Tennessee has 57 state parks. I’ve been to several but haven’t been to all of them. I also have not fully explored the ones I’ve been to. The whole point of all this traveling is to see things and do things I’ve never done before so we will hit all 57 of them. We’ll explore until our heart is content and then move on to the next one. Some will be quick (measured in hours) and others might take several trips or multiple days to take everything in. There are 20 or so that should be simple day trips from Nashville (or overnight trips). We’ll start with those. Some of the parks that are farther East and West. We’ll do those as our RV travelling skills increase. I figure this will take us a few years to accomplish. This goal lets us test everything out and get our legs underneath us to see if the RV life is really for us before we hit the open road.
Our BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal) is to visit all of Tennessee’s State Parks. Here are the one’s I’ve been to…force ranked:
#1 – Radnor Lake (All The Time) – This is a man-made lake in the heart of Nashville. I believe a railroad company dammed the valley up to have water for their trains. It doesn’t really matter because it has been there long enough now that you can’t even tell it is man-made while hiking around 90% of it. There is an old asphalt road that runs beside the lake and it is falling into the lake in many spots. That is about my only complaint about the entire park. I usually just hike trails that keep me away from that area. The local authorities (Park Rangers and civilian enforcers) also are very protective of the property. There is a long list of rules you must adhere to in order to enjoy things. Mess up and some enforcer might pop out from behind a tree and scold you! The trails around it go from a lakeside hike and also weave in and out of the surrounding forest (and up and down the ridges). This park is so far up my list mainly because it is so close and accessible to my own home. It is a short drive to a spot in town where you can quickly forget that you are even in a town of more than a million people. The combination of all this makes it my favorite TN State Park.
#2 – Burgess Falls (visited 2008) – I’ve hiked to this waterfall once when the kids were smaller. The hike down to it runs right along the river and I just kept thinking what would happen if one of the kids jumped off the trail into the river. YIKES! Once you are to the overlook the waterfall is beautiful. Our group was not adventurous enough to take the trail down to the bottom of the falls [sad face emoji]. Emily and I will go back to this one day and do the whole thing (although I’ve read recently, I think, that the trail down is closed for repair) [double sad face emoji].
#3 – Falls Creek Falls (visited 2008) – We spent a day here on the same trip we visited Burgess Falls. We saw the high points and it was fun. They were literally high points. We went on a suspended bridge over a creek that then went off a cliff. We didn’t fully explore the area at all. The campground looked very nice and there looked like there was a lot to explore. We will go back.
#4 – Cummins Falls (visited 2013) – We packed the whole family in the car one afternoon and took Mom on a Mother’s Day hike. A rare day where the whole clan spends a Sunday afternoon together. It was a fun adventure and a spectacular view from the top and bottom sides of the falls. This was a pretty new state park when we went and is very popular.
#5 – Dunbar Cave State Park (visited 2020) – We made a return trip to Clarksville to visit Dunbar Cave. We waited until they began doing cave tours again (post COVID). It was MUCH cooler (get it cave humor) than I thought it was going to be! Take the cave tour! You can read about it HERE.
#6 – Long Hunter State Park (visited 2017) – Emily and I hiked the Couchville Lake Trail (almost 2.5 miles) that circles through the woods surrounding the lake. It is a very pretty lake. We want to go back and rent one of the canoes and paddle around. There are also some other trails that we want to hike there to see if they are good.
#7 – Montgomery Bell State Park (visited 2011) – The boys and I got into riding our mountain bikes and we hit trails at Montgomery Bell which are very fun.
#8 – Bledsoe Creek State Park (visited 2020) – We visited here on a very, very hot weekend in July. We hiked the trails in the park (which were very pretty). Then we left our RV there and went home to spend the night. Not because we hated the place but because our RV’s air conditioner broke. I’m too old, fat, and wimpy to brave 98 degrees of Tennessee humid heat. You can read about it HERE.
#9 – Port Royal State Park (visited 2020) – Emily and I took our first RV trip to see this park. It is a pretty little park, but it ranks low on my list because it is small. Also because the covered, wooden bridge that used to be there no longer exists. You can read about it HERE.
