Hours of Operation: 7 AM- 7 PM & 7 AM - 8 PM between Memorial Day & Labor Day.

Parking Pass cost is $5.00 per day per vehicle.

Lake Canton at Hickory Log Creek Reservoir covers approximately 411 acres at full pool with approximately 15 miles of shoreline and is surrounded by 150-ft buffer. The reservoir is located in the City of Canton and the public access area is near the intersection of Bluffs Parkway and Fate Conn Road.

Quick Facts

• Roller Compacted Concrete Structure
• Category 1 Structure as Classified by Georgia Safe Dams
• Dam Height: 180 ft
• Dam Width: 1,000 ft
• Reservoir Area: 411 acres at full pool elevation
• Volume: 5.77 billion gallons at normal full pool elevation
• Water Supply Yield: 44 million gallons per day
• Filled by Hickory Log Creek and water pumped from the Etowah River

Come Fishing

In 2012 the Department of Natural Resources stocked Reservoir with Bream, Crappie, Catfish and Bass. In 2015 and 2016 the Reservoir was stocked with Shad.

Visitor Access

There is only one public access with a boat ramp and gravel parking. The Reservoir is open to the public year-round. Inclement weather can cause closures that are not posted. This is a gated access, with opening and closing performed by the Canton Police Department.

Over 3,000 vehicles per year have visited the reservoir since it opened to the public in 2013.

The City of Canton ask that all participants practice water safety and help keep the property clean to insure continued public use. State regulations and rules apply to all whom use the Reservoir. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, HLC personnel and Canton Police Department patrol the lake to encourage water safety.

Reservoir Rules

• ALL Georgia Department of Natural Resources Rules & Regulations for water safety are in effect (i.e. boat registration, life jackets, fishing license, etc.).
• Boats that are allowed are restricted to electric powered only, canoes and kayaks.
• Boats with gasoline, diesel or propane motors and sailboats are NOT allowed on the reservoir. (The engine or motor must be removed from the water craft.) This is strictly enforced.
• Standup Paddle Boards are NOT allowed.
• ALL boats must be out of the water and loaded 15 minutes before closing time.
• Swimming is NOT allowed.
• Alcoholic beverages are NOT allowed. This is strictly enforced.
• Except as authorized by O.C.G.A. § 16-11-104 the discharge of firearms is prohibited.
• Stay clear of the dam and the spillway. (A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam).
• The City of Canton does NOT assume any responsibility for injury or death of anyone which occurs on the property of the City, absent its gross negligence. Users of premises do so at their own risk.

History

The City of Canton and the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority formed their partnership in the year 2000 to meet the long-term water supply needs of the region. The Hickory Log Creek Reservoir supplements the City of Canton’s existing raw water supply, the Etowah River. Water and CCMWA’s numerous wholesale customers via Lake Allatoona. All costs of the project are split between the City and Authority 25%/75%.

Currently, the City of Canton serves approximately 8,800 customers and CCMWA, which is a regional wholesale water purveyor provides water to 830,000 people in 5 counties. Hickory Log Creek Reservoir will help the City of Canton continue to meet its water supply needs through 2040.

Construction of the Reservoir and Dam began in 2005 and was completed in 2008. Full pool was attained in April 2011. Completion of the reservoir and dam assures the citizens of Canton and CCMWA customers reliable high quality and affordable wholesale drinking water for many years into the future.

Hickory Log Creek Reservoir is a pumped storage, stream augmentation reservoir. Water is released from the reservoir during low flow conditions in the Etowah River to make up for the withdrawals by the City’s water treatment plant on the Etowah River near Heritage Park. The reservoir got its first use during the fall of 2016 when water supply releases had to be made to supplement the low flows in the Etowah River.

During periods of higher flows in the Etowah River, the reservoir can be filled by pumping water from the river back into the reservoir to maintain as much storage as possible.