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One of the tag lines you see around Norris Lake is this: Slow Down and Enjoy Life.
A typical visit will include a pass through the Smoky Mountains National Park (about an hour to the south) and a run up the Cumberland Gap (25 minutes north). Between them is this 129- mile-long lake with 800 shoreline miles, where boaters can find a peaceful pace.
It's tempting to take the most visible route, I-75, which abuts the western edge of Norris Lake near the dam that turns the Clinch and Powell rivers into a giant horseshoe-shaped body of water. But our family took the advice of locals and followed Highway 25E (a.k.a. Cumberland Gap Parkway) along the far eastern side of Norris Lake. The route is easy for trailering — four lanes and not congested — and cuts through rolling foothills. The influence of the Appalachians and Cumberland Forest carries directly to the water's edge, as we found out when pulling into our home port.
We were told to rent a house or cottage on the water's edge nearest the town of New Tazewell. Great call. A private driveway ran down to a boat launch in our backyard, itself a beacon for rabbits and wildflowers. One of the lake's thin, quiet arms welcomed us. So did a flurry of coves, and just around the corner from our temporary two-story home was the Chuck Swan Forest and Wildlife Management Area on a 50,000-acre peninsula that separates the relatively rustic Norris from the busier Norris (closer to the interstate). The water from every vantage point is spectacular.
"There's no industry allowed, so the lake has virtually no mercury or contaminants," says Cissy Wittekind, a Norris Lake regular who operates rental properties for Turtle Toms. Visibility goes to 20 feet deep, and as of last summer the limits on fish taken were extremely liberal. Some say the lake is the cleanest among the Tennessee Valley Authority's impoundments.
There are few lakes of Norris Lake's size where visiting boaters can load the boat onto the trailer at the end of the day and drive up an embankment into a private driveway. It gets better. Many of the rentals have hot tubs on the open-air decks that overlook the lake. Views are through thickets of trees because the TVA restricts the clearing of them. From this perspective you can't help but slow down, and the enjoyment of life comes along for the ride.
First Impression: The purity of Tennessee's foothills and southern Kentucky's wide-open spaces come smacking together.
Something You Have to Do: Go to Pinnacle Overlook in the Cumberland Gap Mountains, the point where Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia meet.
Trivia: One of the homes on the water was built by a man who also helped build the first atomic bomb in nearby Oak Ridge.
Trailering Here: It's a piece of cake via I-75 on the west end or Highway 25E on the east end (four lanes of open road).
Launch Advice: Most of the rental homes have private water access, but check in advance for the suggested maximum weight.
Local Flavor: The slow-cooked ribs at Heavy's Barbecue in New Tazewell are so authentic that you need to call in orders four hours in advance.
Bedding Down: All but three of the 25 home rentals through Turtle Toms are lakefront. Go to turtletoms.com or call 800-923-9128.
Distance From Knoxville: 30 miles
Best Contact: norrislakeinfo.com
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