9/4/2020
Hiking and Kayaking Nathan Bedford Forrest SP – Eva, TN
We headed to the lake to visit two different (but related) Tennessee state parks for some kayaking and hiking. We stayed at Nathan Bedford Forrest SP in Eva, TN. We visit Johnsonville Historic Park across the river while we were there. Both parks have Civil War history galore. We loaded the kayaks on the truck …
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Hiking Long Hunter State Park – Hermitage, TN
2 lakes, 3 hikes! With trails around a small lake (Couchville Lake) and a large lake (Percy Preist Lake), Long Hunter State Park has plenty to explore. The TN state park is just outside Nashville, TN (in Hermitage/Mt. Juliet). It doesn’t have any place to RV camp so we made a few day trips there …
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Kayaking (Funyaking) The Hiwassee River 2 0 – Reliance, TN – Hiwassee-Ocoee State Park
We had so much fun kayaking/funyaking on the Hiwassee River (in Reliance, TN part of the Hiwassee-Ocoee State Park) that we went back and did it again two days later. The first time (our first time) was with Molly. The second time was the day after we’d rafted the Ocoee River and was with the …
Rafting The Ocoee River (with Ocoee Rafting in Ducktown TN)
Family rafting trip! Some had been rafting before and some had not. No one except Emily had been on the Ocoee before. Tennessee has a couple of whitewater rafting rivers. One of them, the Ocoee River, has to be the best in the state. We did the Upper and the Middle Ocoee for a full …
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Kayaking The Hiwassee River 1.0 (Funyaking Actually) – Reliance, TN – Hiwassee-Ocoee State Park
I got to mark something off my list that has been on it for many years with our visit to Hiwassee-Ocoee State Park near Reliance, TN. I’ve wanted to float the Hiwassee River and wrote down “Webb Brothers” many years ago. Webb Brothers is a float company that has been in business for many, many …
Savage Falls – Savage Gulf SNA
This was our last day in Savage Gulf. Today was a drive day (from Manchester to Reliance TN). On the way, we hiked to Savage Falls in Savage Gulf State Natural Area (part of South Cumberland State Park). This was our 6th waterfall in our four days of hiking in Savage Gulf. We didn’t get …
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Suter Falls and Horsepound Falls – Collins West Trailhead – Savage Gulf SNA
We spent 4 days in Savage Gulf State Natural Area and my favorite day was when we hiked up to Suter Falls and Horespound Falls. We entered the trail at the Collins West Trailhead and headed towards Suter Falls. The area that Suter Falls is in is absolutely stunning (and massive). It didn’t feel like …
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Greeter Falls at Savage Gulf State Natural Area
We spent a few days exploring Savage Gulf State Natual Area. This is part of South Cumberland State Park which has to be my favorite Tennessee State Park. Today’s hike was short and sweet. We hiked to Blue Hole, and to Greeter Falls (both upper and lower). We’d planned to go to Boardtree Falls and …
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Hiking Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park – Manchester, TN
Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park, in Manchester, TN. was our home base for about a week as we hiked in the surrounding area of Tennessee. One afternoon when we got rained out of our plan we explored this state park’s 2000-year-old earthworks Native American fort, two rivers (Duck River and Little Duck River), and …
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Paris Landing State Park + Paris (TN?!?)
I don’t know if Emily has always wanted to go to Paris. Regardless, I took her. I’m like that! I make dreams and wishes come true! [record scratch] Paris, TN! We did some more winter camping at Paris Landing State Park on Kentucky Lake. Hitting a state park on a lake in the middle of …
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Big Cypress Tree State Park – Greenfield, TN
I feel like I got punked?!? We went to a state park named for a huge, 1,300-year-old, bald cypress tree. Big Cypress Tree State Park…BUT…NO TREE?!? I actually knew the tree had been struck by lightning back in the late 70s. I thought if I drove out to the middle of nowhere I’d at least …
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Eagles at Reelfoot Lake State Park – Tiptonville, TN
We took a winter camping trip out to northwest Tennessee to see the eagles at Reelfoot Lake. We saw 55 on our tour. According to the ranger, that is a lot! It felt like it and was pretty awesome. We also hiked on the very pretty boardwalk trail at the park. It was evidently so …
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Hiking The Fiery Gizzard Trail To Raven’s Point – South Cumberland State Park – Tracy City, TN
The Fiery Gizzard Trail up to Raven’s Point is one of Tennessee’s finest hikes. I also think it is one of the harder ones. The trail is part of the South Cumberland State Park, near Tracy City, TN. I have hiked part of this trail before with my friend back in 2015. I remembered, from …
Hiking Foster Falls (and Climber’s Loop) – South Cumberland State Park – Sequatchie, TN
We got into town for our hike on the Fiery Gizzard Trail (the next day). We drove up to the south end of that trail and visited Foster Falls (since we wouldn’t be making it to that point on our long hike). We hiked to the bottom of the falls (beautiful) and then took another …
Rock Island State Park – Rock Island, TN (REDUX!?!)
