I occasionally afford myself the luxury of visiting places without really knowing what to expect…read more This park just wasn't that clear to me in its purpose, but it became more so after arrival, with a visitor center focused on Native American history and identifying this as a Cherokee Nation headquarters. A spread of recreated buildings outside offers opportunities for perusal. The most aesthetically distinctive site is a large spring of the sort that seem more common in Kentucky than Tennessee, which evinces a robust blue color and empties into a clear stream. The spring itself is off-limits, but the stream is open for wading. All of these sites are within sight of the initial entrance, but a trek uphill reveals picnic areas, an amphitheater, and a couple of mile trail through the woods. Between the different elements of the park, it was easy to spend a couple of hours there, and best of all, it's free, though the gift shop warrants examination.

Red Clay is not the type of state park that I would normally seek out. Why? It's not in the…read moremountains and the trails are tame. Nonetheless, something about it lured me in for a visit and I'm glad I ventured out here (on Indigenous People's Day coincidentally). Historically, it's really interesting that this was the last meeting site for the Cherokee tribe's council. The signs claim it is "where the Trail of Tears really began." I was really intrigued by the natural Spring called "the Blue Hole." I've never seen a spring that appears bright blue in a forest setting. Seeing this cool natural sight was pretty awesome. Also, I could just imagine the Cherokee using this spring water and being here hundreds of years before. Trail wise: Pretty flat and easy trails. It's not very challenging. But, it makes up for it because it's a calm place with beautiful forest. I loved walking around. Also, since this is small and off the beaten path, it's not crowded at all. Overall: highly recommended. Worth a visit!

Excellent park Lots of trails for every level of ability,…read morebike trails too. The primitive camp area is really nice. Good improved area as well. I'll be staying in the lodge for the end of my trip but the restaurant is good. Country store has all your gear and poughy bait, ice and fire wood. There's zip lining on site and watching a group go it's really fun. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Compared to some of the national parks I've visited, this is much nicer. Really glad I can't up here for the week to unwind.

Lots of waterfalls to see and trails to hike in the area. The park is clean, and their sites are…read morediscos and long pull throughs (#52), but their WiFi is virtually non existent! This hampered our enjoyment considerably because it was difficult planning our days to research the area for things to do. We had to make 2-3 daily trips to the office to connect to WiFi. If I parked even 100' away from the office there was no service. And don't expect GPS accuracy. We often went into town about 8 miles away, but we were detoured a few times in the wrong direction trying to make our way back to the park - not the parks fault. If you have a mobile router, you will be fine and be able to enjoy all that Lookout Mountain has to offer.

Great state park. Excellent camping! Very clean and staff was great. There are some great hiking…read moretrails. If you are hiking to the falls, be aware when you climb down all those stairs, you have to climb up them to get back to the rim. The west Rim trail is great as well, not quite as strenuous as the tail to the falls.

Cottage 18 was a great gathering place for our family reunion. ADA compliant for mobility, spacious…read moreopen living area, large screened back porch and additional 2 table patio area with grill and fire pit. Well furnished for a group. Plenty of hiking for the adventurous while close enough to Chattanooga for other outings.

Cool Obstacle Course Themed Park…read more This is a different kind of park aside from the old school wood construction, it's great for kids to run around and work on coordination! This park is definitely more obstacle course themed and for scrambling as the name implies... There is a good section of different types of swings which is my sons happy place! This is a unique park and just needs a little love. There are only 2 slides and 1 is broken. Also more wood chips and a few easy maintenance points would make this place even better. We definitely recommend this place even as is, but a small bit of work would be amazing to bring it back to life.

Unable to access park as it had construction fence all around. False advertising as the park is not…read moreopen.

Beautiful and informative. They even have a small gift shop. Make sure to watch the short movie…read moreabout the canyon.

One of the best visitor centers we have been too. The staff is so nice and informative. They told…read moreus the best trails for kids and the gift shop is really nice as well.

Stopping here is a no brainer. It's just a quick turn off a long highway into a small parking lot…read morethat has a short walking path and an outstanding viewpoint overlooking a huge lake with mountains and trees all around. If you like taking a break from driving, looking at big lakes, mountains and trees at the same time, and listening to chirping birds and getting fresh air, this is your spot. Spend 5 mins getting a pic, or meditate in the grass for hours and get your chakras balanced and what have you. Easy to see. Worth seeing. Pull in and take a look for yourself.

