List of Tennessee state parks and natural areas

This is a list of state parks and natural areas in the U.S. state of Tennessee.

State parks

Tennessee has 61 designated state parks, operated by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).^[1] The largest park, Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail, is made up of land along the Cumberland Trail, stretching from Cumberland Gap at the Virginia state line to Prentice Cooper State Forest in Marion County, just northwest of Chattanooga.^[2] The smallest state park is Bicentennial Capitol Mall, at just 19 acres (7.7 ha).^[3] The newest state park is Ocoee River State Park, established in September 2025.^[1]

Park Name^[4]	County/Counties	Size		Year Established
Park Name^[4]	County/Counties	acres	ha	Year Established
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park	Davidson	19 acres	7.7 ha	1996
Big Cypress Tree State Park	Weakley	330 acres	130 ha	1973
Big Hill Pond State Park	McNairy	4,138 acres	1,675 ha	1977
Big Ridge State Park	Union	3,687 acres	1,492 ha	1934
Bledsoe Creek State Park	Sumner	164 acres	66 ha	1973
Booker T. Washington State Park	Hamilton	353 acres	143 ha	1937
Burgess Falls State Park	Putnam	350 acres	140 ha	1971
Cardwell Mountain State Archaeological Park	Warren	534 acres	216 ha	2026
Cedars of Lebanon State Park	Wilson	9,420 acres	3,810 ha	1937
Chickasaw State Park	Chester	1,435 acres	581 ha	1937
Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park	Pickett	58 acres	23 ha	1997
Cove Lake State Park	Campbell	673 acres	272 ha	1937
Cumberland Mountain State Park	Cumberland	1,720 acres	700 ha	1938
Cummins Falls State Park	Jackson	211 acres	85 ha	2011
David Crockett Birthplace State Park	Greene	105 acres	42 ha	1973
David Crockett State Park	Lawrence	1,100 acres	450 ha	1959
Devil's Backbone State Park	Lewis	1,500 acres	610 ha	?
Dunbar Cave State Park	Montgomery	110 acres	45 ha	1973
Edgar Evins State Park	DeKalb	6,300 acres	2,500 ha	1975
Fall Creek Falls State Park	Van Buren, Bledsoe	26,000 acres	11,000 ha	1935
Feiry Gizzard State Park	Grundy, Marion	7,811 acres	3,161 ha	?
Fort Loudoun State Historic Park	Monroe	1,200 acres	490 ha	1977
Fort Pillow State Park	Lauderdale	1,642 acres	664 ha	1971
Frozen Head State Park	Morgan	24,000 acres	9,700 ha	1970
Harpeth River State Park	Cheatham, Davidson	520 acres	210 ha	1978
Harrison Bay State Park	Hamilton	1,200 acres	490 ha	1937
Head of the Crow State Park	Grundy	4,258 acres	1,723 ha	?
Henry Horton State Park	Marshall	1,523 acres	616 ha	1960s
