Largest lakes & reservoirs in East Tennessee by shoreline length
The length of the exterior shoreline around a lake is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. The shoreline length can be considerably shorter or longer when lake water levels are lower or higher than normal. A lake with many coves has a much longer shoreline than a lake of similar surface area that is nearly circular in shape.When known, the shoreline miles that we report in our statistics include only the lake’s exterior shoreline, and exclude the shorelines of islands located within a lake’s boundaries. In lakes with many islands, those islands’ combined shorelines may exceed a lake’s exterior shoreline.
You can find many of the world’s longest-shoreline lakes on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, "Longest Shorelines" data is unknown or does not apply, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 16 articles we have published for East Tennessee lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Tennessee > East Tennessee > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in East Tennessee, only the 16 East Tennessee lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Guntersville, AL (Alabama, East Tennessee, Mountains Region, AL, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
949 mi | Also known as Guntersville Lake, Guntersville Reservoir Alabama’s Mountain Region contains the state’s largest lake: Lake Guntersville. Cradled in the Appalachian foothills of northern Alabama, it’s located… |
| Chickamauga Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
810 mi | Also known as Chickamauga Reservoir Chickamauga Lake is a fabulous recreational reservoir. It is located in southeast Tennessee, 20 miles from Chattanooga, and includes 810 miles of shor… |
| Norris Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
809 mi | Also known as Norris Reservoir Just 25 miles north of Knoxville, Tennessee, Norris Lake is the first reservoir created by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Named for Senator George No… |
| Watts Bar Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
722 mi | Also known as Watts Bar Reservoir Midway between Knoxville and Chattanooga, Watts Bar Lake has been called “King of the Southern Great Lakes.” Watts Bar Lake is an impoundment of the T… |
| Douglas Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
513 mi | Also known as Douglas Reservoir Douglas Lake, also known as Douglas Reservoir, stretches out over more than 28,000 acres and 500 shoreline miles in eastern Tennessee. Douglas Lake is… |
| Cherokee Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
393 mi | Also known as Cherokee Reservoir Cherokee Lake: Artists stop at Clinch Mountain Overlook to paint it, and photographers to photograph it, and every year millions of people come from a… |
| Fort Loudoun Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
379 mi | Also known as Fort Loudoun Reservoir Named for a nearby 18th century British fort, Fort Loudoun Lake draws millions of visitors every year for fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing. Loca… |
| Tellico Reservoir, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
357 mi | Also known as Tellico Lake About 30 minutes south of Knoxville, nestled in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, Tellico Lake is the lake that almost wasn’t. Extending 33 miles al… |
| Melton Hill Reservoir, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
193 mi | Also known as Melton Hill Lake Melton Hill Reservoir, also known as Melton Hill Lake, is an impoundment of the Clinch River. Located near Oak Ridge, TN, the reservoir extends 57 mil… |
| Nickajack Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
179 mi | Also known as Nickajack Reservoir Set against the spectacular scenery and steep walls of the Tennessee River Gorge, Nickajack Lake is the perfect place to relax on the water, fish, or… |
| South Holston Lake, VA (Blue Ridge Highlands, VA, East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
160 mi | Also known as South Holston Reservoir An impoundment of the South Fork Holston River, South Holston Lake is an exceptional place to fish and boat. Straddling the Virginia and Tennessee sta… |
| Boone Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
131 mi | Also known as Boone Reservoir Boone Lake is one of a series of reservoirs lying among the hills in northeast Tennessee. Completed on March 16, 1953, Boone Lake was constructed, and… |