Wilbur and Watauga Reservoirs are located almost three miles from each other on the Watauga River in some of the most beautiful country in the Tennessee River watershed. The reservoirs are surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest and flanked by the Appalachian Mountains. Even in the dog days of summer, Wilbur and Watauga remain cool, with a constant breeze blowing through the Watauga River gorge.

Two hydroelectric generating units were installed at Wilbur Dam when it was completed in 1912. A third generating unit was added in 1926, and a fourth was added by TVA when it acquired the dam in 1945.