Hiwassee Scenic River State Park	Polk	—	—	1972
Indian Mountain State Park	Campbell	213 acres	86 ha	1971
Johnsonville State Historic Park	Humphreys	2,000 acres	810 ha	1971
Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park	Anderson, Bledsoe, Campbell, Claiborne, Cumberland, Hamilton, Marion, Morgan, Rhea, Scott, Sequatchie	31,500 acres	12,700 ha	1998
Long Hunter State Park	Davidson	2,600 acres	1,100 ha	1978
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park	Shelby	12,539 acres	5,074 ha	1944
Middle Fork Bottoms State Park	Madison	860 acres	350 ha	2024
Montgomery Bell State Park	Dickson	3,782 acres	1,531 ha	1943
Mousetail Landing State Park	Perry	1,247 acres	505 ha	1986
Natchez Trace State Park	Henderson	10,154 acres	4,109 ha	1955
Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park	Benton	2,587 acres	1,047 ha	1929
Norris Dam State Park	Anderson, Campbell	4,038 acres	1,634 ha	1953
North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park	Hamilton	6,000 acres	2,400 ha	2024
Ocoee River State Park	Polk			2025
Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park	Coffee	776 acres	314 ha	1973
Panther Creek State Park	Hamblen	1,444 acres	584 ha	1967
Paris Landing State Park	Henry	841 acres	340 ha	1945
Pickett CCC Memorial State Park	Pickett	19,200 acres	7,800 ha	1942
Pickwick Landing State Park	Hardin	681 acres	276 ha	1969
Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park	Madison	1,200 acres	490 ha	1966
Port Royal State Park	Montgomery, Robertson	26 acres	11 ha	1978
Radnor Lake State Park & Natural Area	Davidson	1,368 acres	554 ha	1973
Red Clay State Park	Bradley	263 acres	106 ha	1979
Reelfoot Lake State Park	Lake, Obion	280 acres	110 ha	1925
Roan Mountain State Park	Carter	2,006 acres	812 ha	1959
Rock Island State Park	Warren, White	883 acres	357 ha	1969
Rocky Fork State Park	Unicoi	2,036 acres	824 ha	2012
Savage Gulf State Park	Grundy, Sequatchie	19,000 acres	7,700 ha	2023
Scott's Gulf Wilderness State Park	White	9,500 acres	3,800 ha	2025
Seven Islands State Birding Park	Knox	425 acres	172 ha	2013
Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park	Fentress	295 acres	119 ha	1967
South Cumberland State Park	Franklin, Marion, Grundy	12,166 acres	4,923 ha	1978
Standing Stone State Park	Overton	855 acres	346 ha	1939
Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area	Carter	70 acres	28 ha	1975
Tims Ford State Park	Franklin	2,200 acres	890 ha	1978
T. O. Fuller State Park	Shelby	1,138 acres	461 ha	1938
Warriors' Path State Park	Sullivan	950 acres	380 ha	1952

