Watauga Dam Campground

As others have described, this is a small, picturesque park with quality gravel sites, most of which are right on the water. There is no cell service at the campground, at least not with AT&T. However, if you drive about a mile and a half up to an observation point there is good signal and an overlook of the lake with benches and a trail.

Despite the fact that they give you written materials in arrival, this is the first cg I’ve ever been to that had a gate that was seemingly locked after hours where there were no instructions. They claim they tell you when you check in, but the office is only open between 10 AM and 4 PM. We got there at 4:20 PM

This led to our leaving to meet friends and arriving back after closure to a seemingly locked gate. I had to bother the camp host after 10 ( fortunately his lights were in and he was up). He explained that although the gate looks locked, you can jiggle it and open it.

Next day I urged the vista employee who was running the shop to include this in her written materials, and she said it was a good idea, but whether she does it or not remains to be seen.

Just know that although the gate looks locked when you come back after hours, you can play with it and open the gate.

Putting that aside, this is one of the most beautiful campsites we’ve ever had and I’d be delighted to come back here again. Restaurants in Elizabethton are not very good, but Johnson City is not far away.

I love this place, it's one of my favorite campgrounds. There's now a camp store where you check in with the hosts, who are welcoming and very helpful about the local area. Nearest groceries are in Elizabethton (Ingles is a longer drive but worth it) as is gas. Boat launch is down at the day camping but its easy enough to launch kayaks or canoes from places in the campground.

I had enough T-Mobile via hotspot to keep in touch with people, which was a nice surprise. Otherwise, a quick drive up to the top of the road past the campground turnoff will get you ATT or Verizon service.

If you have a senior pass for national parks, it will give you a bit of a discount here.

What a beautiful place!! Fishing right from your site. Everyone was sooo nice. Check in easy. Camp Host we’re a pleasure. Come by 2 times a day for trash pickup. Bathrooms we’re the cleanest ever. Very peaceful very little cell or Tv reception so be ready to spend time with friends and family. We loved our visit and will be sure to come back!!!

Wonderful well maintained designed site and peaceful on the river with electric, water and sewer. Water said drinkable but taste wasn't. Great place to fish and kayak. Hot and clean single stall shower. Wataqua lake a short drive if you want to swim. My camping neighbors were very friendly and the host were very nice also. The store is small but has a few of essential items and a few souvenirs. They pick up trash if left at end of site. Last time at dusk. Was 8pm when we were there Sept.10th_ 12th. Fee includes America the Beautiful Senior Pass.

Really enjoy this campground. Almost all the sites are on a stream that's managed by the dam. You can fish or put in a canoe or kayak right from your camp site. The water is really cold, which keeps things cool in the summer and you get this beautiful mist off the water in the morning.

Well managed, so it's quiet, clean, and the host is a good source of info. He runs a tight ship, but not too tight.

The campground is in a really pretty gorge, with nice fall color and great views. It gets shady early when the sun drops behind the hill.

Cell service is practically nonexistent. It bounces between 1bar extended to maybe a brief 2 bars LTE or 3G. You can get a text or email out on Verizon if patient but you're not going to have a reliable phone conversation or do anything productive on the internet. Best for relaxing "unplugged" camping.

Down narrow winding roads, past Wilbur Dam and next to the Appalachian Trail is one of the sweetest little campsites I've enjoyed, Wautaga Dam. A TVA site, it has a friendly camp host who does 2x daily garbage pickup from sites, and almost every site is a waterfront one. All have hookups (water and electric) and there is a dump station on the way out.

Fishing and paddling are the main activities here, along with hanging out enjoying the view.

Note: The roads are narrow to get here, and sites have length limits so check those carefully if you have a bigger rig.