A guide to Lake Harding (Bartletts Ferry)
Lake Harding is the reservoir behind Bartletts Ferry Dam on the Chattahoochee River, along the Alabama and Georgia line. People also search for it as Bartletts Ferry Lake or Bartletts Ferry Reservoir. This page covers the official names, how the lake differs from West Point Lake, fishing and access, and links to the vacation rentals in this directory.
Is Lake Harding the same as Bartletts Ferry Lake?
Yes. They are two names for the same reservoir. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission records for Georgia Power’s Bartletts Ferry Hydroelectric Project describe a 5,850-acre reservoir called Bartletts Ferry Reservoir or Lake Harding, at a normal water-surface elevation of 520.16 feet above mean sea level. The project is on the Chattahoochee River along the Georgia-Alabama border, in Harris County, Georgia, and Lee and Chambers counties, Alabama. Georgia Power operates the project.
Sources: Federal Register notices for Project No. 485, Georgia Power Company, dated January 7, 2013 and October 21, 2013. Georgia Power’s West Georgia lakes page lists Lake Harding among the lakes in that group.
Is Lake Harding the same as West Point Lake?
No. West Point Lake is a separate reservoir, upstream on the same river, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps’ West Point Dam and Lake water-control manual describes Bartletts Ferry Dam and Lake Harding as a Georgia Power facility downstream of West Point that reregulates power releases from West Point Dam. Outdoor Alabama also describes West Point Lake as an upstream counterpart of Bartlett’s Ferry Reservoir, with Lake Eufaula as a downstream counterpart.
Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, West Point Lake; USACE Mobile District, West Point Dam and Lake Water Control Manual (revised March 2017), section on related control facilities; Outdoor Alabama, Bartlett’s Ferry.
Things to do
The lake is used for boating, fishing, and other recreation. Alabama’s Outdoor Alabama page on Bartlett’s Ferry Reservoir describes a fishery of largemouth bass and spotted bass (especially in areas of flowing water), crappie in good numbers, especially in the spring, and other species of angler interest including striped bass, white bass, shoal bass, and channel catfish. It notes that shoal bass are currently protected from harvest in Alabama.
This directory lists researched vacation rentals on and near the lake, including cabins and lake houses, homes with a private boat ramp, pet-friendly homes, and homes that sleep 10 or more. Availability and rates are on each host’s site, Airbnb, or Vrbo — not here.
Fishing licenses
Outdoor Alabama states that both Alabama and Georgia fishing licenses are recognized for all waters of Bartlett’s Ferry Reservoir. Alabama Administrative Code rule 220-2-.122 sets out the Georgia reciprocal fishing agreement: Alabama and Georgia licenses are mutually recognized for fishing from the banks or on the waters of the Chattahoochee River forming the boundary between the states, and of the impoundments on that river, with an exception on part of West Point Reservoir. The agreement does not include other streams or tributaries that flow into the Chattahoochee River or its impoundments. Rules can change; check the current Alabama and Georgia regulations before you fish.
Sources: Outdoor Alabama, Bartlett’s Ferry; Alabama Administrative Code r. 220-2-.122.
Fish consumption advisories
Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division 2024 Integrated 305(b)/303(d) list of waters names Harding Lake (Bartletts Ferry, Harris County) as not supporting its fishing use because of fish-tissue PCBs, with a TMDL completed in 1998. The same list says the lake was supporting its drinking-water and recreation uses. Check current fish-consumption advisories from Georgia EPD and Alabama before you eat fish from the lake.
Source: Georgia EPD, 2024 Integrated 305(b)/303(d) List — Lakes.
Towns and weekend trips
Alabama-side homes in this directory are in Salem, Valley, and Lee County. Georgia-side homes are in Hamilton, Antioch, and Harris County. Outdoor Alabama places the reservoir on the state line, east of Opelika. The Georgia shore is in the Eastern time zone; the Alabama shore is in Central.
For sourced drive times, retrieved from Google Maps on November 10, 2026, see Lake rentals near Auburn, AL (Alabama-side homes around Salem and Valley are about a 40-minute drive from Auburn University, a fit for Auburn football and graduation weekends), near Columbus, GA and Fort Moore (about 30 to 35 minutes from the city), and near Callaway Gardens and Pine Mountain (Georgia-side homes around Hamilton are about a 25- to 30-minute drive from the gardens). Times change with traffic.
Common questions
Is Lake Harding the same as Bartletts Ferry Lake?
Yes. Lake Harding is the reservoir behind Bartletts Ferry Dam on the Chattahoochee River. Federal records for Georgia Power’s Bartletts Ferry Hydroelectric Project call the 5,850-acre reservoir Bartletts Ferry Reservoir or Lake Harding.
Is Lake Harding the same as West Point Lake?
No. West Point Lake is a separate U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir upstream on the Chattahoochee River. Lake Harding is a Georgia Power reservoir downstream of West Point Dam.
Do I need an Alabama or a Georgia fishing license on Lake Harding?
Outdoor Alabama states that both Alabama and Georgia fishing licenses are recognized for all waters of Bartlett’s Ferry Reservoir. The reciprocal agreement covers the Chattahoochee River boundary waters and their impoundments, not tributary streams. Check current Alabama and Georgia regulations before you fish.
How far is Lake Harding from Auburn, Columbus, or Callaway Gardens?
This directory published sourced Google Maps drive times on November 10, 2026. Alabama-side homes around Salem and Valley are about a 40-minute drive from Auburn University. Homes on both shores are about a 30- to 35-minute drive from Columbus, Georgia. Georgia-side homes around Hamilton are about a 25- to 30-minute drive from Callaway Gardens. Times change with traffic. Full routes and citations are on the Auburn, Columbus, and Callaway Gardens pages.