J. Percy Priest Lake - Information
J. Percy Priest Lake provides a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities for millions of visitors each year. Because of the temperate climate and relatively long recreation season, visitors have numerous activities from which to choose, including: fishing, hunting, camping, picnicking, boating, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, and others.
Because of the lake's proximity to Nashville, only 15-minutes from downtown, lakeside recreation can fit nicely into your other vacation plans. Percy Priest has a number of great towns on it shores including Mt Juliet, Smyrna, and La Vergne.
Unlike Old Hickory Lake, Homes are not allowed on the shores of this great lake. There many areas aroung the lake that offer lakeview homes....some in walking distance of Percy Priest Lake.
Fishing opportunities abound at J. Percy Priest Lake, with a wide variety of species available from the Stones River tail-waters to the East and West Forks of the Stones River. J. Percy Priest Lake provides over 14,000 acres of water for a wide variety of fishing opportunities around the project. The most popular species include largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, striped bass, Cherokee bass, and white bass. Other species such as catfish, bluegill, bream, and trout provide excellent opportunities for young anglers.
J. Percy Priest Lake is an artificial lake in north central Tennessee. It is formed by J. Percy Priest Dam, located between miles six and seven of the Stones River. The dam (easily visible from Interstate 40) is located about 10 miles (16 km) east of downtown Nashville and impounds a lake 42 miles (68 km) long. The lake and dam are named for Congressman Percy Priest. The deepest part of J. Percy Priest Lake is in the main river channel about 1/2 mile upstream of the dam at approximately 100-ft of depth.
J. Percy Priest provides boaters with a wide variety of opportunities to enjoy their respective recreational interests. Sailboats, fishing and hunting boats, pleasure boats, and personal watercraft all share the waters, so each boater has a responsibility to respect other boaters and practice good boating ethics and launching etiquette. J. Percy Priest boaters should learn the lake by using available lake maps and charts, use your depth finder while underway, and identify and understand the buoys, shallow markers, and other navigational aids on the lake.
Boaters are urged to practice safe boating by wearing approved Personal Flotation Devices, maintain all equipment necessary while operating, and practice appropriate rules of the road while operating on the lake. Personal Flotation Devices are required for certain boaters such as personal watercraft, children under the age of 12, and boaters operating in the tail-waters downstream of the dam.
The lake covers portions of Davidson, Rutherford, and Wilson Counties and consists of 14,200 acres of water at summer pool elevation 490 feet above mean sea level. The water is surrounded by 18,854 acres of public lands; 10,000 acres are devoted to wildlife management. The site of the former town of Old Jefferson was inundated by the reservoir; the community was demolished in the early 1960s for the building of the dam.
The J. Percy Priest Fishing Information Line provides weekday updates of fishing information, lake elevations, and fishing conditions at (615) 883-2351. Additional fishing information and regulations can be found at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Fishing web page. Additional lake and water release information can be obtained by calling the TVA Lake Information Line at 1-800-238-2264. Enter 48 for J. Percy Priest information.
The dam, powerhouse, lake, and public lands are operated and supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' personnel under the direction of the District Engineer at Nashville. The Natural Resource Management Office maintains three campgrounds (Anderson Road, Seven Points, and Poole Knobs), eleven day-use/picnic areas (Anderson Road, Cook, Damsite, East Fork, Fate Sanders, Jefferson Springs, Nice's Mill, Overlook, Seven Points, Smith Springs, and Tailwater). The campgrounds include a sandy beach for registered campers and their authorized visitors. Anderson Road and Cook Recreation Areas offer picnic sites, group shelters, boat launching ramps, and bathrooms.
Twelve boat launching ramps (Anderson Road, Cook, East Fork, Fall Creek, Fate Sanders, Hurricane Creek, Jefferson Springs, Lamar Hill, Mona, Nice's Mill, Poole Knobs, Seven Points, Smith Springs, Stewart's Creek, and Viverett Creek).
J. Percy Priest Lake offers four commercial marinas and one municipal marina that provide a wide variety of services for visitors to the lake. Numerous marinas which include: Elm hill, Four Corners, Fate Sanders, and Nashville Shores home of the Vanderbilt Sailing Club is located on the shores of the lake.
Services such as fuel, private boat moorage, electrical and water hookups, boat rentals, fishing and marine supplies, restaurants and snack bars, and restrooms are offered by each commercial facility. To encourage boaters to follow “No Discharge” policy regarding proper disposal of treated or untreated sewage, each marina provides vessel pump out services for a small fee.
