0
Pull-thru
USACECordell Hull Lake · Tennessee
Tailwater Rec Area
Overview Tailwater Recreation Area is located just below Cordell Hull Lake and Dam on the Cumberland River System, outside the town of Carthage, TN.
Sites1all reservable
Elev.502ft
Comf.Feb-Dec11 months
Max rigtents
Electric1sites
From Nashville1h16real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 502 ft, Tailwater Rec Area has a 11-month comfortable window (Feb-Dec). Winter nights average around 33°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 1 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: 2 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and quiet. Softest on shade.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Sep
Feb-Dec
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
55%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Mar 24
Last spring frost; first fall frost Nov 14.
71°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Nashville
58 mi
1h16
02
Knoxville
139 mi
2h42
03
Chattanooga
134 mi
2h52
04
Memphis
270 mi
5h06
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 1.4 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 1 SITES
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
1
Sites
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
107
Peaks
2
Viewpoints
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
1.4 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.