Allatoona Lake, located northwest of Atlanta, is one of the most visited Corps lakes in the United States. With a shoreline of 270 miles visitors may enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities, such as boating, fishing, swimming, canoeing, camping, hiking, hunting, and water skiing.
Authorized by the Flood Control Acts of 1941 and 1944, Allatoona Lake was created by impounding the Etowah River. As a project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, construction of the dam began in 1946. Completed in 1950, Allatoona Lake now provides hydropower generation, water supply, fish and wildlife management, water quality, navigation, and recreation.
With scenic views of the lake and mixed pine and hardwood forest, visitors that like to hike will enjoy Allatoona Lake's 11 hiking trails. Trails include Cooper Branch, Laurel Ridge, Cooper's Furnace, Vineyard Mountain Eagle Scoot, Homestead, Sweetgum, Whitetail, Visitor Center Loop, Lakeside, Iron Hill, and Allatoona Pass Civil War Interpretation Trail. The Allatoona Pass was the site were more than 1500 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounder, or missing after an eight hour battle. In addition to hiking, Geocaching, an outdoor adventure activity for users of global positioning systems (GPS), has become a very popular activity at Allatoona Lake. Some restrictions apply and prior authorization is needed for placement of geocaches on Corps of Engineers property.
Visitors will enjoy stopping by Allatoona Lake Interpretive Visitors Center, located at the Operations Project Management Office. Along with a bird's eye view of Allatoona Dam visitors will learn more about the history of hydropower, local mining, wildlife, the Battle of Allatoona Pass, Native American history, and more. An interactive computer was added to the visitor center so visitors can easily find information on Allatoona Lake. In the visitor center auditorium there is a ten minute video which shows the history of Allatoona Lake and the surrounding area.
Two popular pastimes on Allatoona Lake are hunting and fishing. Game and Fish Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources operates the Wildlife Management Area on the north side of the lake. This area is open to the public for hunting and viewing wildlife. A Georgia Wildlife Management Area stamp must be acquired in order to hunt on the property. Hunting is also permitted in specific Corps-managed area. Allatoona Lake has a wide variety of game species including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, waterfowl, quail, rabbit and other small game. Allatoona Lake is annually restock and is an excellent place for several species of bass, crappie, bream, gar, and catfish.
Residential development is increasing around Allatoona Lake. Special permits must be acquired for any property built on the shorelines. For those that do not own lake property, there are 27 public recreation area that offer 688 campsites and 453 picnic sites on the lake. Check the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer website to see which areas are closed for this year recreational season. The beautiful and peaceful setting of Allatoona Lake is a great place to get away from the busyness of the city.
Allatoona Lake: Messaging Forums
Baot Ramp and Beech Information (Posted by Sarah Enquist [senquist])
Game and Fish Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Posted by Sarah Enquist [senquist])
Lake Map (Posted by Sarah Enquist [senquist])
Red Top Mountian State Park (Posted by Sarah Enquist [senquist])
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Posted by Sarah Enquist [senquist])
This lake was last edited by Sarah Enquist (senquist) on 6/6/08.
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