We went to Rock Island State Park…again. We got rained out on our first trip there. REDUX! We rebooked and went right back. We started off heading up Eagle Trail to Blue Hole Trail. The Blue Hole Trail was probably my favorite trail in the park. It is a very unique trail and an unexpected …
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Cumberland Trail State Park – Grassy Cove Segment – Black Mountain Section (Crossville, TN)
I had no idea this was a thing. It is kinda like a little mini Appalachian Trail (for front country hikers). Hey…that’s me?!?! The Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park manages the Cumberland Trail (a State Scenic Trail). The Cumberland Trail follows a line of high ridges and deep gorges lying along Tennessee’s Cumberland …
Ozone Falls State Natural Area (Crab Orchard, TN)
This 110-foot tall waterfall has a pretty quick hike down to the bottom. For the more adventurous there is a 7-mile hike (as a part of Tennessee’s Cumberland Trail State Park) over to Black Mountain (where we hiked the next day). We opted for less adventure this afternoon but the waterfall was spectacular, regardless. If …
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Cumberland Mountain State Park (Crossville TN)
Cumberland Mountain State Park (in Crossville, TN) was our first stop on Emily’s Fall Break. I almost lost her (not really) at the very beginning of our 12th RV trip (when our trailer unexpectedly shifted while unhooking). Molly came up from Chattanooga to join us for an afternoon (in between class/work). We hiked around the …
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Henry Horton State Park – Kayaking the Duck River (AKA The Dirty Duck) – Chapel Hill, TN
We visited Henry Horton State Park, near Chapel Hill, TN. Our main goal was to kayak on the Duck River (which runs right through the state park). We soon learned the locals call it the Dirty Duck…even though it isn’t dirty at all?!? Weird?!?. We also explored the Tennessee humidity on bikes (as well as …
Kayaking The Harpeth! – Harpeth River State Park – Nashville, TN
The Harpeth River State Park covers almost 40 miles along the Harpeth River. There are 10 access points to put in/take out all along the west side of Nashville, TN. Our plan is to kayak the entire stretch (not all at once). We started off by doing two legs for about 10 miles. We started …
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Burgess Falls State Park – Sparta Tennessee
On our family vacation, the entire extended family headed out for an afternoon at Burgess Falls State Park. We were the last few cars to make it into the parking lot before they filled up. Part of the adventure on a very busy Memorial Day weekend was finding a parking space. Once we accomplished that …
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Cummins Falls State Park – Cookeville TN
During our Memorial Day family vacation with my family, Emily and I ventured out to Cummins Falls State Park. We hiked up the river to the bottom of the spectacular waterfall. We’d gone with the kids years ago but we didn’t wade up the river to the bottom on that trip (only saw it from …
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Warriors’ Path State Park – Kingsport, TN
We are adding kayaking when we can to our trips from now on. We visited Warriors’ Path State Park for hiking, biking, and kayaking. There are also several other activities that we didn’t even get to do (mountain biking trails, horseback riding, golf, etc.) There is a very pretty lake with some great views at …
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Davy Crockett Birthplace Historic State Park + Travel Day Food Adventures
On our way home from East Tennessee we stopped by Davy Crockett Birthplace Historic State Park. Humble beginnings for such a great American figure. We also stopped at a bunch of places to eat. We, obviously, do this very often but travel days evidently ramp up the intensity of our food search.
