The outdoors, mountains, valleys, rivers and streams create a landscape that looks like a postcard but feels like a playground. Where every adventure and trail in Tennessee parks dares you to come back for more.
A variety of activities including tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, picnic areas, Norris Lake, and hiking trails draw outdoor enthusiasts to Big Ridge State Park, located just north of Knoxville. The parks location on the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Range with narrow ridges and fertile stream beds creates beautiful scenery and a beautiful lake. The more than 3,000 densely wooded acres offer hiking trails that range from easy to difficult. Trails traverse dry ridges, lake shores, old roadbeds, and leafy hollows past cemeteries and remains of early settlement. Most trails are one way; however, they do intersect with other trails, allowing for a great loop.
The 1.6 mile lake trail climbs to the top of the ridge where the trail cuts through the woods overlooking one side of Big Ridge Lake and descends before crossing Big Ridge Dam. The western portion of the 1.7-mile Dark Hollow Trail begins here. The trail traverses the ridge to the gap between Pinnacle Ridge and Big Ridge, where the trail cuts through thick forest along the creek bed where early settlers made their homes. At the intersection, take the difficult 1.5-mile Big Valley Trail, which ends at Norton Gristmill. The trail is the remains of an old wagon trail used by early settlers to transport corn to the mill. The first .75 miles of the trail runs through Pinnacle Ridge to where the 1.2-mile Ghost House Trail loop begins. This easy to moderate trail takes one deep into the history of the area’s inhabitants in the 1930s. The trail passes Norton Cemetery and the old Maston house, which legend has it to be haunted. A short walk down a paved road from the end of Big Valley Trail leads to the Gristmill, which was built in 1825 and privately operated for just over 100 years. The short and easy 3-mile Old Mill Trail runs through Lyon’s Spring Branch to the lakeside cabins, a short distance from the park’s visitor center.
Just minutes from downtown Knoxville is Ijams Nature Center, where 300 acres provide a wildlife sanctuary with beautiful sloping forests along the Tennessee River. The 12 miles of easy to challenging walking and biking trails draw locals and visitors alike to explore this urban park.
The three most popular trails that are categorized as easy to moderate are the 1.3 out-and-back Tower Trail that winds through gently sloping woods before descending a cliff face to the river’s edge, where a 100-meter boardwalk yards travels along the cliff face that hangs over the river. The moderately rated 1.5 out-and-back North Cove Trail descends through a series of switchbacks over a wooden boardwalk before climbing the Serendipity Loop where Ijams’s old home stood. The 1-mile flat out-and-back Imerys Trail leads to the short Ross Marble Quarry Loop. The trail leads over a raised walkway to a rock bridge with sweeping views of the quarry gorge. Descending the rocks allows you to enter below the keyhole to see its uniquely carved shelves and rock faces.
South of Knoxville in Sweetwater is The Lost Sea, where a guided tour allows you to descend deep into a cave system where you can witness the fascinating development of immense cavern rooms and rare formations as your guide explains the colorful history of the caves. Artifacts found in the caverns date back to the Cherokee Indians and where the military dug caverns to produce gunpowder back to the days of Tennessee brandies. A ¾ mile round trip on an incline leads through some of the caverns to a narrow section and ends in a lake where the visible part is 800 feet long and 250 feet wide and reaches a depth of 75 feet. The lake is the largest subterranean lake in the United States, placing it on Registered National Monuments and is known as The Lost Sea. Even with today’s modern technology, dive teams have not discovered the full extent of The Lost Sea.
A short drive northwest of Knoxville is Frozen Head State Park, named for the 3,300-foot peak in the Cumberland Mountains that remains frozen with ice and snow during the winter months. With more than 24,000 acres of wilderness, the park represents some of the splendor of Tennessee’s most impressive wilderness of densely forested mountains, creating a natural habitat for wildlife. Primitive camping, picnic areas, and fifty miles of trails allow you to truly experience this beautiful forest.
Beginning at the end of the park road is the 0.75-mile one-way Panther Branch Trail, rated a bit difficult due to small rocks along the trail and slightly constant grade. The trail ends at Debord Falls Overlook, where a set of stairs leads to the base of the falls. Hiking deeper into the forest along the 0.75-mile one-way Emory Gap Trail, which becomes more difficult with steeper inclines, where natural tree roots and small rocks come together to form natural stairs . The trail ends at another waterfall where the base of the falls is lined with massive mountain boulders and fallen trees. Maneuvering over the rocks allows for an excellent view of the falls and a frontal view of the rock ledge complete with cave. Adjacent to the playground is the 0.4 mile one-way interpretive trail rated for all ages. The trail winds through the woods along the bank of a stream.