State natural areas

Tennessee has 85 state natural areas that are divided into two classes:^[5]

Class I – Scenic-Recreational
Class II – Natural-Scientific

Nine areas have restricted access and are not open to the public; a tenth, Hubbard's Cave, has limited access during the summer.

Park Name^[5]	Class	County/Counties	Size		Property Owner	Access Status (Public/Private)	Year Established
Park Name^[5]	Class	County/Counties	acres	ha	Property Owner	Access Status (Public/Private)	Year Established
Auntney Hollow State Natural Area	II	Lewis	26 acres	11 ha	Private	Private – No access	2002
Barnett's Woods State Natural Area	II	Montgomery	40 acres	16 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1995
Bays Mountain State Natural Area	I	Sullivan	3,650 acres	1,480 ha	City of Kingsport	Public – Full access	1973
Beaman Park State Natural Area	II	Davidson	1,678 acres	679 ha	Nashville Parks & Recreation	Public – Full access	2013
Big Cypress Tree State Natural Area	I	Weakley	270 acres	110 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Bone Cave State Natural Area	II	Van Buren	400 acres	160 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1974
Burgess Falls State Natural Area	I	Putnam	217 acres	88 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Campbell Bend Barrens State Natural Area	II	Roane	35 acres	14 ha	Private	Public – Limited access	2006
Carroll Cabin Barrens State Natural Area	II	Decatur	250 acres	100 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2002
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter State Natural Area	II	Franklin	931 acres	377 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1975
Cedars of Lebanon State Forest Natural Area	II	Wilson	2,690 acres	1,090 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1974
Chimneys State Natural Area	I	Marion	33 acres	13 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1999
Coldiz Cove State Natural Area	II	Fentress	165 acres	67 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1984
Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area	II	Davidson, Wilson	140 acres	57 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1995
Crowder Cemetery Barrens State Natural Area	II	Roane	15 acres	6.1 ha	Private	Public – Limited access	2006
Devil's Backbone State Natural Area	I	Lewis	950 acres	380 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1997
Dog Cove State Natural Area & Beecher Wallace Homestead^[6]	—	White	757 acres	306 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2019
Dry Branch State Natural Area	II	Lewis (primary), Hickman, Perry	2,169 acres	878 ha	State of Tennessee	Private – No access	2007
Duck River Complex State Natural Area	II	Maury	2,612 acres	1,057 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2002
Dunbar Cave State Natural Area	I	Montgomery	144 acres	58 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1973
Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade State Natural Area	II	Rutherford	185 acres	75 ha	USACE	Public – Limited access	1998
Fall Creek Falls State Natural Area	II	Bledsoe, Van Buren	16,181 acres	6,548 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1974
Falling Water Falls State Natural Area	I	Hamilton	136 acres	55 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Fate Sanders Barrens State Natural Area	II	Rutherford	230 acres	93 ha	USACE	Public – Limited access	1999
Flat Rock Cedar Glades & Barrens State Natural Area	II	Rutherford	846 acres	342 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1999
Frozen Head State Natural Area	I, II	Morgan	15,150 acres	6,130 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1974
Gattinger's Cedar Glade & Barrens State Natural Area	II	Rutherford, Wilson	57 acres	23 ha	Private	Private – No access	2003
Ghost River State Natural Area	I	Fayette	2,306 acres	933 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1997
Grundy Forest State Natural Area	I	Grundy	234 acres	95 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1974
Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area	I	Carter	693 acres	280 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1986
Hawkins Cove State Natural Area	II	Franklin	249 acres	101 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1985
Hicks Gap State Natural Area	II	Marion	350 acres	140 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1989
Hill Forest State Natural Area	II	Davidson	225 acres	91 ha	Friends of Warner Parks Nashville Parks & Recreation	Public – Limited access	2010
Honey Creek State Natural Area	II	Pickett	109 acres	44 ha	National Park Service (Big South Fork)	Public – Full access	1973
House Mountain State Natural Area	I	Knox	527 acres	213 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1987
Hubbard's Cave State Natural Area	II	Warren	50 acres	20 ha	The Nature Conservancy	Public – Limited access during summer	1995
John & Hester Lane Cedar Glades State Natural Area	II	Wilson	45 acres	18 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	2009
John Noel at Bon Aqua State Natural Area	I	Hickman	35 acres	14 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2007
Langford Branch State Natural Area	II	Lewis	23 acres	9.3 ha	Swan Conservation Trust	Private – No access	2001
