Mile 206.7Tennessee River
Two chambers110 x 1,000 ft and 110 x 600 ft
VHF 16 / 13To reach the lock
731-925-2334Lock phone
Before you get there
- Call ahead. The lock operates on request, not on a schedule. Hail the lock on VHF or phone before you arrive. Boaters report that VHF contact can be weak until you're fairly close.
- Expect to wait your turn. Under federal lock rules, commercial tows go ahead of recreational boats, and a big tow can take a while. Ask the lockmaster for an estimate so you can decide whether to wait nearby or tie up.
- Rig both sides. Put fenders out on both sides and have lines ready, because you won't know which wall you'll be assigned.
- Life jackets on for everyone on deck.
In the chamber
- Wait for the lockmaster's signal before entering, and come in slowly.
- Pickwick Lock uses floating bollards, which ride up and down the wall with the water. Loop a line around the bollard from a midship cleat and tend it by hand. Don't tie off to anything fixed.
- Expect turbulence, especially on the way up. Keep someone on the line the whole time and keep hands clear of the wall.
- Stay secured until the gates are fully open and the lockmaster signals you out.
Above the dam
Once you're up, you're on Pickwick Lake. Pickwick Landing State Park is just above the dam, and the turn onto the Tenn-Tom Waterway at Yellow Creek is a short run up the lake. See the Looper guide for where to tie up.
