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Nashville outdoor destination guide
Percy Priest Lake is Nashville’s big close-to-town lake for fishing, swimming, camping, boating, kayaking, wildlife watching, and family days on the water.
Plan Your Visit
Use this guide to choose the right part of Percy Priest for the day you want. The lake sits around Nashville, follows the Stones River, and has a summer pool commonly referenced at 490 feet.
Most visitors come for fishing, camping, swimming, boating, kayaking, or an easy family day near the water. Conditions, access, and crowd levels can change by season, so confirm current rules, weather, and rental availability before leaving home.
What Do You Want To Do?
Start with the lake day you are planning. Each path points to the most useful next guide first.
Fishing
Bass, stripers, bank platforms, shoreline spots, and bait planning.
Fish Percy PriestSwimming
Beach areas, dog-friendly options, shallow-water planning, and safety questions.
Find swim beachesCamping
Seven Points, Anderson Road, Poole Knobs, and overnight planning.
Compare campgroundsBoating
Boat rentals, marinas, ramps, tours, jet skis, and lake access.
Rent or launch a boatKayaking
Launches, bathrooms, calmer water, and paddling routes.
Pick a kayak launchThings to Do
Fireworks views, trails, wildlife, picnics, and family lake days.
Plan activitiesPercy Priest Quick Facts
The essentials below are the numbers and agencies visitors most often need before planning a trip.
Fishing Percy Priest Lake
Percy Priest is known around Tennessee for striped bass, but the fishing is broader than one species. Anglers also target hybrid bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill, and walleye.
Where anglers focus
Common fishing structure includes submerged roadbeds, brush piles, creek channels, standing timber, main-lake ledges, and rocky points. Seven Points, Fate Sanders, Long Hunter, and the dam area are all useful starting points depending on access, boat traffic, and water movement.
Camping At Percy Priest Lake
Camping choices around Percy Priest usually come down to access, crowds, and how close you want to stay to Nashville. Seven Points is the busiest campground on the lake, Anderson Road is a little quieter and close to town, and Poole Knobs is often the better fit for fewer crowds.
Swimming & Beaches
When people ask where to swim at Percy Priest, Anderson Road Beach, Seven Points Beach, Smith Springs, and Long Hunter State Park are usually the first places to check. Anderson Road is one of the most popular swim beaches, Seven Points combines beach access with nearby facilities, and Smith Springs is popular with locals.
Kayaking & Paddling
Kayaking can be one of the calmer ways to enjoy Percy Priest, especially when you choose a launch that fits the day’s wind, boat traffic, and the least experienced paddler in your group.
Bryant Grove, Couchville Lake, Seven Points, Long Hunter, and Fate Sanders are common launch names to know when comparing routes and access.
Boating, Marinas & Rentals
Percy Priest is built for boat days. Visitors compare pontoons, fishing boats, jet skis, paddleboards, and kayaks, then choose access around marinas and ramps such as Elm Hill Marina, Nashville Shores Marina, and Fate Sanders Marina.
Wildlife & Outdoors
Percy Priest also works as a close-to-Nashville nature stop. Wildlife visitors may see bald eagles, osprey, great blue herons, white-tailed deer, beavers, river otters, and wild turkey.
Family Activities
Simple family plans work well here: rent a pontoon, spend time at Anderson Road Beach, picnic at Seven Points, paddle around Long Hunter, watch sunset near Elm Hill, camp at Poole Knobs, or fish at dawn.
Safety & Conditions
The lake level visitors hear most often is 490 feet, which refers to summer pool. The Corps lowers the lake seasonally, so familiar shorelines can look different during winter.
Before cliff jumping, boating, paddling, or swimming, confirm current conditions, posted rules, weather, and rental availability. Wind and boat traffic can matter as much as distance on the water.
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep is Percy Priest Lake?
Use the dedicated depth guide for the full explanation, including how depth changes by area and season.
Can you swim in Percy Priest Lake?
Yes. Several designated beaches and swimming areas are available, including Anderson Road Beach, Seven Points Beach, Smith Springs, and Long Hunter State Park.
What fish are in Percy Priest Lake?
Common species include stripers, hybrid bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill, and walleye.
Why are there so few lakefront homes?
Most shoreline is controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
More Percy Priest Guides
Use these next when you need a specific answer before choosing a launch, beach, campground, rental, or safety plan.
Plan Your Percy Priest Lake Day
If you are comparing rentals, marinas, beach stops, kayak launches, campgrounds, or fishing spots, start with the day trip checklist and confirm current conditions before leaving home.