Nashville’s Percy Priest Lake Beach Update

Last year I discovered Percy Priest Lake and its Anderson Road recreation beach.

My family purchased the $30 Corps of Engineers pass so we could visit all summer.

This year, when we returned, Nashville’s best lake beach looked very different.

 

Here’s how:

The $4 per car fee is still the same.

The same friendly Corps workers were picking up trash.

Sailboats still float across the channel.

 

But the beach…

The Percy Priest beach is now dramatically narrower.

Take a look at these photos.

 

First, the beach in 2007:

 

Now, the beach in 2008:

 

See how much less sand?

I’d say at least half of the beach is under the water now!

But that’s not all.  Not only is the beach narrower, the water level is almost 2 feet higher than last year.

The red floating barrier marked 4 feet last summer.  This year?  6 feet — which means it’s a little more dangerous for children.

See this aluminum railing?

Last year, the end of the ramp just touched the edge of the water.

This year, the whole ramp is submerged!

We still had a fabulous time swimming at Percy Priest Lake this year.  Sure, the water is a little deeper, but it was plenty shallow for my toddler.  The beach is a little narrower, but there was plenty of sand for digging.

 

I do have some great news to report…

We saw no evidence of the reported goose poop, despite the fact that the beach hadn’t been raked in 2 weeks.  (The water level was still too high.)

Plus, 2 loaner life jacket stations have been installed, with instructions in Spanish and English.

Life jackets are not required for swimming, but there are no lifeguards at Percy Priest Lake.

 

Here are photos & directions to Percy Priest Lake’s best swimming beach.