PERCY PRIEST LAKE

'J. Percy Priest Lake' is an artificial lake in north central Tennessee. It is formed by J. Percy Priest Dam, located between miles six and seven of the Stones River. The dam (easily visible from Interstate 40) is located about 10 miles (16 km) east of downtown Nashville and impounds a lake 42 miles (68 km) long. The lake and dam are named for Congressman Percy Priest.
J. Percy Priest Lake covers portions of Davidson, Rutherford, and Wilson Counties and consists of 14,200 acres (57 km²) of water at summer pool elevation 490 feet (149 m) above mean sea level. The water is surrounded by 18,854 acres (76 km²) of public lands; 10,000 acres (40 km²) are devoted to wildlife management. The Natural Resource Management Office (615-889-1975) maintains three campgrounds (Anderson Road, Seven Points, and Poole Knobs), eleven day-use/picnic areas (Anderson Road, Cook, Damsite, East Fork, Fate Sanders, Jefferson Springs, Nice's Mill, Overlook, Seven Points, Smith Springs, and Tailwater), and twelve boat launching ramps (Anderson Road, Cook, East Fork, Fall Creek, Fate Sanders, Hurricane Creek, Jefferson Springs, Lamar Hill, Mona, Nice's Mill, Poole Knobs, Seven Points, Smith Springs, Stewart's Creek, and Viverett Creek). Additionally the lake is also home to numerous marinas and the Vanderbilt Sailing Club. The dam, powerhouse, lake, and public lands are operated and supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' personnel under the direction of the District Engineer at Nashville. It is near Nashville Shores.