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Norris Reservoir

Photo of norris reservoir and shoreline

Norris Reservoir in east Tennessee extends 73 miles up the Clinch River and 56 miles up the Powell from Norris Dam. It was the first dam TVA built, and is named for Senator George Norris of Nebraska, author of the legislation that created TVA.

Norris is a popular tourist and recreation destination. In the 1930s, TVA established demonstration public parks at several locations on Norris Reservoir, including Cove Lake, Big Ridge, and the area around Norris Dam. These parks later became the nucleus of Tennessee’s state park system.

Norris features numerous hiking trails. The River Bluff Trail is the longest at 3.1 miles and offers rich pockets of wildflowers. The Edge Path is a shady corridor with wheelchair access. The Songbird Trail is, as the name suggests, a popular area for birding.

Water sports at Norris include boating, water skiing, swimming, and excellent fishing. The Tennessee state record brown trout was caught in the Clinch River below Norris Dam.

Visitor Center

The Norris Dam Visitor Center is located off Interstate 75 exit 122 north of Knoxville and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through November except for major holidays and in times of severe weather. Staffed by TVA retirees, the visitor center overlooks the powerhouse, Norris Reservoir and a marina. It has maps, videos, and displays about TVA and the construction of the dam.

More information on Norris Reservoir

Operating guide

Daily reservoir operation information

Sportfish survey results

Sportfish ratings

Ecological health ratings

Tailwater improvements

Recreation facilities

Recreation release schedule

 

Norris:
Facts & Figures 

Construction of Norris Dam began in 1933, just a few months after the creation of TVA, and was completed in 1936.      

The dam is 265 feet high and stretches 1,860 feet across the Clinch River.

Norris Dam is a hydroelectric facility. It has two generating units with a net dependable capacity of 110 megawatts. Net dependable capacity is the amount of power a dam can produce on an average day, minus the electricity used by the dam itself.

The town of Norris was built to house construction workers on the dam. It was a planned community that became a model for others throughout the nation. The town was sold to private owners in 1948.

Norris has 809 miles of shoreline and 33,840 acres of water surface. It is the largest reservoir on a tributary of the Tennessee River.

In a year with normal rainfall, the water level in Norris Reservoir varies about 29 feet from summer to winter to provide seasonal flood storage.

The reservoir has a flood-storage capacity of 1,113,000 acre-feet.

 

Directions to Norris Dam

From Knoxville, Tenn., go north on Interstate 75 toward Lexington to exit 122. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right and go east on state Highway 61 toward Norris/Clinton. After about 1.5 miles turn left onto U.S. Highway 441 (Norris Freeway) and go north about 5 miles to the dam. Total driving distance from Knoxville is about 21 miles. Estimated driving time is about 24 minutes.

           
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