TheLakeInsiderThe insider's guide to America's luxury lakes
← Lake Hartwell
Lake Hartwell · The outdoor list

Trails, docks, farms, markets.

The boat launch with the deepest channel. The trail to the gorge. The farm stand that takes Venmo. The icon you've heard of and the one you haven't.

Boat launches

4 listed
  • Anderson
    Portman Marina
    Editor's pick

    A full-service marina on the lake's south end in Anderson — slips, storage, and the on-site Galley Restaurant.

    (864) 287-3211Visit site ↗
  • Seneca
    Clemson Marina
    Editor's pick

    A full-service marina in Seneca offering boat sales, pontoon and ski-boat rentals, storage, and service, at the lake's northwest corner near Clemson.

    Mon–Fri 9am–9pm · Sat 9am–5pm(864) 653-6767Visit site ↗
  • Hartwell
    Hartwell Marina
    Editor's pick

    A family-owned marina on the Georgia shore with wet slips up to 70 feet, dry storage, a gas dock, and the Boathouse Grill on site.

    (706) 376-5441Visit site ↗
  • Starr
    Big Water Marina & Campground
    Editor's pick

    A marina and campground on the South Carolina shore near Starr, with boat slips, a boat ramp, and lakefront camping.

    Mon–Thu 9am–5pm · Fri–Sun 9am–7pm(864) 226-3339Visit site ↗

Iconic stops

3 listed
  • Hartwell
    Hartwell Dam
    Editor's pick

    The Army Corps of Engineers dam that created the lake — a concrete-gravity structure 1,900 feet long and 204 feet high at its tallest point, flanked by earthen embankments that stretch the structure past three miles. Built 1955-1962; the hydroelectric plant went online in April 1962.

  • Anderson
    Sadlers Creek State Park
    Editor's pick

    A 395-acre South Carolina state park on a peninsula into the lake — six miles of hiking and biking trails, a 100-foot fishing pier, two boat ramps, and lakefront camping.

  • Lavonia
    Tugaloo State Park
    Editor's pick

    A 393-acre Georgia state park on a peninsula on the lake's Georgia shore, with a sand swimming beach and two boat ramps.