Center Hill Lake, Tennessee, USA

Also known as:  Center Hill Reservoir

Center Hill Lake is almost completely surrounded by the beautiful hardwood forested hills of the Tennessee Eastern Highlands. Center Hill Lake has 18,000 acres of boating, fishing and water recreation with over 400 miles of shoreline. It is an outdoor recreation jewel with over 20 boat ramps and seven marinas. Three state parks afford great camping, hiking, swimming, wildlife viewing, boating, water sports and many other enjoyable…
Keep scrolling to read more.

Welcome to the ultimate guide to Center Hill Lake! Article topics include:

Looking for Center Hill Lake cabins or other accommodations? Save time and use this interactive map to find, compare and book at the best rates. Or explore more of our favorite travel partners.


All About Center Hill Lake, TN

Center Hill Lake is almost completely surrounded by the beautiful hardwood forested hills of the Tennessee Eastern Highlands. Center Hill Lake has 18,000 acres of boating, fishing and water recreation with over 400 miles of shoreline. It is an outdoor recreation jewel with over 20 boat ramps and seven marinas. Three state parks afford great camping, hiking, swimming, wildlife viewing, boating, water sports and many other enjoyable relaxation activities. Located just 60 miles from Nashville, Tennessee, Center Hill Lake is a perfect location from which to visit this country music capital and ‘see the sights’. Three very scenic waterfalls complete the picture of a wonderful vacation retreat.

Center Hill Lake was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and Harbor Act of 1946 primarily for flood control and power generation. Construction of Center Hill Dam was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1948 and a wonderful recreation lake was created. The dam construction is part of the control of water resources in the Cumberland River Basin and impounds the Caney Fork River – it is an important prevention of flooding of Carthage and Nashville. Three 45,000 kilowatt turbines produce clean electricity for Tennessee citizens.

Center Hill Lake is a popular angler’s paradise with largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, Kentucky bass, bream, crappie, catfish, bluegill, white bass and walleye as fishing attractions. The lake’s fishing attractiveness is evidenced by a number of fishing tournaments held there. The 415 miles of shoreline offer many coves, inlets and other sites for the intrepid angler. The lake is open and used year round.

In the early 1900s, before dam constructions, the many streams and Caney River were home to freshwater mussels yielding freshwater pearls of great beauty and durability. The pearl was named Tennessee’s official state gem in 1979.

Boating and water sports are favorite pastimes on Center Hill Lake. The numerous marinas are full service locations with slips, food, fuel and boat rentals. Houseboat rentals are a favorite and many families spend a few days finding quiet locations to swim, fish and just plain relax.

There are hundreds of campsites and cabins available in the three state parks and at some marinas. Hiking is another outdoor activity in most of these. For the geocaching aficionado, there are over 15 caches in a ten mile area (many more outside this) to find and log. Get your GPS unit out and find a few.

Center Hill Lake has something for everyone – boating, fishing, hiking, biking, swimming and just the pure outdoor enjoyment of nature make this a ‘must do’ in Tennessee.

Things to Do at Center Hill Lake

These are some activities in the Center Hill Lake, TN area visitors can enjoy:

  • Vacation Rentals
  • Fishing
  • Fishing Tournaments
  • Boating
  • Swimming
  • Camping
  • Cabin Rentals
  • Hiking
  • Biking
  • Waterfall
  • Wildlife Viewing
  • State Park

What Kind of Fish Are in Center Hill Lake?

Center Hill Lake has been known to have the following fish species:

  • Bass
  • Black Bass
  • Bluegill
  • Catfish
  • Crappie
  • Largemouth Bass
  • Perch
  • Smallmouth Bass
  • Sunfish
  • Walleye
  • White Bass
divider

Find Places to Stay at Center Hill Lake

If you’re considering a Center Hill Lake lake house rental or hotel, we’ve made it super easy to find the best rates and compare vacation accommodations at a glance. Save time using this interactive map below.

Note: These are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase. Read our full disclosure policy here.

More Sites to Book a Center Hill Lake Vacation

Our interactive Center Hill Lake lodging map above is an easy tool for comparing VRBO rental homes and nearby hotels with Booking.com, but there could be times when you need to expand your search for different types of accommodations. Here are some other lake lodging partners we recommend:

Check TripAdvisor
Check Expedia
Find a Campspot
All Travel Resources

Center Hill Lake Statistics & Helpful Links

divider

More local lakes to explore in this area:

We strive to keep information on LakeLubbers as accurate as possible. If you’ve found something here that needs updating, please touch base by filling out our Content Correction form.

Shop Center Hill Lake Gifts

Custom Lake Tumblers

Create Your Own Captain / First Mate Custom 20oz Tumbler

ORDER HERE
Custom Lake T Shirt

Create Your Personalized My Boat My Rules Unisex T-Shirt

ORDER HERE
Custom Lake Coffee Mug - On Lake Time

Create a Custom Coffee Mug – 11oz or 15oz

ORDER HERE
VIEW ALL CUSTOM LAKE PRODUCTS

More Center Hill Lake news from LakeLubbers.com

  • Advertise your vacation rental property or local business: DETAILS HERE
  • The Center Hill Lake forum has been discontinued: HERE’S WHY
  • New Center Hill Lake photos coming soon!
  • You’re invited to join our lake-lovin’ community on Facebook and Instagram!
  • Share this Center Hill Lake article with your fellow LakeLubbers: