Norris Lake Family Activities
Quite Simply… Offering Something for Everyone
Norris Lake is located at the foothills of Tennessee’s majestic Great Smoky Mountains, the private cove is not far from Knoxville and Gatlinburg, but it’s miles from the ordinary. Surrounded by the Cumberland Plateau, Big South Fork National Recreational Area and Chuck Swan Nature Preserve, the waters of Norris Lake cover 34,000 acres with 800 miles of beautiful shoreline – making it the ideal vacation spot for outdoor adventure.
Fishing
With 56 species of fish, fishing is also a big attraction on Norris Lake. The warm, crystal- clear water is a residence to many species of fish. Large mouth, small mouth bass, walleye, rock fish and many other species are well known to reach 50lbs in weight. And rumor has it that there are catfish the size of VW bugs lurking around the deep waters of the dam.
Boating and Water Sports
Bring your own boat or rent a ski boat, fishing boat, houseboat, pontoon boat, or party barge from one of the area’s many marinas. And Norris Lake offers exciting rafting, canoeing and kayaking.
Norris Lake is also the perfect place for all kinds of water sports. In fact, Water Ski Magazine ranks Norris Lake as the #1 ski lake east of the Mississippi. Challenge yourself at the two slalom courses and ski jump — just a short distance from Deerfield. Try out wakeboarding, wake skating, waterskiing, kneeboarding, wake surfing, tubing, parasailing and more.
Visit Norris Lake Water Sports for all of your watercraft needs: Norris Lake Pontoon Boat Rentals, Ski Boat Rentals, Jet Ski Rentals and water accessories (Skis, Kneeboards, Innertubes and more).
Adventure
Other activities include fishing, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking , rock climbing, 4-wheeling and more.
Site Seeing
Norris Lake is bustling with activity. Visit the scenic Norris Dam, built in 1936, an 18th century grist mill, or the Museum of Appalachia nearby. Other possibilities are Wildlife areas like Chuck Swann Wildlife Preserve and Big Ridge State Park, as well as hiking and biking trails, camping sites and even horseback riding! There is something for everyone at Norris Lake.