East Lakeshore Trail Completed

Planning for a hiking trail system along the eastern side of Tellico Reservoir began in March 2003 as a collaborative agreement between TVA and the Watershed Association of Tellico Reservoir (WATeR) to provide public recreational opportunities on TVA property. Construction of the East Lakeshore Trail started on what is now the Coytee Loop Branch, across Tellico Reservoir from the historic Bowman house (built in 1828) on Tanasi Court in Tellico Village. The Coytee Loop Branch of the trail was opened to the public on October 22, 2004. Trail building continued northward along the lake to Powerline Point and then east into Powerline Cove (the current Glendale Branch). It took 5-6 trail builders three years to complete the Glendale section of trail, working one day each month. Trail construction and the number of trail builders increased after 2006.  Although trail work was done concurrently on some trail branches, the order of completion of the 9 trail branches was: Coytee Loop, Glendale, Sinking Creek, Davis Ferry, Lotterdale, Jackson Bend, Morganton, Baker Hollow, and Canal. More than 100 volunteers worked at least once to build or maintain the trail, under the direction of Trails Committee Chairs Jerry Barr (2003-2006), Bob Martin (2006-2015), Mel Fisher (2015-2018), George Zola (2019-2020), and Steve West (2020-2021). The last section of the 31-mile trail – the Wildcat Ridge spur trail – was finished in 2016. Distances for mile markers on the trail were determined by volunteers using a DuraWheel distance measuring tool. Volunteer trail builders came from several local communities, and TVA representative Darrell Cuthbertson provided oversight, technical support, and heavy construction equipment needed for some of the bridges and to clear a path for the trail on some steep or rocky sections. Parking lots at the nine trailheads were provided by TVA. Funding of trail building was provided by TVA and by grants from the Tennessee Trails Association, the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, the American Hiking Society National Trails Fund, and Kiwanis International and other local service groups.

Trail days brought together WATeR board members, TVA staff, and Tellico Village residents alike. Regular work crews turned rough forest into walkable, sustainable tread — segment by segment, over more than a decade.

Bridges, Boardwalks, and Stairs

Where the trail crossed creeks, wetlands, and steep grades, volunteers didn't reroute around the obstacle — they built through it. Hand-built wooden bridges, elevated boardwalks, and switchback staircases now carry hikers over terrain that would otherwise be impassable.

The Baker Creek Boardwalk — built with a grant from the Tennessee Trails Association — is one of the signature structures on the trail, carrying hikers safely across the creek on a raised timber walkway.

Trailheads, Signage, and Wayfinding

As the trail network grew, so did the infrastructure to support hikers: parking areas, trailhead kiosks with maps and handouts, mile-marker posts, and directional signage at every junction — including connector trails to campgrounds and boat landings.

The Results — and What's Next

Today, the East Lakeshore Trail stretches 30.3 completed miles along the Tellico Reservoir shoreline. In May 2012, it earned designation as a National Recreation Trail — a mark of national significance for a trail built almost entirely by local volunteer labor.