Boone Lake is surrounded by Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol, the 4,300-acre Boone Lake is in Sullivan and Washington Counties in northeast Tennessee. Named for the pioneer explorer Daniel Boone, Boone Dam impounds the South Fork Holston River. The lake was created in 1952 with the completion of the 1,640-foot long, 160-foot high Boone Dam. It is part of a series of man-made lakes built and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA lowers the lake in the winter for flood control, navigation, and hydro-power generation,. There are several privately owned commercial marinas or docks that have fuel, serve food and have live music during the summer months Boone Lake has a visitor reception building at the Boone Dam Reservation. Boone Lake provides fishing opportunities for white, striped, hybrid, smallmouth and largemouth bass, bluegill and crappie.
Boone Lake was built by TVA in 1952. It has an area of 4510 acres and a maximum depth of 129 feet at normal maximum pool. It has an extensively developed shoreline of about 130 miles. It has the highest phosphorus loading of any TVA tributary lake and the highest average chlorophyll. The Boone Watershed below South Holston and Watuaga Dams is about 670 square miles.The local watershed (below South Holston and Watuaga Dams, excluding the Doe) lies in two states and four counties. It includes the cities of Bristol TN and VA, Blountville, Bluff City, Johnson City, and Elizabethton. Boone Lake visitors can enjoy, fishing, swimming, jet skiing, boating, water skiing and more.