Canoe the Obey River

A scenic Celina stop along the way is the Dam on Dale Hollow Lake. Park and walk across the dam to take in the beautiful views of Dale Hollow, a great place to stretch your legs and sip your morning cup of coffee.

On your way to the Dale Hollow Dam, you will pass the Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery. The hatchery was established to mitigate fishery resources that were lost due to large-scale construction of many federal water development projects in the Southeast United States. The Hatchery is responsible for stocking rainbow, brown, lake, and brook trout in over a dozen different water reservoirs in middle and east Tennessee and even parts of Alabama and Georgia.

The hatchery grows millions of catchable-size trout every year, but also dedicates conservation efforts for a number of imperiled, freshwater, non-game fishes, and mussels. Stop by the Hatchery Aquarium and talk with fish biologist, Thomas Reeves, or schedule a hatchery tour to learn more about some of the fish native to Tennessee and other critters that inhabit the rivers and lakes of the region. There is a public fishing area just below the hatchery that they release trout from weekly and is a great place to have a picnic or cast a line.

There are no shortages of paddling opportunities in Celina, you just need to know where to hit the water. Not too far from the base of Dale Hollow Dam, you will find Moody’s Boat Ramp, a public day-use area along the Obey River. From Moody’s, it is about a 4-mile trip down to the takeout at Donaldson Park and takes roughly 2-3 hours to complete. The boat ramp at Donaldson will be on your left shortly before the Obey River meets the Cumberland River. Or just plan for a there-and-back river trip!

Once you are familiar with the area, you will find yourself wanting to explore more of the Cumberland River and create your own river excursions. If you decide to paddle the Cumberland, keep in mind that it is a there-and-back trip to Donaldson Park, and the closest ramp beside Moody’s, isn’t for many miles.

Whether you spent the day paddling the Obey or wrestling a Cumberland River Monster, you surely have worked up an appetite. Stop in at this Celina staple for some excellent BBQ and some tasty twisted taters. 1-Stop BBQ specializes in BBQ, but offers a full menu with other great selections.

If you are looking to unplug and get back to nature, stay at one of the Getaway Cabins located in Moss, TN. Moss is about a 10-minute drive to Celina and roughly 20 minutes from the beautiful Dale Hollow Lake. The one-room cabin features a kitchen, facilities, a firepit, a picnic table, and a queen-size bed that has a wonderful view of the surrounding wilderness through the picture window.