Elm Hill Marina
3361 Bell Road
Nashville, Tennessee 37214
(615) 889-5363
www.elmhillmarina.com
Hamilton Creek Sailboat Marina
2901 Bell Road
Nashville, Tennessee 37214
(615) 862-8472
www.nashville.gov/parks/marina.htm
Fate Sanders Marina
3157 Weakly Lane
Smyrna, Tennessee 37167
(615) 459-6219
www.fatesandersmarina.net
Nashville Shores Yacht Club and Marina
4001 Bell Road
Hermitage, Tennessee 37076
(615) 883-0413
www.nashvilleshores.com
Four Corners Marina
4027 Lavergne - Couchville Pike
Antioch, Tennessee 37013
(615) 641-9523
www.4cornersmarina.com
Trails Information -
Hiking or walking along one of the trails around J. Percy Priest Lake is an enjoyable way to enjoy the outdoors in a natural setting. The following is a list of trails around J. Percy Priest Lake. Clicking on the name of a trail brings you a map of that trail. Not all trails include maps.
Three Hickories Nature Trail: This 1.6 mile long nature trail is located in a wooded area in Cook Recreation Area.
Directions: from downtown Nashville take 1-40 east 7 miles to exit 221B, right on Old Hickory Blvd., left on Bell Rd. (there are Corps directional signs from this point), right on New Hope Rd. 1 mile, right on Stewarts Ferry Pike, left on Old Hickory Blvd. 1 mile to Cook Recreation Area. The trail entrance is across from the amphitheater in the day use area. Click for an on-line interpretive guide to the Three Hickories Nature Trail.
NOTE: a nominal fee for Cook recreation area is charged during the recreation season.
Anderson Road Fitness Trail: The trail is paved, more than a mile long and winds through a cedar glade area beside the lake.
Directions: from downtown Nashville take 1-40 east 5 miles to exit 219- Stewarts Ferry Pike, right on Stewarts Ferry Pike, straight on Bell Rd. 5 miles, left on Smith Springs Rd. 1 mile (there are Corps directional signs from this point), left on Anderson Rd. 1 mile. Turn left into the parking lot just past the entrance to the campground.
Poole Knobs Archery Trail: The trail is 0.3 miles long and is designed with targets in the woods for archery practice. There is a small shelter and some archery targets at the entrance of the trail.
Directions: from downtown Nashville take 1-24 east, go 15 miles to exit 66B, right on Sam Ridley Parkway 3 miles, exit right on to Hwy. 41 North -Murfreesboro Road 1.5 miles, right on Fergus Rd. 2 miles (there are Corps directional signs from this point), right on Jones Mill Rd. 4 miles. The entrance is on the right near the shelter just before the road to the boat ramp.
Twin Forks Horse Trail: Equestrians and hikers are welcome to use this 18 mile long trail that runs along the shoreline from Walter Hill Dam to Nice’s Mill Recreation Area. The best access to the trail is at East Fork Recreation Area.
Directions to East Fork: from downtown Nashville take I-24/1-40 east to 1-24 east, go 19 miles to exit 70, left on Nissan Dr. 3 miles, left on 41 Murfreesboro Rd. 1.5 miles, left on George Franklin Rd., left on Sulphur Springs Rd., left on W. Buckeye Bottom Rd. 1.5 miles to intersection, left at intersection 1.5 miles.
Percy Priest Area Lake View Real Estate -
Search Percy Priest Lake Real Estate Listings by Interactive Map
Old Hickory Lake Homes -
The Nashville area also offers Old Hickory Lake another wounderful lake just north of I-40 about 15-minutes east of the city. The lake homes found in Hendersonville and Gallatin on the north side of Old Hickory Lake offers some of the premier lakefront and lakeview living, including Fairvue Plantation....Nashville's only lakefront golf course community. On the south shores of the lake you will find the towns of Mt. Juliet, Old Hickory, and the Hermitage with many lakefront neighborhoods, just 15-minutes from the Nashville International Airport.
If I can be of service in fulfilling your Nashville Tennessee Real Estate needs, or in any of the Nashville area communities, please do not hesitate to contact me at your convenience. You can reach me at 615-289-4141 or contact me through my site, if you have any questions regarding my REALTOR® services. I am looking forward to creating another happy client!