Hiking Roan Mountain – Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge Bald
We saved the best for last! This was my favorite hike of our trip to East Tennessee (and one of my favorite hikes ever!). It is 360 degrees of absolute gorgeousness at around 6,184 feet elevation. We hiked from Carvers Gap up to Round Bald, over to Jane Bald, and then onto Grassy Ridge Bald. …
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Roan Mountain State Park
When we travel we usually have a schedule that keeps us moving. Midway through our trip to East TN, we slowed down a bit. Roan Mountain State Park was our home base for much of the trip. We planned a day there to see it…and it alone. The truck wheels barely spun this day. We …
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Rocky Fork State Park + Erwin Linear Trail
We spent the day at Rocky Fork State Park. We started in the morning hiking up the Whitehouse Cliffs Trail. This is a pretty short trail but also a pretty steep one. On our lunch break, Emily picked up some ‘road treasure’. Joey would call it trash (each to his own!?!). Then we headed back …
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Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park + Jonesborough, TN + Elizabethton, TN
On our second day in East Tennessee, we visited Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton, TN. They have an exhibit, a recreated version of Fort Watauga, and a trail along the beautiful Watauga River. While in Elizabethton we also went to see the covered bridge, Carter Mansion (oldest frame house in TN), and Sabine …
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Hiking Roan Mountain – Carver’s Gap to Roan High Knob to Cloudland Mountain to Roan High Bluff
We started our week in east Tennesse by hiking Roan Mountain (the sixth highest peak in Tennessee). From Carver’s Gap we hiked on the Appalachian Trail to the Roan High Knob shelter. The summit of Roan High Knob (6285 ft.) was the highest point of our week. Then we headed to Cloudland Mountain (where an …
Overnight Backpacking Alone (My First Time)
I went solo backpacking on a 13-mile hike and camped overnight alone in the Wildcat Shelter at Montgomery Bell State Park. It was my first time overnight camping in the woods. It was also my first time doing it all alone. I survived by drinking from streams, eating with a toilet trowel, producing fire from …
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Montgomery Bell Park State Park
We went to Montgomery Bell State Park to hike and bike. The boys joined us. We biked on a few of the trails on the extensive mountain bike trail network. We hiked to all three of the lakes on the 3700-acre property. We also saw all the iron ore pits from when was mining was …
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Hiking Fall Creek Falls State Park
We kicked off the 2021 RV season with a visit to spectacular Fall Creek Falls State Park. I was positive no Dean child would ever come with us on a trip but Max proved me wrong (on our 8th trip). He and Arden joined us over Spring Break. I planned a full day of hiking …
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Hiking Harpeth River State Park
The Harpeth River State Park is pretty unique. It spans multiple locations over many miles. It is mainly for relaxing canoeing and kayaking with 9 put-ins / take-outs along 40 miles of the river. We plan to do that this year. There is also great hiking here. There are 3 places to hike that we …
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Hiking Radnor Lake State Park
Our goal is to visit all the state parks in Tennessee. We have been lucky to have a very nice one right near our house in Nashville for all our life. Radnor is a human-made lake, but it is still spectacular and amazing to be right in the middle of a large city (Nashville). We’ve …
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Cedars of Lebanon State Park
We took our 5th RV trip to Cedars of Lebanon State Park in September. We hiked almost all the trails in this state park (6 trails in 2 days). There are so many things to see along the way. There are caves, sinkholes, rock formations, and more cedar trees growing in the thin, rocky soil …
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Bledsoe Creek State Park (Gallatin, TN) Hiking Shoreline Trail and High Ridge Trail
Camping in the blazing hot Tennessee Summer without working AC?!? Not advised! In July we went to Bledsoe Creek State Park (in Gallatin, Tennessee). This was our first state park camping in our RV. It was extremely hot on the weekend we went. It was 98 degrees (the hottest weekend of 2020). We hiked the …
Dunbar Cave State Park in Clarksville (Our Second RV Trip)
Back in the middle of June we traveled back to Clarksville (our second RV trip) and checked another Tennessee state park off our list, Dunbar Cave State Park! This was our second RV trip so we spent part of the weekend still getting set up and acquainted with our new RV. The rest of the …
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RV Trip #1 – Port Royal State Park
We took our very first RV trip once the COVID quarantine lifted back in mid May. We went to go see Port Royal State Park in Clarksville, TN. We hiked around and explored it fully. While we were in town, we also hit a few other places on our list (including Liberty Park). We hiked …
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