_ The 2021 Fontana Lake 5K -10K - 15K Open Water Swim:

Race Details & Registration Link - Max 185 Entries - Please enter EARLY to get your spot!

The beautiful Fontana Lake offers an amazing venue for a 5K, 10K, and 15K open water race. The 5K loop swim course starts where the lake meets the Tsali Mountain Biking Trail Head parking lot and beach area. From the beach, swimmers will make their way out one of the lake’s fingers, around a point, across an open stretch of water to an island. With the island on the swimmers’ left shoulder, they will make there way around the island, back across the open stretch of water and into the finger leading back to the beach and start area. Swimmers doing the 5K will complete one lap. Swimmers doing the 10K will complete two laps and 15K swimmers will complete three laps turning for another lap around a special turn buoy near the beach.

Awesome Adventures Await!
Don’t just come for the swim but stay and enjoy all of the adventures that await you in this beautiful part of the country!

Being a destination location only minutes from Bryson City, North Carolina, the Smokey Mountain National Park, beautiful rivers and other National Forests, this area offers adventures ranging from whitewater rafting and kayaking to mountain biking, hiking, flat water paddling, mountain zip lining, and open water swimming. The Fontana Lake surrounding towns provide a mecca for outdoor adventure all through our sponsor the NOC. 

Get Your NOC 15% discount on rafting, zip lining, and flat water kayaking
All participants can get 15% off on rafting, zip lining, and flat water kayaking. Just book your adventure at NOC.com using discount code SWIM. Extend your trip for some epic adventures.

About Fontana Lake
In western North Carolina, in the mountains of the Nantahala National Forest and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, lies the beautiful 17-mile long Fontana Lake. Created by the Fontana Dam located on the Little Tennessee River, Fontana Lake has many coves and many islands formed from former mountain peaks. Depending on water levels, the average depth is 135 feet with a maximum depth of 440 feet, making it the deepest lake in North Carolina.