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Rat Branch Boat Ramp on Watauga Lake


Rat Branch Boat Ramp in the Cherokee National Forest on Watauga Lake Tennessee

All photos and illustrations by Pat Johns ©2007
All Rights Reserved
See links to article references at the end of the article.

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August, 2007
The Rat Branch Boat Ramp offers one of the best views of the Watauga Dam. The boat launching area faces the Watauga Dam head on, a breathtaking view. This is where Watauga Lake begins or ends, depending on your point of view.
Rat Branch Boat Launch in the Cherokee National Forest on Watauga Lake Tennessee

The Boat Ramp is part of the Cherokee National Forest and offers easy-access boat ramp, parking and a pier for fishing.

The Rat Branch Boat Ramp is located just off Highway 321, 3 miles east of Hampton, Tennessee and near Elizabethton Tennessee. The fee for use is $2.

Rat Branch Pier in the Cherokee National Forest on Watauga Lake Tennessee

Rat's Branch has a beautiful pier for fishing and for viewing and taking photos of the Watauga Dam. (See photo at right and below).

Watauga Lake was formed in 1948 when the Watauga Dam gates were closed. The project was designed for flood control, power generation and water ecology.

The lake is 16 miles long with over 100 miles of shoreline, much of which is in the Cherokee National Forest, and is considered one of the most beautiful settings in the TVA lake system.

Rat Branch Pier in the Cherokee National Forest on Watauga Lake Tennesse Rat Branch view of Watauga Dam in the Cherokee National Forest on Watauga Lake Tennesse

Links to references in this article and to sites related the Rat Branch Boat Ramp: