Paddle and swim
Quiet water and 2.4 miles of shoreline. We plan to welcome guests to paddle and swim from it.
The lake
Lake Apalachia
The lake runs along the south side of Highgrove: 2.4 miles of shoreline, with forest coming down to the water.
- 2.4 mi
- of lake frontage
- 1943
- the year the water rose
How the lake came to be
A river valley, then a lake
Lake Apalachia is a reservoir on the Hiwassee River, and it's younger than you might think. Before 1943 this was a river valley with farms, mills and a railroad. On February 14, 1943, the gates of Apalachia Dam closed. The water rose over the bottomland and stopped below our hills.
Families along the river moved away, and clearance crews took down every house, barn and tree below the new waterline. Read the whole story in History →
What we're planning
Days on the water
None of this is open yet. This is what we plan to offer from our shoreline, and we'll tell you as each piece is ready.
Boating and skiing
The lake is wide and open in places, good for a boat ride or a day of water-skiing.
Fishing
Smallmouth bass in the lake, and a trail down toward the Hiwassee River's tailwater.
Trails along the shore
Shoreline and ridge trails of our own, with the John Muir National Recreation Trail just downriver along the Hiwassee.
Just across the river
The Hiwassee and the Loop
The same railroad line still runs through the gorge just across the Hiwassee from the back of our farm, and the Hiwassee Loop is still in use. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum runs excursions from Delano, Tennessee: the Hiwassee Loop ride, and the day-long Copperhill Special, which stops in Copperhill, Tennessee and McCaysville, Georgia, twin towns on the state line.
The river itself, below Lovers Leap bluff, in 1939.
On and above the water
From the boat, from the shore and from the air. Tap a photo to see it larger.
Follow the journey
When the lake days, trails and cabins are ready, you'll hear first. Leave your email and we'll share the story as we go.