Rivers and Creeks in North Georgia Mountains
Follow us on... Twitter Become a Fan... Highlander on Facebook Mountain Blogs... Highlander Blogs Mountain Events
& Festivals
Calendar of Events Sign up for
Highlander Newsletter
Messages from the Mountains

Rivers in Blairsville • Union County in the North Georgia Mountains
fishing, rafting, kayaking, canoeing and tubing.

Nottely River in Blairsville Georgia Nottely River

Beginning in the upper reaches of the Chattahoochee National Forest in the south central mountainous regions of Union County along the Eastern United States, Western Continental Divide is Nottely River.  The watershed of its headwaters follows a steep path down the mountains before entering the fertile valley and pasturelands of central Union County.  This is gold-county a land once laden with creeks sparkling with gold washed down from the gold quarts along the steep slopes of the mountain interior.  Gold can still be found here by enthusiastic gold seekers who have a knack and a touch of gold fever, yet it’s the Nottely River and its tributaries that now sparkle with mountain trout just waiting for the opportunity to latch onto line and sinker or the draw fly fishermen or women’s lure.

The Nottely River’s gentle current flows across the valley lands of Union County working its way northward grazing the historic mountain town of Blairsville before filling the shoreline of Lake NottelyLake Nottely and its many channels journey across the north central section of Union County and are popular with fishing persons and boating recreation.  With so many channels Lake Nottely seems endless with miles and miles of shoreline with many quite coves to fish and explore before the lake breaks open into a much larger expanse of deep lake water, a great destination for bass fishing water skiing and leisure boating. 

Lake Nottely is not a year round Recreation Lake, it’s a utility lake created by the TVA, Tennessee Valley Authority.  During the winter the lake is mostly void of water, what’s interesting is that the Nottely River reemerges as it follows the lowest path through the bottom of the lake, giving life back to the river’s full length claiming its original route for the winter season each year.

Leaving Lake Nottely Dam behind Nottely continues winding northward crossing the state line and entering North Carolina’s Cherokee County.  A short journey thru Cherokee County delivers the waters of Nottely River into Lake Hiwassee were Nottely River joins hands with the Hiwassee River in the Nantahala National Forest.  From the waters and shore line of Lake Hiwassee you get the feeling of being lost deep in the Western North Carolina mountains due to its locked away position behind high ridges and steep mountains.  The historic mountain town of Murphy in Cherokee County lies near the southeastern edge of the lake just beyond the Hiwassee River Gorge, the town is not at all visible from any part of the lake or major roadways, isolated in seclusion just off the beaten path.  You’re going to want to keep your fishing gear handy the many channels on Lake Hiawassee are idea for dropping a line.  Nottely River is not a long river just a great river in a popular mountain region.

Directions: From the US Highway 129-19 bridge downstream to Nottely Reservoir; Rock Creek watershed and Toccoa River.

 

Back to North Georgia Mountain's Rivers and Creeks

Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains
Sign up for the Blue Ridge Highlander Newsletter, Messages from the Mountains
to find out first about our new feature stories, road trips and special offers


Your e-mail addresses will not be sold or given away to anyone.

Highlander Privacy Policy

Let our visitors tell you about the Highlander...


Click the feathers to go to the Highlander site map...
Blue Ridge Smoky Mountain Highlander

 

 

designed, produced and hosted by
Travel and Real Estate Guide to the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, including North Georgia, Western North Carolina, Tennessee River Valley and Up Country South Carolina

The Blue Ridge Highlander logo, all photography, design, graphics, artwork, writing, digital images, etc are the Copyright ©
of C. Wayne Dukes and Sherry Bell Dukes. 1996 - 2014, except where otherwise stated. All rights reserved, reproduction,
downloading, and/or duplication of any sort is strictly prohibited, all violations will be prosecuted. Legal Policy.
If you have any questions, or comments, regarding this site, e-mail the Highlander.

Blue Ridge Smoky Mountain Highlander