Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in US South Region by altitude
While lake levels can flucuate frequently based on several circumstances, the altitude/elevation of a lake is based on its normal water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level. For a reservoir, this water level is also known as “full pond” or “full pool”.Low lake levels can occur due to deliberate seasonal draw downs for irrigation or impending snow melt, reduced water inflows, drought and evaporation, residential or commercial water demands, and hydropower generation. Some lakes’ minimum and maximum elevations are virtually the same. Lakes that generate hydropower may vary by several feet – according to power demand. Lakes whose primary purpose is to prevent flooding can seasonally vary by 100 feet or more. When some lakes reach their minimum elevation, their boat ramps may not be long enough to permit boat access – and boats docked on shallow parts of the lake may end up on dry ground. In those cases, kayakers and shore-based anglers may be among the few happy recreational users of the lake.
A lake’s highest water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level, that can occur during flooding. A lake’s highest possible maximum elevation is usually the top of the lake’s dam or spillway. At lakes that include residential development, government regulations usually forbid the construction of homes below a lake’s maximum elevation.
You can find many of the world’s highest-elevated lakes on LakeLubbers. Lakes with the lowest elevations (known by LakeLubbers) are shown on the final page of that list. Note: For some lakes, "Altitude/Elevation" data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 343 articles we have published for US South Region lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Compared by highest altitude/elevation in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in US South Region, only the 343 US South Region lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Elevation in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Tims Ford Lake, TN (Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
895 ft | Also known as Tims Ford Reservoir Nestled in south central Tennessee between Tullahoma and Winchester, the clear, deep water of the Elk River meets the wooded sloped shores of Tims For … |
| Normandy Reservoir, TN (Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
880 ft | Also known as Normandy Lake, Lake Normandy Situated in south central Tennessee near Manchester, Normandy Lake draws anglers, campers and boaters from all over. With its proximity to nearby Tims … |
| Cheat Lake, WV (Mountaineer Country, WV, US South Region, USA, West Virginia) |
870 ft | Also known as Lake Lynn A dam built across the Cheat River in 1925 created the scenic reservoir of Cheat Lake. Originally called Lake Lynn, the dam sits nearly at the border … |
| Lake Allatoona, GA (Georgia, Historic High Country Region, GA, US South Region, USA) |
861 ft | Also known as Allatoona Lake Lake Allatoona, located northwest of Atlanta, is one of the most visited Army Corps of Engineers lakes in the United States. With a shoreline of 270 m … |
| Parksville Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
837 ft | Also known as Lake Ocoee, Ocoee Lake Parksville Lake, also known as Ocoee Reservoir, is one of three reservoirs in Polk County near Cleveland,TN. Together the reservoirs run through some … |
| Burnsville Lake, WV (Mountain Lakes Region, WV, US South Region, USA, West Virginia) |
825 ft | Also known as Burnsville Reservoir Beautiful Burnsville Lake was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding along the Little Kanawha River. The Corps began construc … |
| Tellico Reservoir, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
815 ft | Also known as Tellico Lake About 30 minutes south of Knoxville, nestled in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, Tellico Lake is the lake that almost wasn’t. Extending 33 miles al … |
| Fort Loudoun Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
815 ft | Also known as Fort Loudoun Reservoir Named for a nearby 18th century British fort, Fort Loudoun Lake draws millions of visitors every year for fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing. Loca … |
| Smith Mountain Lake, VA (Blue Ridge Highlands, VA, Central Virginia, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
800 ft | Also known as Jewel of the Blue Ridge With emerald green shores, sapphire blue skies, topaz blue waters, and soaring surrounding mountains, it’s clear why Smith Mountain Lake is nicknamed … |
| Melton Hill Reservoir, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
796 ft | Also known as Melton Hill Lake Melton Hill Reservoir, also known as Melton Hill Lake, is an impoundment of the Clinch River. Located near Oak Ridge, TN, the reservoir extends 57 mil … |
| Herrington Lake, KY (Bluegrass Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
760 ft | Meandering 32 miles across the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky is Herrington Lake. The first large impoundment in Kentucky, Herrington Lake was created i … |
| Lake Cumberland, KY (Kentucky, Southern Lakes Region, KY, US South Region, USA) |
760 ft | Lake Cumberland boasts an impressive 50,250 acres and 1,255 miles of winding shoreline at its normal full pool level of 723 feet above sea level. The … |