10 Best Tennessee State Parks

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site is a National Historic Site in Greeneville that honors Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States. One of the many historical national park sites honoring President Johnson, the park spans 16 acres and features three sections, namely the Andrew Johnson Homestead showcasing his two homes, the Andrew Johnson Visitor Complex, and the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, where he is buried.

The Andrew Johnson Visitor Complex has a modern visitor's center and museum, and the President’s tailor shop and visitors can watch a show movie about his time in Greeneville. Johnson became president after Lincoln was assassinated and ran the country from 1865 to 1869, during which time he attempted to reunify a nation torn by civil war.

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, 101 N College St, Greeneville, TN 37743, Phone: 423-638-3551

Chickasaw State Park

Surrounded by over 14,000 acres of state forest, Chickasaw State Park is a 1,280-acre state park located in Chester County that includes Lake Placid. Named for the Chickasaw Indians who once called West Tennessee and North Mississippi home, Chickasaw State Park is situated on some of the highest ground in west Tennessee and offers a variety of activities for visitors to enjoy, including over four miles of easy to moderate hiking trails, mountain biking trails and bicycle-friendly roads, and boating on Lake Placid. The park has several historical lodging options for overnight stays, as well as an RV campground equipped with water and electrical hookups, a 29-site tent campground, and a wrangler campground for visitors traveling with horses. All the campsites have amenities such as modern bathhouses with hot showers and restroom facilities, picnic tables and grills, and a playground for children.

Chickasaw State Park, 4128, 20 Cabin Ln, Henderson, TN 38340, Phone: 731-989-5141

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was established to preserve the Cumberland Gap, a famous pass through the Cumberland Mountains where the borders of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia meet. Eroded by wind and water, the Cumberland Gap forms a significant break in the formidable Appalachian Mountain chain, and its breathtaking beauty has been immortalized by artists, poets, novelists, historians, and songwriters throughout the ages. The Gap was first used by large game animals in their migratory journeys, followed by Native Americans, and finally by the settlers of the nation when it saw more than 300,000 people cross between 1775 and 1810.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, 91 Bartlett Park Road, Middlesboro, KY 40965, Phone: 606-248-2817

Cumberland Mountain State Park

Cumberland Mountain State Park is a 1,720-acre state park in Cumberland County that is situated around the man-made Byrd Lake, which was created by the impoundment of Byrd Creek in the 1930s. Located on the Cumberland Plateau, Cumberland Mountain State Park was first established in 1938 to provide a recreational area for over 250 families that were given land to homestead on the Cumberland Plateau. Today, the park still offers a wealth of recreational activities, including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, boating, swimming, picnicking and interpretive nature programs. Cumberland Mountain State Park has several overnight accommodation options, ranging from camping to fully-furnished cabins, and features a favorite area restaurant and separate recreation hall that can accommodate up to 250 people.

Cumberland Mountain State Park, 1125, 24 Office Dr, Crossville, TN 38555, Phone: 931-484-6138

Cummins Falls State Park

Cummins Falls State Park is peaceful, rugged 282-acre day-use park located northwest of Cookeville in Jackson County that is home to Cummins Falls, Tennessee’s eighth largest waterfall which is set on the Blackburn Fork State Scenic River on the Eastern Highland Rim and is 75-foot high. Located in the Cordell Hull Watershed, the park offers a variety of outdoor recreational activities such as swimming, picnicking, and hiking on trail routes to the gorge and base of the waterfall. The river provides good wade and bank fishing for bass and Bluegill, and the park has a primitive picnic area located across the road from the parking lot.

Cummins Falls State Park, 390 Cummins Falls Lane, Cookeville, TN 38501, Phone: 931-520-6691

Fall Creek Falls State Park

Spread across Van Buren and Bledsoe counties, Fall Creek Falls State Park is state park centered on the upper Cane Creek Gorge, which is an area known for its uniquely striking geological formations and scenic waterfalls. One of Tennessee’s largest state parks, Fall Creek Falls State Park spans 26,000 acres across the eastern top of the rugged Cumberland Plateau and is dotted with streams, cascades, waterfalls, gorges and dense forests of virgin hardwood timber. The 256-foot tall is one of the highest waterfalls and a main feature in the park, along with other waterfalls such as Cane Creek Falls, Piney Falls, and Cane Creek Cascades. Activities in the park include camping, backcountry camping, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, golf at the challenging 18-hole golf Fall Creek Falls Golf Course, aerial adventures at the Canopy Challenge Course, and naturalist-led programs at the Nature Center at Fall Creek Falls. The park also has five covered picnic pavilions, four playgrounds, and an Olympic-sized pool with a wading area that is open seasonally.

