Re-Creating Memories

TVA Readies Campgrounds for Season Opening

As a college student, Jonathan McNutt learned an early lesson that’s guided him throughout his career as a TVA land contract specialist.

Recreation is, at its core, a re-creation, McNutt said.

“Our goal in the field is to recreate memories,” he said. “I can recreate some of the memories that I had as a child with my own children and pass that on to future generations.”

Today, McNutt is part of a team that helps thousands of visitors across the Valley region create those unforgettable experiences in the great outdoors.

And with TVA campgrounds opening on March 15, TVA Environment and Stewardship teams are using innovative tools and long‑standing stewardship practices to ensure those experiences last for years to come.

Caring for Campgrounds

As part of its foundational mission of environmental stewardship, TVA offers hundreds of campsites across its six dam reservoir campgrounds – commonly called the “Tennessee Six.”

There’s Cherokee Dam Campground near Jefferson City, Douglas Dam Headwater Campground and Tailwater Campground near Sevierville, Melton Hill near Lenoir City, Pickwick Campground near Savannah and Watauga Campground near Elizabethton.

All six campgrounds are managed by Tennessee Valley Hospitality under a concessionaire agreement with TVA. Through this partnership, concessionaires handle day-to-day operations like guest check-in and campsite upkeep, while TVA focuses on long‑term stewardship of the land itself.

The agreement has allowed for the visitor experience to be enhanced and the campgrounds to modernize services systemwide, including updated campground stores and a streamlined reservation system.

“It’s a benefit for the public,” McNutt said. “TVA can focus on the needs of the campground, and (concessionaires) can focus on the needs of campers.”

Large-Scale Stewardship

Campgrounds are a key aspect of TVA’s broader recreation scope, but day use areas are also carefully kept and managed.

Throughout the Valley region, TVA manages roughly 6,500 natural resource and recreation assets across 49 dam reservations and 293,000 acres of public lands, from boat ramps and pavilions to trails, restrooms and shoreline access points.

To stay ahead of maintenance needs, TVA teams use a digital tool called Field Maps, a centralized database that helps them plan repairs and prioritize safety – especially in high‑use areas.

Each year, TVA inspects, repairs and often rebuilds assets to keep them safe and accessible. These inspections also help TVA respond to unexpected challenges such as clearing debris or repairing storm‑damaged sites to ensure a safe reopening in the spring.

“As we inspect our assets, health and safety items are immediately addressed,” Mark Morrissey, TVA public land manager, said. “Public Land Management is continuously inspecting assets and prioritizing assets that are in need of repair or replacement.”

On the campground side, visitor feedback also plays a key role.

Annual campground surveys guide improvements ranging from dog watering stations and hydration points to future restroom replacements and trail upgrades.

By tracking trends, understanding use patterns and monitoring the health of each site, TVA ensures heavily visited areas remain safe and scenic while allowing other spaces the time they need to recover from overuse or erosion.

“As land managers, we know where the public is using land the most,” Morrissey said. “That’s one of the benefits of having a centralized database as a tool to prioritize our work.”

TVA’s Front Door

And the results speak for themselves.

Across the reservoir system, TVA welcomes as many as 150,000 visitors every year. TVA‑managed waters generate an estimated $11.9 billion in annual economic impact, supporting roughly 130,000 jobs through recreation and tourism. The reservoir system also enables the movement of more than 50 million tons of goods annually, and about 8,000 recreational vessels crisscross the Tennessee River and its reservoirs each year.

TVA-managed trails and public lands also attract businesses and support regional growth through tourism dollars that trickle into the local economy through hotels, shops and experiences – all of which promote TVA’s role as a partner in both economic development and environmental stewardship.

And whether it’s the sweeping views at Douglas, the solitude of Watauga, or the family‑friendly pavilions and playgrounds at Cherokee, TVA’s dam reservations offer experiences for every kind of visitor.

For anyone looking to make memories with friends and family, McNutt and Morrissey say there’s no better place to start than TVA’s public lands.

“Along with power generation, flood control and navigation, our dams provide outstanding recreational assets as well,” Morrissey said. “If someone asks me, ‘Where do I go?’ I tell them, go visit our dam reservations. They are the front door to TVA.”