Every Lake Worth Visiting Near Helen

Helen sits in the middle of a lot of water. Unicoi Lake is 10 minutes away and small enough to cross in a kayak. The big reservoirs (Burton, Rabun, Seed, Chatuge and Nottely) take 35 to 70 minutes each way and are built for pontoons, skiing and serious bass fishing. Pick the lake that matches the day you want.

Georgia Power runs the Tallulah River chain (Burton, Seed and Rabun), and the Tennessee Valley Authority runs Chatuge and Nottely. That matters because both utilities raise and lower the water on their own schedules, so ramps, docks and beaches can look very different in October than in July.

Drive times are from downtown Helen without traffic. Acreage from Georgia Power and TVA material; Chatuge is about 7,000 acres and 13 miles long.

Unicoi Lake is a 53-acre lake inside Unicoi State Park, ringed by forest with the lodge on the hill above. It's the easy choice if you want to be on the water within minutes of leaving your Helen cabin.

In summer the park runs a swimming beach, and the visitor center rents kayaks, paddleboards and aqua cycles. There are no lifeguards, and the lake closes whenever lightning is within 5 miles. Smith Creek, which feeds the lake, is stocked with trout and managed catch-and-release; the lake itself has bass and sunfish. Anglers 16 and older need a Georgia fishing license.

Check the lodge's pages for water sports and the beach, or call 706-878-2201. Rental prices aren't posted online, so ask when you book. For the lake loop and trails, see our Unicoi State Park guide.

Lake Burton is the biggest of Georgia Power's mountain lakes: 2,775 acres and about 62 miles of shoreline in Rabun County, with a dam finished in 1919. The water is clear and deep, and the shoreline is mostly private homes, so public access comes down to a few places. Moccasin Creek State Park has a boat ramp, dock, campground and paddle rentals in warm months, and LaPrade's Marina has rentals and places to eat.

LaPrade's Marina has been on the lake for close to a century and lists Thursday through Sunday hours of 9 AM to 5 PM. It runs a full-service restaurant, a waterside bar and a pizza bar. Rental prices and the ramp fee aren't posted, so call 706-947-0010. For more, see our Lake Burton guide and Lake Burton recreation page.

Lake Seed is a 240-acre reservoir between Burton and Rabun, finished in 1927. It's the quiet one of the three: smaller, with about 13 miles of shoreline, and easier water for paddlers.

Lake Rabun covers 835 acres and has a long tradition of vintage wooden boats. The Forest Service's Rabun Beach Recreation Area is the usual public way in, and Hall's Boat House sells fuel and rents pontoons. See our Lake Rabun guide for the details.

Lake Chatuge is the wide one. It straddles the Georgia-North Carolina line in Towns County, Georgia, and Clay County, North Carolina, covering roughly 7,000 acres. TVA finished the dam in 1942 and manages the water, which moves about 10 feet over the year. Our Lake Chatuge guide has marinas, fishing and camping.

Lake Nottely, near Blairsville in Union County, is a TVA lake with a mostly undeveloped, forested shoreline, most of it National Forest land. It's the longest drive on this list, about 70 minutes, and a natural add-on if you're already headed to Vogel State Park or Brasstown Bald.

Licenses and regulations: Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division. More paddling ideas in our North Georgia kayaking guide.