Rocky fork state park is a true gem. It reminds me a lot of the great smokey mountain national park! This state park has so much to offer, mountain biking, swimming, and hiking for everyone. Easy trails like the main road into the park (which also gives you access to all the other trails) and then moderate/strenuous hikes like the Whitehouse cliffs trail.
When I say this park is a gem, I mean it’s a hidden gem. Side note: I’ve never been on a weekend. I’ve only gone on weekdays but I’ve basically have had the whole park to myself. Maybe I’ve lucked out, maybe I haven’t! So, if you go and it’s crowded I apologize but for me it’s always been so peaceful. Also, the drive in is just as amazing as the park! It’s so beautiful.
I love bringing my kids here, it’s such a fun place to let them run around and explore. Maggie loves collecting things like rocks, leaves, moss….really anything. It’s so cool because then we bring it home, look at it, research different leaves or types of rocks. We’ve even started pressing flowers and letting her document them in a little book we’ve made. She says she wants to be a scientist when she grows up and just seeing her excited about nature makes me soooo incredibly proud.
I haven’t hiked the entire park, but I am really excited to get more familiar with it. I believe there’s about 14 miles of marked trails but the park itself is 2,076 acres. I’ve been researching the park to be able to write this blog post and found out that Tennessee has a state park passport, which is a book that you can get stamped for every state park you visit in TN. I’m definitely going back to get the passport (which is free). You can get those at the state park office, here’s the address of the office: 280 Jennie Moore Rd, Flag Pond, TN 37657. I live in NC but it’s only a 30 min drive from where I live, so a quick drive over the mountain is always worth visiting the park.
DIRECTIONS: Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park, 501 Rocky Fork Rd, Flag Pond, TN 37657
I put this in my gps and it takes me right to the parking area. If you want more specific directions they can be found on their brochure. I’ll link it here.
So pack a picnic and make the trip because this is definitely worth the short drive, and if you visit let me know! It really is an awesome area in the Cherokee national forest that not a lot of people know about! Don’t forget to pick up your passport book and get your stamps!