Laurel–Snow State Natural Area	II	Rhea	2,259 acres	914 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Lost Creek State Natural Area	—	White	200 acres	81 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2012
Lucius Burch Jr. Forest State Natural Area	I	Shelby	728 acres	295 ha	Shelby County	Public – Full access	1988
Manus Road Cedar Glade State Natural Area	II	Rutherford	22 acres	8.9 ha	State of Tennessee	Private – No access	2004
May Prairie State Natural Area	II	Coffee	492 acres	199 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1973
Meeman-Shelby State Natural Area	II	Shelby	11,000 acres	4,500 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2002
Montgomery Bell State Natural Area	II	Dickson	1,086 acres	439 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1998
Morrison Meadow State Natural Area	II	Warren	20 acres	8.1 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	2008
Mount View Glade State Natural Area	II	Davidson	9 acres	3.6 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1995
Natural Bridge State Natural Area	I	Franklin	3 acres	1.2 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Natural Area	II	Hamilton, Sequacthie	7,093 acres	2,870 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1999
Overbridge State Natural Area	II	Rutherford	70 acres	28 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1995
Old Forest State Natural Area	II	Shelby	125 acres	51 ha	City of Memphis	Public – Full access	2011
Ozone Falls State Natural Area	I	Cumberland	43 acres	17 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Piney Falls State Natural Area	II	Rhea	818 acres	331 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area	II	Fentress	3,000 acres	1,200 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2006
Powell River Preserve State Natural Area	II	Claiborne	15 acres	6.1 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1995
Radnor Lake State Park & Natural Area	II	Davidson	1,368 acres	554 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Reelfoot Lake State Natural Area	I	Lake, Obion	18,000 acres	7,300 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Riverwoods State Natural Area	II	Shelby	21 acres	8.5 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1978
Roundtop Mountain State Natural Area	II	Sevier	237 acres	96 ha	National Park Service (Great Smoky Mountains)	Public – Full access	1974
Rugby State Natural Area	I	Morgan	762 acres	308 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2006
Savage Gulf State Natural Area	II	Grundy, Sequatchie	15,590 acres	6,310 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1974
Sequatchie Cave State Natural Area	II	Marion	133 acres	54 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2001
Sherwood Forest State Natural Area	—	Franklin	3,075 acres	1,244 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2020
Short Springs State Natural Area	I	Coffee	420 acres	170 ha	State of Tennessee, TVA, City of Tullahoma	Public – Full access	1994
Stillhouse Hollow Falls State Natural Area	I	Maury	90 acres	36 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2006
Stinging Fork Falls State Natural Area	II	Rhea	783 acres	317 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Stones River Cedar Glade and Barrens State Natural Area	II	Rutherford	185 acres	75 ha	National Park Service	Public – Full access	2003
Sunk Lake State Natural Area	II	Lauderdale	1,873 acres	758 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1986
Sunnybell Cedar Glade State Natural Area	II	Rutherford	36 acres	15 ha	State of Tennessee	Private – No access	1995
Taylor Hollow State Natural Area	II	Sumner	173 acres	70 ha	The Nature Conservancy	Private – Access by permission only	1995
Twin Arches State Natural Area	II	Fentress, Pickett, Scott	1,500 acres	610 ha	National Park Service (Big South Fork)	Public – Full access	1974
Vesta Cedar Glade State Natural Area	II	Wilson	150 acres	61 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1986
Vine Cedar Glade State Natural Area	II	Wilson	35 acres	14 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	2000
Virgin Falls State Natural Area	II	White	1,157 acres	468 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1973
Walker Branch State Natural Area	II	Hardin	520 acres	210 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1997
Walls of Jericho State Natural Area	II	Franklin	750 acres	300 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2006
Walnut Knob State Natural Area	—	Smith	18 acres	7.3 ha	State of Tennessee	Private – No access	2020
Walterhill Floodplain State Natural Area	II	Rutherford	34 acres	14 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1985
Washmorgan Hollow State Natural Area	II	Jackson	73 acres	30 ha	The Nature Conservancy	Public – Limited access	1995
Watauga River Bluffs State Natural Area	II	Carter	50 acres	20 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	1998
William B. Clark Conservation Area	II	Fayette	460 acres	190 ha	The Nature Conservancy	Public – Full access	2000
William L. Davenport Refuge State Natural Area	II	Polk	120 acres	49 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Limited access	1997
Wilson School Road Forest and Cedar Glades State Natural Area	II	Marshall	58 acres	23 ha	State of Tennessee	Private – No access	2008
Window Cliffs State Natural Area	II	Putnam	275 acres	111 ha	State of Tennessee	Public – Full access	2014

