This is a list of
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
s and
natural areas in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
.
State parks
Tennessee has 56 designated state parks, operated by the
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is a Cabinet-level agency within the government of the U.S. state of Tennessee, headed by the Tennessee Commissioner of Environment and Conservation.
The Department of Conservation ...
(TDEC). The largest park,
Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail, is made up of land along the Cumberland Trail, stretching from
Cumberland Gap
The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its rol ...
at the
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
state line to Prentice Cooper State Forest in
Marion County, just northwest of
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
. The smallest state park is
Bicentennial Capitol Mall, at just .
State natural areas
Tennessee has 85 state natural areas that are divided into two classes:
*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.
State scenic rivers
Tennessee state scenic rivers are divided into three classes:
[ ]
*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.
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
Cannon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,506. Its county seat is Woodbury. Cannon County is part of the Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Sta ...
,
* Sneed Road Cedar Glade State Natural Area,
Williamson County,
See also
*
List of U.S. national parks
References
External links
Tennessee State Parks
{{Tennessee
Tennessee state parks
State parks
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...