20 boat ramps and seven marinas. Three state parks afford great camping, hiking, swimming, wildlife viewing, boating, water sports and many other enjoyable…
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    • All About Center Hill Lake, TN

    Lake Locations: USA - US South Region - Tennessee - Middle Tennessee -

    Center Hill Lake is almost completely surrounded by the beautiful hardwood forested hills of the Tennessee Eastern Highlands. Center Hill Lake has 18,000 acres of boating, fishing and water recreation with over 400 miles of shoreline. It is an outdoor recreation jewel with over 20 boat ramps and seven marinas. Three state parks afford great camping, hiking, swimming, wildlife viewing, boating, water sports and many other enjoyable relaxation activities. Located just 60 miles from Nashville, Tennessee, Center Hill Lake is a perfect location from which to visit this country music capital and ‘see the sights’. Three very scenic waterfalls complete the picture of a wonderful vacation retreat.

    Center Hill Lake was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and Harbor Act of 1946 primarily for flood control and power generation. Construction of Center Hill Dam was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1948 and a wonderful recreation lake was created. The dam construction is part of the control of water resources in the Cumberland River Basin and impounds the Caney Fork River – it is an important prevention of flooding of Carthage and Nashville. Three 45,000 kilowatt turbines produce clean electricity for Tennessee citizens.

    Center Hill Lake is a popular angler’s paradise with largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, Kentucky bass, bream, crappie, catfish, bluegill, white bass and walleye as fishing attractions. The lake’s fishing attractiveness is evidenced by a number of fishing tournaments held there. The 415 miles of shoreline offer many coves, inlets and other sites for the intrepid angler. The lake is open and used year round.

    In the early 1900s, before dam constructions, the many streams and Caney River were home to freshwater mussels yielding freshwater pearls of great beauty and durability. The pearl was named Tennessee’s official state gem in 1979.

    Boating and water sports are favorite pastimes on Center Hill Lake. The numerous marinas are full service locations with slips, food, fuel and boat rentals. Houseboat rentals are a favorite and many families spend a few days finding quiet locations to swim, fish and just plain relax.

    There are hundreds of campsites and cabins available in the three state parks and at some marinas. Hiking is another outdoor activity in most of these. For the geocaching aficionado, there are over 15 caches in a ten mile area (many more outside this) to find and log. Get your GPS unit out and find a few.

    Center Hill Lake has something for everyone – boating, fishing, hiking, biking, swimming and just the pure outdoor enjoyment of nature make this a ‘must do’ in Tennessee.

    Things to Do at Center Hill Lake

    These are some activities in the Center Hill Lake, TN area visitors can enjoy:

    • Vacation Rentals
    • Fishing
    • Fishing Tournaments
    • Boating
    • Swimming
    • Camping
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Hiking
    • Biking
    • Waterfall
    • Wildlife Viewing
    • State Park

    What Kind of Fish Are in Center Hill Lake?

    Center Hill Lake has been known to have the following fish species:

    • Bass
    • Black Bass
    • Bluegill
    • Catfish
    • Crappie
    • Largemouth Bass
    • Perch
    • Smallmouth Bass
    • Sunfish
    • Walleye
    • White Bass
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    Find Places to Stay at Center Hill Lake

    If you’re considering a Center Hill Lake lake house rental or hotel, we’ve made it super easy to find the best rates and compare vacation accommodations at a glance. Save time using this interactive map below.

    Note: These are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase. Read our full disclosure policy here.

    More Sites to Book a Center Hill Lake Vacation

    Our interactive Center Hill Lake lodging map above is an easy tool for comparing VRBO rental homes and nearby hotels with Booking.com, but there could be times when you need to expand your search for different types of accommodations. Here are some other lake lodging partners we recommend:

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    Center Hill Lake Statistics & Helpful Links

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    Lake Type: Artificial Reservoir, Dammed

    Water Level Control: US Army Corps of Engineers

    Surface Area: 18,220 acres

    Shoreline Length: 342 miles

    Normal Elevation (Full Pond): 648 feet

    Minimum Elevation (Min Pond): 618 feet

    Maximum Elevation (Max Pond): 685 feet

    Maximum Depth: 195 feet

    Water Volume: 492,000 acre-feet

    Completion Year: 1948

    Lake Area-Population: 3,994

    Drainage Area: 2,174 sq. miles

    Center Hill Lake Map
    Lake Water Level
    Local Weather Forecast
    Lake Homes For Sale

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