Northeast Tennessee

The great 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 to come back for more.

A variety of activities including tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball, picnic areas, Lake Norris 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 a beautiful landscape and a beautiful lake. More than 3,000 heavily wooded acres offer hiking trails ranging from easy to difficult. Trails traverse dry ridges, lake shores, old roadbeds, and leafy hollows past cemeteries and remnants of early settlement. Most of the trails are one way; however, they do intersect with other trails, making for a great loop.

The 1.6 mile lake trail climbs to the top of the ridge where the trail cuts through the forest overlooking one side of Big Ridge Lake and descends before crossing Big Ridge Dam. The western part of the 1.7 mile Dark Hollow trail starts here. The trail traverses the ridge to the gap between Pinnacle Ridge and Big Ridge, where the trail cuts through the thick forest alongside a stream bed where early settlers built 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 haul corn to the mill. The first .75 mile of the trail traverses Pinnacle Ridge to where the 1.2-mile loop of the Ghost House Trail 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 home, which legend says is haunted. A short walk down a paved path from the end of the Big Valley Trail leads to the Gristmill, which was built in 1825 and was 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 hiking and biking trails ranging from easy to difficult draw locals and visitors alike to explore this urban park.

The three most popular trails that are rated 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 riverbank, where a 100-mile boardwalk yards travels along the cliff face that hangs over the river. The moderate-rated 1.5 round-trip North Cove Trail descends through a series of switchbacks over a wooden boardwalk before climbing the Serendipity Loop, where Ijams’ former home stood. The 1-mile flat out-and-back Imerys Trail leads to the short Ross Marble Quarry Loop. The trail leads up a raised walkway to a rock bridge with sweeping views of the quarry gorge. Climbing down 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 one to descend deep into a cave system where one will witness the fascinating development of the immense cavern halls and rare formations as the guide explains the colorful history of the caves. Artifacts found in the caverns date back to the Cherokee Indians and where the military dug in the caverns to produce gunpowder to the days of Tennessee schnapps. A ¾ mile round trip on an incline path 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 underground lake in the United States, which places it on the Recorded National Monuments and is known as The Lost Sea. Even with today’s modern technology, teams of divers 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 Tennessee’s most impressive densely forested pristine mountain splendor, creating a natural habitat for wildlife. Primitive camping, picnic areas, and fifty miles of trails allow you to really experience this beautiful forest.

Starting at the end of the park road is the 0.75 mile one-way Panther Branch Trail, rated a bit difficult due to the small rocks along the trail and the slightly steady grade. The trail ends at the 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 huge mountain boulders and fallen trees. Maneuvering over the rocks allows for a great view of the falls and a front 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 forest along the bank of a stream.

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