This man-made reservoir sits right in the northwest corner of the state. The lake was named after the Cherokee settlement of Keowee, which sat in the edge of the lake. Today, Lake Keowee is a popular recreational area thanks to it great swimming, sailing, kayaking and boating conditions. Water-skiing, windsurfing, jet skiing and other water sports are also enjoyed on the 7,500 hectare lake. Keowee-Toxaway State Park is located in three different areas surrounding the lake, offering campgrounds to lake visitors. There are also vacation homes and resorts to stay in.

Lake Keowee is a man–made reservoir in the United States in the state of South Carolina. It was created to serve the needs of a power utility as well as public recreational purposes. It is approximately long, wide, with an average depth of, and a shoreline measured at in total, and is approximately above sea level. It began in 1971 as a massive demolition and building project, including the construction of two large dams––Keowee Dam and Little River Dam––and covered of the state. The lake collects or impounds waters from the Keowee River and the Little River and others, and the outflows below the respective dams join to form the Seneca River which flows into the larger Savannah River. Lake water helps to cool Duke Energy's three nuclear reactors located at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station. In addition, the force of falling water through gravity helps generate hydroelectric power. The Keowee Hydro Station generates 158 megawatts from the lake's outflows. In addition, Lake Keowee has been touted as a recreational destination for fishing, boating, swimming, sailing, kayaking and other watersports, and the lake has been described as having pure and clean water. The name Keowee is a Cherokee name roughly translated as "place of the mullberries." The former Keowee River, which was inundated by Lake Keowee, had been part of the Cherokee Lower Towns region, and Keowee Town had been located on the bank of the Keowee River.