State scenic rivers

Tennessee state scenic rivers are divided into three classes:^[7]

Class I – Natural River Area – Free flowing, unpolluted, and with primitive shorelines and scenic vistas generally inaccessible except by trail.
Class II – Pastoral River Area – Free flowing, unpolluted, and with shorelines and scenic vistas partially or predominantly used for agricultural and other recreational activities.
Class III – Developed/Partially Developed River Area – Free flowing, unpolluted, and with shorelines and vistas more developed.

River^[7]	Class	County/Counties	Location	Length		Year Designated
River^[7]	Class	County/Counties	Location	miles	km	Year Designated
Blackburn Fork Scenic River	I	Jackson	Cummins Mill Road downstream for 1.5 miles (2.4 km), the entire distance within Cummins Falls State Park	1.5 miles	2.4 km	1968
Blackburn Fork Scenic River	II	Jackson	1.5 miles (2.4 km) downstream of Cummins Mill Road to the confluence of the Roaring River	12.5 miles	20.1 km	1968
Buffalo Scenic River	II	Lawrence	Entire section within Lawrence County, from the head of the river to the Lewis County line	15.5 miles	24.9 km	1968
Clinch Scenic River	III	Anderson, Knox, Roane	Melton Hill Dam upstream to the Highway 62 bridge in Solway	18.5 miles	29.8 km	1996
Collins Scenic River	II	Grundy	Section within Savage Gulf State Natural Area	5 miles	8.0 km	1968
Conasauga Scenic River	I	Polk	Segment in the Cherokee National Forest from the Georgia state line downstream to the U.S. 411 bridge in Conasauga	9 miles	14 km	1969
Duck Scenic River	II	Maury	Iron Bridge Road near Columbia upstream to Maury–Marshall county line	37.3 miles	60.0 km	2001
French Broad Scenic River	III	Cocke	North Carolina state line downstream to J.W. Walters Bridge in Douglas Lake	33 miles	53 km	1968
Harpeth Scenic River	II	Davidson, Rutherford	Entire section in Rutherford County, from the head of the river to the Williamson County line	6.75 miles	10.86 km	1968
	III		Section in Davidson County, from the Williamson County line at Highway 100 bridge to the Interstate 40 bridge	8.5 miles	13.7 km
	II		Section in Davidson County, from the Interstate 40 bridge to the Cheatham County line	6 miles	9.7 km
Hatchie Scenic River	I	Hardeman, Haywood, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Tipton	Entire length in Tennessee from Mississippi state line to Mississippi River confluence	163 miles	262 km	1970
Hiwassee Scenic River	III	Polk	Segment in the Cherokee National Forest from the North Carolina state line downstream to the U.S. 411 bridge in Delano	23 miles	37 km	1968
Obed Wild & Scenic River	I	Cumberland, Morgan	Western edge of the Catoosa WMA to the confluence with the Emory River (24.3 mi (39.1 km)), as well as: Clear Creek from the Cumberland–Morgan line to the confluence with the Obed River (18.5 mi (29.8 km)) Daddys Creek from the Cumberland–Morgan line to the confluence with the Obed River (2.3 mi (3.7 km)) Emory River from the confluence with the Obed River to the Nemo Bridge (0.9 mi (1.4 km))	46 miles	74 km	1976
Roaring River Scenic River	I	Jackson, Overton	Highway 136 bridge to a point 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream	2 miles	3.2 km	1968
Roaring River Scenic River	II	Jackson, Overton	A point 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream of the Highway 136 bridge to the confluence with the Cumberland River at Cordell Hull Lake	19 miles	31 km	1968
Soak Creek Scenic River	III	Bledsoe, Rhea	Confluence with Georgia Branch in Bledsoe County downstream to its confluence with the Piney River in Spring City	6.75 miles	10.86 km	2016
Spring Creek Scenic River	I	Jackson, Overton	Waterloo Mill downstream to the Jackson–Overton county line	4.4 miles	7.1 km	1968
Spring Creek Scenic River	II	Jackson, Overton	Jackson–Overton county line to the confluence with the Roaring River	4.6 miles	7.4 km	1968
Tuckahoe Creek Scenic River	III	Knox	Entire length in Knox County, from Jefferson County line to confluence with French Broad River	16.1 miles	25.9 km	1968

Former state parks and natural areas

State parks

Poor Valley Creek State Park (cancelled)
Ross Creek Landing

State natural areas

Morril's Cave (Worley's Cave) State Natural Area, Sullivan County
Short Mountain-Jim Cummings State Natural Area, Cannon County, 500 acres (200 ha)
Sneed Road Cedar Glade State Natural Area, Williamson County, 1 acre (0.40 ha)

References

^ "Tennessee State Parks Celebrates New Ocoee River State Park". Tennessee State Parks. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
^ "Cumberland Trail State Park"
^ "Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park"
^ "Find a Park"
^ "List of Natural Areas"
^ "Beecher Wallace Homestead Added to State Park System". www.tn.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-04-13.
^ "Tennessee Scenic Rivers". www.tn.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-01-12.

External links

Tennessee State Parks

List of Tennessee state parks and natural areas

State parks

State natural areas

State scenic rivers

Former state parks and natural areas

State parks

State natural areas

See also

References

External links

Connections

Linked from

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