What a wonderful gem! I was in Scottsboro AL to visit the Unclaimed baggage store and stumbled…read moreupon this place. I love the great outdoors and had every intention of going hiking, but ran into a few issues. To satisfy my desire to embrace the great outdoors I stopped by this place. The view is of the TN river and you must check it out. I honestly don't think the pictures do it justice. It's a small area but would be great for jogging or walking, having a picnic or simply taking in the scenery. I was also impressed by the fact that they have at room facilities available. I did not go into the restroom, but from the outside it appears new and clean. I highly recommend making the stop if you are in the area.

Tony and I ventured to Fort Payne in Alabama to hike in DeSoto State Park to Azalea Falls. It was…read moreearly in the season around March so the weather was still sort of dreary. The area was lovely. No cost for the park. Plenty of parking and very few people on the trails. We had a very nice day. Trail is fairly easy to walk and navigate. Definitely recommend if you are in the area to check out and share your adventure.

Beautiful falls at the beginning of the hiking trail. Boardwalk to falls made it an easy walk. No…read morehiking gear needed.

Absolutely beautiful spot we need to go back to, literally two years ago to day almost and not a…read morefar drive at all. We visited early and the trees were just changing colors, but there was still lots of green to go around. Park rangers on site and helpful. The best time to view Little River Falls is in the winter with snow runoff and increasing waterfall flow, but this visit was just as beautiful. ADA accessible from near parking lot but you can also take a short loop trail that brings you around and above the canyon along the highway (protected of course), before a scenic view at the rim from where we were.

I always love to start at the visitor's center to get the ranger's recommendations about what hikes…read moreto do. I think this center is unique as NPS partnered up with Jacksonville State University for the Little River Canyon Center. There's a gift shop that blends the usual NPS wares with stuff more local to the region. There's a 20 minute video in the center that is quite ernest about their mission to be eco friendly and to teach the next generation about nature. We did the Bridge Trail (0.75 mile, out and back) trail which was smooth, although there are a bunch of rock steps at the end to give you access to the river. There's additional places to scramble around on the rock next to the river. If you're more limited in mobility, there's a paved lookout to the waterful at the beginning of the trail so you can still appreciate the views!

My experience here was very good the people were nice and the campsites and campgrounds are nice…read more The fishing ponds and rivers ere really nice but the only downside side is the algae and the seaweed that gets caught in your luwer

Beautiful Park with a Great Lake for fishing. They also have a beach, tent sites,RV sites. several…read moreboat ramps and a couple of pavilions to host small picnics. Amazing trails, hiking, bring your own kayak or boat, great wildlife. There is a small fee for the day I believe it's $5.00 it's alcohol free park and there's always plenty of Park Rangers there that are very nice and very helpful.

My group said we should go to this event that I had never been to. We drove up from Birmingham that…read moreevening and spent so many hours there walking around together and riding that tiny train once too. I was surprised the whole time bc it was not something I would think to care about except for taking my kids to when they little many years ago. However it was actually so enjoyable and neat to be at. It is filled with so many people clearly for a reason. I'd recommend anyone go to it even if they think it's not their type of thing. It is very cool for sure. Also, the last thing we did was hop on that little train( which I didn't care to do at all without little kids with me) yet it was a shocker how that man driving the train who shares about all things throughout the event that you get to see again from a different view on that train...he was super awesome. I actually would have ridden that train and listened to that man over and over and over again. He was fun to hear from. It is not super expensive so do not resist to do it. Gather up your group or just you and your spouse or for take your kids if they are still young. This is for sure a fun enjoyable thing to go see.

NOCCALULA!!! Yes we are back! Yep. Today is Ty's birthday and he loves this park. But, we have a…read moreNewcomer, Donner has never been here before, She so excited. We are a party of 5 and you are super dry today!!! But, we see Mr. Crane! Hey Mr. Crane. Where are the ducks hiding? There is not a one in sight. Either way, it's hot , so we look around and keep it moving in this heat.