A Peaceful Lake Hidden In Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains Is An Underrated Destination For Camping And Fishing

A hidden lake in Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains offers stellar camping, great fishing, and a host of water-based recreation for visitors looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Atlanta. Lake Nottely, a Tennessee Valley Authority creation dating back to 1942, is today an out-of-the-way destination that sits at almost 1,800 feet above sea level and boasts almost 4,200 acres of surface area and 106 miles of wooded shoreline. Visitors to Lake Nottely will find ample camping, top-notch fishing and boating, and a white-sand swimming beach for cooling off on sultry Georgia summer afternoons. While its remote location is a bonus, it's still just two and half hours from Atlanta by car.

Tucked into the mountains just south of Georgia's border with North Carolina, Lake Nottely is situated in the midst of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, a lush landscape brimming with waterfalls, valleys, and trails that's a scenic recreational paradise in its own right. Lake Nottely's location amid 867,000 acres of public lands offers not only the chance for some lake-based recreation, but also miles of U.S. Forest Service roads to explore, almost 1,400 miles of trout streams to fish, and 850 miles of trails to hike, bike, or ride. Of those trail miles, 430 miles are designated for hikers. Visitors to Lake Nottely's Poteete Creek Campground can grab one of 88 campsites, giving themselves the perfect home base for boating, fishing, and swimming on Lake Nottely, or for wandering the forested roads of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in search of adventure.

Lake Nottely is a reservoir that was formed in 1942 when the Nottely River was dammed by the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide hydropower, and it still produces power today. Because the lake is a pretty good haul from any major population center, visitors who come to Lake Nottely usually make use of the beautiful camping facilities at Poteete Creek Campground, which is open from April to mid-October. With both tent and RV sites, the campground offers plenty of options. Most RV sites offer power and water, and the campground has a central RV dump station. It also has a pavilion for group picnics, a bathhouse, restrooms, and hot showers. The campground and day-use area require a $5 park pass, and Union County, which operates the campground, recommends reservations for campers and anyone hoping to reserve a picnic table. Visit the county's website to reserve a spot.

Once tents are pitched or campers are leveled, the outdoor fun at Lake Nottely can begin. Boaters and anglers can launch their water crafts at the campground's boat ramp, and swimmers and sunbathers can wander down to the sandy beach. For explorers ready to hop in the car and take in the surrounding mountains and the hardwood forests of the Blue Ridge, the adventure begins the minute the car leaves the campground. For those looking for something a bit less wild, they won't be out of luck. Just under 20 miles from Poteete Creek Campground is Blairsville, an underrated Georgia lake city full of outdoor thrills. Blairsville predates the Civil War, and is an ideal spot for campers to do some exploring, enjoy a meal in town, or do some shopping.

For anglers, a stay at Lake Nottely means lots of choices when it comes to the type of fishing they'll do, and the varied species available to them. While Lake Nottely is home to everything from rainbow trout, crappie, sunfish, spotted bass, and northern bass (both types of black bass or largemouth bass), the lake is best known for its trophy striped bass. In April 2022, 13-year-old Christopher Hampton of Blairsville boated a massive 53-pound striper, Lake Nottely's largest recorded striped bass and the fifth-biggest striper ever caught in Georgia. Overall, the bass fishing at Lake Nottely is quite good — the lake is home to several bass tournaments over the course of the year. The lake is part of the Georgia Blue Ridge Classic bass tournament, and it's a stop on the Georgia Bass Nation Kayak Series, too.

For fly fishers and trout anglers, the entirety of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest stretches out before them from their home base at Poteete Creek Campground. Thanks to the forest's 10 designated wilderness areas and 1,400 miles of inventoried trout water, anglers will have their choice of fly fishing destinations. Some, like Camp Creek and the Hitchcock Branch, are within just a few minutes of the campground. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources maintains a trout-stream map that shows not only the known trout waters in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but also where roads intersect with the streams for access. There are some great places to stop and explore around the forest, including Clayton, a serene Georgia mountain town with waterfalls, trails, and cozy charm. In all, a stay at Lake Nottely bristles with adventure, whether it's at the lake itself, or among the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains the area is known for.