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Put In - I camped at Fontana Village campground, which let me use the Fontana Marina. I also used the Cable Cove boat ramp.
Distance/Time - I paddled six trips over 3 days, the last day was for site seeing and traveling home. The night trips were to the dam itself and during the morning I did various coves or creeks.
Difficulty - Average
Trip Directions - The first trip was from the marina to the Cable Cove boat ramp. It was windy so just took it slow. That evening I put-in at a boat ramp below the dam on the Little Tennessee River since I was camping nearby. When I put my foot in the water it felt like winter and sure enough the water temperature was 52 degrees. Also. the water was moving at a good pace so I decided to be very cautious and just paddled about a mile and a half. The low water temperature is a result of the dam releasing from the bottom of the lake instead of the top. The second day started with a trip from the Cable Cove boat ramp to Hazel Creek. The abandoned town of Proctor is about .7 mile walk down a gravel trail. The "Road to Nowhere" is a result of the dam and the isolation of the communities along the north shore of Fontana Lake. The evening was a trip to the dam and since the water is released at the bottom of the dam you can paddle the complete length of the dam as close as you want. It was very impressive and I did this trip again the next evening. The mountains and dam at dusk are just spectacular. The third day I paddled to Eagle Creek from the marina. Eagle creek is supposed to be the best trout fishing stream in the park.
Scenery - In terms of wildlife I really never saw much other than birds and ducks. I thought I heard an osprey but never saw it. The lake is a magnificent green because they say that the copper mines that were flooded colored the water. You need to paddle the lake at near full pool(1700 ft) as they really draw down the lake during the fall and winter. I met a group of boy scouts hiking out of campsite 87 on the Appalachia Trail and then they got in their canoes to paddle back to the Cable Cove boat ramp. Very nice bunch of scouts and adult leaders. I also ran into a group of young men and women that camped at Eagle Creek and were leaving as I was heading back also. Really nice campsites at start of the Eagle Creek rapids. One afternoon I visited the Fontana Dam visitor center. Very nice views of both sides of the dam and how it works. I also visited the Fontana Community Church. The highlight of my sightseeing in the area was the "Tail of the Dragon". This area is very popular for motorcycles and you see them everywhere. I decided to take the challenge in my Honda CRV with a kayak on top and drive it. The person at Deal's Gap only advice was to not cross the double yellow line. He was right and you had to really concentrate and also let any motorcycle that came up behind you pass at the various asphalt pull offs. Vehicles cannot go as fast as bikes. There are a few photography companies taking pictues along the road and I was able to find my car pictures at US 129 photos. Not sure how long they will be active but here is myself and the doggie going and coming back. At the scenic overlook on the Tail of the Dragon you can see the Cheoah Dam that was used in the filming of The Fugitive where Harrison Ford jumps.
Hazards - Motor boats.
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