Lake Blue Ridge Reservoir is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest of north Georgia. There’s a scenic overlook above the dam and a shaded picnic area near the powerhouse. The canoe and kayak launch site below the dam gives nonmotorized boaters access to the Toccoa River.
The river is noted among fishermen for its sunfish, trout, and bass. When water is released from the Blue Ridge Dam to generate electricity, the river becomes a class I-II float through the Georgia hills. Besides providing power and recreational opportunities, Blue Ridge also helps control flooding.
The construction of Blue Ridge Dam was begun in 1925 and completed in 1930.
Blue Ridge Dam is 167 feet high and stretches 1,000 feet across the Toccoa River.
The water level in Blue Ridge Reservoir varies from 30 to 35 feet in a normal year.
Blue Ridge has a flood-storage capacity of 68,500 acre-feet.
The generating capacity of Blue Ridge Dam is 22,000 kilowatts of electricity.
Blue Ridge Dam was constructed on the Toccoa River in 1930 by the Toccoa Electric Power Company, a subsidiary of the Georgia Electric Power Company. TVA purchased the facility in 1939 for hydroelectric power production. The lake is entirely within Fannin County, Georgia, and the closest towns are Blue Ridge and Morganton. Blue Ridge is 11 miles long, 3,290 acres in size at normal summer pool and has approximately 65 miles of shoreline. The Chattahoochee National Forest borders part of the lake. Principal game fish include smallmouth and largemouth bass, bluegill, and walleye.
The 3,290-acre lake is home to bass, bream, catfish, perch and crappie, which make the area popular with anglers. Check State fishing regulations before fishing.