Cove Lake State Park
| Cove Lake State Park | |
|---|---|
Cove Lake
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| Type | Tennessee State Park |
| Location | Caryville, Campbell County, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 36°18′33″N 84°12′40″W / 36.30904°N 84.21106°WCoordinates: 36°18′33″N 84°12′40″W / 36.30904°N 84.21106°W |
| Area | 673 acres (2.72 km2) |
| Created | 1937 |
| Operated by | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation |
Cove Lake State Park is a state park in Campbell County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park consists of 673 acres (2.72 km2) situated around Cove Lake, an impoundment of Cove Creek created by the completion of Caryville Dam in 1936. The park's location is adjacent to the town of Caryville and just west of Jacksboro.
Cove Lake is an extension of the much larger Norris Reservoir, which extends across the lower 15 miles (24 km) of Cove Creek downstream from Caryville Dam. Cove Lake State Park was one of several state and local parks developed in the 1930s as part of the Norris Dam Project. The park includes a large campground, several small walking trails, and a wildlife observation area. A leg of the Cumberland Trail passes near the park's northern boundary, connecting the park to nearby mountaintops.
Cove Lake State Park is located at the western end of Powell Valley, a 50-mile (80 km) valley dividing the Cumberland Mountains to the north and west from the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley range to south and east. Cross Mountain— which at 3,534 feet (1,077 m) is the highest mountain in Tennessee west of the Blue Ridge Mountains— dominates the view to the west. The southern tip of Fork Mountain overlooks the park immediately to the north. Cumberland Mountain, a narrow ridge that spans the entire northern rim of Powell Valley, stretches nearly 40 miles (64 km) between Bruce Gap (just north of Cove Lake) and Cumberland Gap to the northeast. Cumberland Mountain's rocky western tip, known as Devil's Racetrack, is visible from most anywhere in the park.
Cove Creek rises in the mountains to the northwest (near the community of Pioneer) and flows southeastward for roughly 25 miles (40 km) before emptying into the Clinch River just north of Norris Dam. Caryville Dam spans the creek approximately 16 miles (26 km) upstream from the creek's mouth. The lake created by the dam spans a 2-mile (3.2 km) stretch of Cove Creek upstream from the dam and a 1-mile (1.6 km) stretch of the creek's Dog Creek tributary to form a U-shape around the park. The entire lake covers roughly 210 acres (0.85 km2).
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