Indian Lakes Scenic Byway
Fontana Dam and Lake, NC

Towering out of the North Carolina foliage, Fontana Dam is 480 feet tall, which makes it the tallest dam in the east. As a result, Fontana Lake provides 11,685 acres of water for recreation and industry. The power generated by the dam is used all over the area. When the lake was created in 1944, many people were relocated while villages and communities were covered by the water.

Now the lake is a beautiful byway spot for recreation and enjoying the great outdoors. Much of the land around the lake is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visitors will still find remnants of the old communities on the shores of Fontana Lake. Old cemteries and building fragments are a monument to the past.