Day trips from Nashville · Lake
Dale Hollow Lake
97 miles from downtown Nashville · about 1 hour 50 minutes
US Army Corps of Engineers, straddling the Tennessee and Kentucky line, near Celina, TN
Dale Hollow is 27,700 acres of unusually clear water with 620 miles of shoreline on the Tennessee and Kentucky border. It holds the world record smallmouth bass and it is the lake people drive past three closer ones to reach.
- Surface
- 27,700 acres
- Shoreline
- 620 miles
- Campgrounds
- Dale Hollow Dam, Lillydale, Obey River, Willow Grove
Permits, fees and access
Four Corps campgrounds run seasonally from spring into fall, plus about thirty dispersed primitive sites and more than ten boat ramps. Dam office at 540 Dale Hollow Dam Road, Celina.
Swimming
Yes, at designated beaches: Obey River Day Use, which is the largest and busiest, plus Lillydale and Willow Grove. No lifeguards.
One thing to know first
This is the deepest and clearest water in the region, and the drop-offs come abruptly right off the beaches. Clear water makes depth very hard to judge. Watch children closely at the waterline.
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I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date.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.