Fontana Lake is one of the largest lakes in the southern Appalachians, created when the Tennessee Valley Authority built Fontana Dam during World War II to power aluminium production for the war effort. The dam itself, at 480 feet, is the tallest in the eastern United States. The lake stretches for 30 miles along the base of the Great Smoky Mountains, with the national park boundary forming most of its northern shoreline.
The lake is popular for boating, fishing, and houseboating. Access to remote sections of the national park — otherwise reachable only by long trail hikes — is possible by boat across the lake. Fontana Village, a former construction worker settlement near the dam, operates as a resort complex with boat rentals, a marina, and accommodation. The dam itself can be visited; a visitor centre explains the TVA's wartime construction programme.