Lake Allatoona (rarely called Allatoona Lake, its government name) is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir in Georgia, located in northwestern metro Atlanta. The lake is mostly in southwestern Cherokee County, but a significant part is in southeastern Bartow County, and a small part in Cobb County near Acworth. Cartersville is the nearest large town to the dam. Red Top Mountain State Park is located on its shores, on the peninsula between the Etowah and Allatoona arms of the lake. Most of the north side of the lake remains protected from land development because of its isolated location, mostly blocked by the lake.