Day trips from Nashville · Lake
Cordell Hull Lake
64 miles from downtown Nashville · about 1 hour 20 minutes
US Army Corps of Engineers, Smith and Jackson Counties, near Carthage, TN
Cordell Hull is a 11,960-acre Corps lake on the upper Cumberland with 381 miles of shoreline and twenty-two boat ramps. It has the trail network the other Corps lakes mostly lack, including the Bearwaller Gap hiking trail.
- Surface
- 11,960 acres
- Shoreline
- 381 miles
- Boat ramps
- 22
- Day use fee
- $5 per vehicle
Permits, fees and access
Defeated Creek Campground has 155 electric sites and runs roughly late March into November. Salt Lick Creek has 150 electric sites, April into October. Trails include Bearwaller Gap, Turkey Creek Nature Trail and the Bear Wheels mountain bike trail.
Swimming
Yes, at sand beaches at Defeated Creek, Wartrace Creek and Roaring River day use areas, plus campground beaches for registered campers. Swim zones are marked with buoys and floating pipeline.
One thing to know first
No lifeguards, and the buoy line separating swimmers from boat traffic is the only barrier there is. Lock operations run at the dam.
Access rules, fees and closures verified August 15, 2026 against the agency that manages this place. They change, sometimes without notice. Check before you drive.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date. If you are weighing a move to Middle Tennessee and want to know which part of it puts you closest to the things you actually like, ask me. No pitch.