Can you reserve a site at South Holston Lake?

No. South Holston Lake is not reservable through Recreation.gov, so sites are first-come, first-served or booked elsewhere.

South Holston Lake

Facility · Tennessee ·

Managed by the USDA Forest Service

1,717 ft
Elevation

Boat, kayak, water-ski and fish the meandering shoreline of this TVA lake. Launch your watercraft from Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s ramp on US 421 or from Little Oak Campground off Forest Road #87. You can camp near the water at Little Oak and Jacobs Creek Campgrounds.Observation Knob at TVA’s South Holston Dam is a great place to view the lake against thebackdrop of Holston Mountain. Look for bald eagles, reintroduced in the 1990s. Loons, buffleheads, mallards and ring-billed gulls are among the area’s waterfowl species.

Getting there

36.54734, -82.04777 · 36°32'50.4"N 82°2'52.0"W

Directions (Google Maps) · Directions (Apple Maps)

Typical weather

Typically 85°F in Jul, down to 45°F in Jan.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High °F	45	48	57	68	75	82	85	84	79	69	57	48
Low °F	24	27	33	41	50	59	62	61	55	43	33	27
Precip in	3.8	3.9	4.5	4.4	4.4	4.3	4.7	3.8	3.3	2.8	3.3	4.2

1991–2020 averages from the nearest NOAA station, 9.6 mi away — not measured at the facility itself, and elevation can make a real difference over that distance.

Map

Member photos

Add a photo

Common questions about South Holston Lake

Can you reserve a site at South Holston Lake?: No. South Holston Lake is not reservable through Recreation.gov, so sites are first-come, first-served or booked elsewhere.

Camping near South Holston Lake

Little Oak Campground 2.1 mi · Campground · we watch it
Jacobs Creek Campground (TN) 2.8 mi · Campground · we watch it
Backbone Rock Recreation Area Pavilions 13.3 mi · Campground · we watch it
Backbone Rock Campground 13.3 mi · Campground · we watch it
Watauga Point Recreation Area 15.8 mi · Campground · we watch it
Little Oak Campground 2.3 mi · Campground
Holston Mountain Area 4 mi · Facility
TN 91 Scenic Drive 6.5 mi · Facility
Iron Mountains 9.8 mi · Facility
Keller Interpretive Center, Abingdon Muster Ground 11.2 mi · Visitor Center
Watauga Lake 14.9 mi · Facility
Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Damascus Trail Center 15.5 mi · Visitor Center

Comments

Contact

Info Recreation.gov

Recreation.gov last updated this record on 2026-02-25.

Facility information and photographs from Recreation.gov (RIDB). SpotOpened is not affiliated with Recreation.gov or any federal agency.