Kayak Tour: Lock Through the Dam Adventure

Experience the thrill of locking through the Chickamauga Dam on a kayak tour in Chattanooga. Watch as the massive gates open, secure your spot in the lock, and then be released into the river for the rest of the adventure.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 20 Kings Point Rd - Experience the unparalleled adventure of traversing through Chickamauga Dam via kayak with our exclusive guided tour. Glide into the towering 120-foot lock, and watch as the colossal gates seal your path. Your guide will tether the kayaks to a mobile anchor along the lock’s edge, ensuring the safety of all participants. The…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Kayak adventure equipment including lifejacket, paddle, and light
  • Professional guide
  • Safety equipment including group throw-bag, towline, and first aid kit
Additional Information

Cycling through a dam presents an unusual escape from normality. Patiently we wait while the colossal lock gates swing open, allowing upstream bound boats to steadily steer out. Afterwards, we paddle our kayaks into the lock, anchoring ourselves as the gates seal behind. Observing the water level, we note the high watermark slightly undershooting our…

Location
River Park Boat Ramp
We meet at the Hubert Fry Center Boat Ramp off of Amnicola Road. Directly Across the Street from the Coca-Cola Bottling plant. You cross over the RR tracks and will see a boat ramp on your left. Park next to the bike share station in single car spots. https://goo.gl/maps/AXhGy8LmqjuCVbDi9
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(71 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Lisaca653ta
Oct 21, 2025
Wonderful experience - This was a great experience. Zach our guide was great. He was very knowledgeable on all the history of the locks. We enjoyed this so much, definitely something to see when in chattanooga!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travelsue75
Oct 12, 2025
Great kayak tour! - Great experience with Russ as our guide. Would recommend to anyone interested in getting on the river to see eagles, ospreys and herons, as well as learn about the history of the dam and the TVA.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richard_t
Oct 10, 2025
Great Day - Great guide and really an enjoyable experience going through the lock. Pace was nice so we could all easily stay together.
Review provided by Viator
H5754mwleer
Sep 8, 2025
Súper adventure - The weather was perfect, the equipment was perfect, the guide was very knowledgeable and you could tell that he really enjoyed his job!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amanda_r
Aug 31, 2025
It was a unique... - It was a unique experience getting to be in the dam when they let the water out. Very interesting experience learning how the dam worked.
Review provided by Viator
Natalie_e
Aug 26, 2025
Perfect Tour guide and weather for this exciting experience - Our guide Russ was a fantastic, considerate, knowledgeable, and engaging leader and tour guide. I have kayaked many times before, but our international exchange student had not. Her English is quite decent, but still limited. Russ explained everything clearly and made sure she understood, for her enjoyment as much as for her safety. Going through the dam lock was exciting and surprising – we couldn't believe how quiet it was for something so enormous involving so much water! We had the benefit of a gorgeous day, too.
Review provided by Viator
Laura_g
Aug 3, 2025
Great tour - Zach was awesome !! Great tour he was extremely knowledgeable!! I would recommend! Thank you very much
Review provided by Viator
H6134ofsaraa
Jul 31, 2025
Cool experience - Great time out on the river. Very cool experience going through the Dam Lock and seeing all of the construction for the new Lock. Zach was friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. Would definitely go again and would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ampanmangal
Jul 19, 2025
- This was super cool. We did have to wait for a barge to go through first, which cannot be controlled by the company, but during that time we got to be nearby on the water and watch how the process worked. It is amazing how snug the lock is for the big barges, yet it is properly steered into the lock by the tug boats. We had plenty of time to chat with our guide and get lots of pertinent information. Going through the lock was very interesting and unique. Our guide Russ, did an excellent job. Zach, the owner was very responsive when we were booking our trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Luluw652
Jul 8, 2025
Very cool and unique - The lock adventure was so fun. I took my 14 year old nephew and he had a blast. So many birds to see! our guide was great and knowledgeable and the lock was so cool!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $86
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).