Watauga Dam

Carter County, United States

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Heritage registerNational Register of Historic Places↗

Watauga Dam is a hydroelectric and flood control structure on the Watauga River in Carter County, Tennessee, built by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1940s to manage flooding across the Tennessee River watershed. At 318 feet high, it ranks as the second-highest dam in the TVA system and was among the tallest earth-and-rock dams in the United States upon completion. The dam creates Watauga Reservoir, spanning 6,430 acres, with its tailwaters feeding into Wilbur Lake. Named after a historic Cherokee settlement once situated along the river, the structure was recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. The Appalachian Trail crosses the dam's crest, making it a notable waypoint for long-distance hikers.