Fall Creek Falls State Park, 2009 Village Camp Rd, Spencer, TN 38585, Phone: 423-881-5298

Manhattan Project National Historical Park

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park that celebrates the secret World War II Manhattan Project program which led to the creation of the atomic bomb. Jointly managed by the National Park Service and Department of Energy, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park features three separate sites, namely in Tennessee, New Mexico, and Washington, each of which preserves this significant time in history. Located on the Columbia River, the project produced large quantities of plutonium for atomic bombs, which were designed and built in Los Alamos. Tennessee’s Oak Ridge Reservation was the headquarters for the Manhattan Project and a center for plutonium production and uranium enrichment. Today, tours are offered between April and September but require registration and reservations.

Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Historical Museum, 1050 Bathtub Row, Los Alamos, NM 87544, Phone: 505-661-6277

Norris Dam State Park

Resting along the shores of Norris Lake in Anderson Campbell Counties, the Norris Dam State Park is a state park that is home to beautiful landscapes and provides a wide range of outdoor and recreational activities. Boasting 4,000 acres and over 800 miles of shoreline on the shores of the Norris Reservoir, an impoundment of the Clinch River created in 1936, the park features two campgrounds with water and electric hook-ups, overnight historic and modern cabins, and a fully equipped marina with boat ramp available, and house and pontoon boats to rent. Activities in the park include recreational boating, water-skiing, swimming, and fishing, along with hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, and attractions include the Lenoir Museum, the 1798 Rice Gristmill, and the Caleb Crosby Threshing Barn that dates back to the 1830s.

Norris Dam State Park, 125 Village Green Cir, Rocky Top, TN 37769, Phone: 865-425-4500

Reelfoot Lake State Park

Nestled in the northwest corner of Tennessee, Reelfoot Lake State Park is a state park situated in Lake and Obion counties that encompasses Reelfoot Lake and offers a wealth of outdoor activities. The 15,000-acre Reelfoot Lake is a flooded forest that was formed by a series of violent earthquakes in the early 1800s and is noted for providing excellent fishing, boating and wildlife viewing. Majestic Cypress trees rise above the water, while their stumps below the water attract a variety of aquatic fauna and flora, which in turn, draws a range of shore and wading birds, and American bald eagles. The park has several hiking trails that are popular for bird watching and wildlife viewing, and two campgrounds with water, electricity, picnic tables and grills. Other facilities in the park include 3,700 square foot auditorium that can seat up to 400 people, and the R.C. Donaldson Memorial Museum and Nature Center, which is open year-round.

Reelfoot Lake State Park, 2595 Highway 21 East, Tiptonville, TN 38079, Phone: 731-253-9652

Rock Island State Park

Rock Island State Park is an 883-acre park in Warren and White Counties located at the confluence of the Caney Fork, Collins and Rocky Rivers on Center Hill Lake. Renowned for its rugged beauty and spectacular natural scenery along the Eastern Highland Rim, the park features several attractions such as the 30-foot Great Falls, a cascading horseshoe waterfall located below the 19th-century cotton textile mill, and the magnificent Caney Fork Gorge. The gorge boasts dense forests, deep tranquil pools, cascading waterfalls, limestone paths, and scenic overlooks, and is perfect for hiking, fishing, kayaking, and swimming. Center Hill Lake also offers safe swimming off a natural sand beach and pleasure boating, and overnight cabins are available in the park.

Rock Island State Park, 82 Beach Rd, Rock Island, TN 38581, Phone: 931-686-2471

South Cumberland State Park

One of Tennessee's newer state parks, South Cumberland State Park comprises nine areas in four counties on the Cumberland Plateau in middle and southeast Tennessee. Spanning 30,845 acres in nine separate regions across the counties of Grundy, Franklin, Marion, and Sequatchie, the park boasts some of the best hiking and backcountry camping in the area. The 12.5 miles long one-way Fiery Gizzard Trail connects the Grundy Forest, and Foster Falls and hikers can soak up spectacular natural scenery, rocky gorges, cascading streams, and unusual rock formations, and swim in Fiery Gizzard Creek. Other famous attractions in the park include the Savage Gulf and Stone Door areas, the historical Stage Coach Road, Sewanee Natural Bridge, Buggytop Cave, and the Carter Natural Area, which is part of a unique 18,000-acre enclosed-valley sinkhole called the Lost Cove. A modern visitor’s center provides information on the park, has interpretative exhibits and lovely picnic areas.

South Cumberland State Park, 7608, 11745 US-41, Monteagle, TN 37356, Phone: 931-924-2980