Spring at Chatuge Dam Trail

 


Located in Hayesville, NC, the Chatuge Dam Trail is another favorite that we visit often. It has a wide asphalt trail along the top of Chatuge Dam. There are gravel shoulders on either side (in case your dog prefers that, as Luc does). This portion of the trail provides great vistas of Lake Chatuge as well as surrounding mountains. 





Chatuge Dam is part of Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) hydroelectric infrastructure in western North Carolina. You can see elements of the system both in the lake and on the downstream side of the dam:




At the start of the trail is a map showing TVA's extensive dam system in the region:


The trail narrows up somewhat as it transitions to a wooded area - a nice respite from the sun on warmer days.




The trail then passes by a popular campground and on to a park. Today Luc and I turned around at the campground. It took us about one hour total as we were walking slowly with several "sniffari" stops. Chatuge is another location that is great in any season - in the fall the surrounding mountains really show off their color, although today's varying shades of green were quite nice as well.



Luc and me


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