This is a really nice state park. It has good trails for running/hiking. The camp ground has 2…read moreloops and is nice. One loop is on Norris lake and offers fishing and boating. There's also a small separate lake for non-motorized craft. You can rent kayaks or bring your own for a small fee. Note that the segregated lake does not permit inflatable craft. There are several picnic pavilions and tables throughout the park. The swimming area is nice and has a paved bottom that slopes in towards a platform for jumping off etc. the bottom of the swim area can be slippery. There are also cabins for rent that look nice though we didn't stay in one. It's about 45 minutes from Knoxville. It's worth a visit.

The park itself is amazing. Nice trails, nice views, nice swimming area, a playground, even saw…read moresome people fishing. Camping -- Cheap at about $35 after taxes for water and electric. Late arrivals are allowed which is hard to find sometimes. Camping area is not well marked, some people got lost and I helped them find the right area while I was camping here. You'll get to the big parking lot and then see some large brown trash dumpsters on the left, that's where the turn for camping is. That's also the only area I found to throw your camping trash. Bathrooms are very run down, but clean. Showers are cold even after waiting a few minutes hoping it would warm up. Lots of cigarette trash on the ground, especially around the bathrooms. Dogs are allowed, on leashes.

Land truly worthy of the protection of the National Park system, you get 85 miles of hiking trails…read more 37 square miles of mostly wilderness, and the landscape is awesome. That said, I'm going to complain lightly about a few things anyway. First, the real reason for the park is a story of European conquest -- the great westward expansion of the colonists through the gap and into Virginia and Tennessee territory. While we have more spectacular Appalachian parks in Great Smoky Mountain NP, New River Gorge, and Shenandoah, this one is really here for that historical aspect. (The gap of course was also used by big game as well as trappers and traders, of course.) So for those of us who really just want to enjoy the mountains, this isn't really the top destination, but it will certainly do. Then there is the general problem of understaffing and weak resourcing. We found trails near the town of Cumberland Gap to be well-maintained, but they also clearly have a massive problem of spreading kudzu. I'm not seeing that likely to change if we don't better resource that effort. Support of the parks is a federal line item, and the postwar consensus to do so is a thing of the past. Also worth noting -- lodging options are limited here. We stayed instead at Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Kentucky, which has a very good lodge and some very charming old cabins and cottages. (I didn't look carefully at campground options, but I know those exist too.)

7/26/26 My husband…read moreand I like to take a cave trip every year for our anniversary. This year, we traveled from Ohio to the Bristol area. Gap Cave was a great stop for the way back home. I will admit that we originally did not go in with high expectations. We saw the $8 price tag and thought that meant this cave must be underwhelming with the price being THAT low compared to all other tours that we have been on. Gap Cave was the 29th cave/cavern that we have visited in the US. When I tell you that we were pleasantly surprised, that is the understatement of the century. We loved the experience of getting to use the flashlights to light our own path while in the cave. The hike to the cave itself is super beautiful. Our tour guides(Lucas, Dylan, and Mackenzie) were amazing. You could see all of their enthusiasm for their job which is always great to see! Gap Cavern has an amazing amount of formations. We enjoyed our tour here more than the Domes and Dripstones tour at Mammoth Cave. The visitors center of Cumberland Gap National Park was also super nice! The employees and rangers were so friendly and kind! We highly recommend making this stop!

Nice easy walk to a beautiful overlook. You can go left on pavement that's Wheelchair accessible or…read moreright on a little trail that connects at the overlook. Plenty of parking & restrooms (Porta potty style) also wheelchair accessible.

Saturday March 15th, Tony and I was traveling around Big South Fork State Park and we drove down to…read moresee the East Rim Overlook. We found the overlook very easily and then we hiked out to the overlook. It is not very far of a hike and the overlook is gorgeous...A short one mile drive off Hwy 297 will lead you to the breath-taking East Rim Overlook. Perched on the edge of the Big South Fork gorge, the overlook offers spectacular views of the Big South Fork River and the surrounding Cumberland Plateau

Finding a hair in my food completely ruined the meal. The burger was otherwise okay, but this…read moreshouldn't happen. I hope the kitchen takes cleanliness more seriously to prevent this from happening again.

New owners are fabulous. Rearranging eating space has been a bonus! Breakfast is simple but yummy…read moreand the Dock Burger is fabulous!!!

Absolutely a hidden gem! We stayed in cabin 10, which has a sneaky water view, amazing screened in…read moreporch, a porch swing, fireplace, fire pit, chairs, grill, and television with over air channels! It was spacious and rustic, historic yet modernized with ac and heat as well as a small kitchen with all the necessities. The park has a ton to offer, too! Multiple areas to explore, lots of trails, a museum, and the dam, which has a pedestrian path and several cool overlooks! It was very pet friendly, the dog came with me, and near enough to Knoxville and other sites to not feel too out of touch, but still private and woodsy with a view!

Norris Dam and the surrounding marinas offer beautiful lakeside fishing, tubing and boating. We had…read morethe opportunity to reserve a cabin near the Sequoyah Marina and spent the day enjoying the views. Don't miss the short drive to the Norris Dam visitors center and walk over the bridge for spectacular overhead views of the dam.

This is a roadway! It's okay to hang out here on a boat but standing ON the bridge is dangerous as…read morethis is a daily very frequently traveled road for locals who live in the area. When people are congregated on one side of the bridge it causes the traffic on one side or the other to have to wait to cross as you can only use one lane as to avoid possibly hitting someone standing there. That's not even to mention the variety of things that are I the water that you can't see such as old barbed wire.

Love hanging out here and jumping off the bridge. Great place to people watch and meet others. Oh…read moreand swim around and work on my tan ;)

This is 1 of only 2 outfitters of outdoors adventures in the BSF recreational area, and I chose…read morethem because the other one was full on Labor Day Weekend. Wow! Was that ever a great move! First of all, these guys (and gals) offered a much better value. Their equipment was clean and nicely maintained. Their brick-and-mortar check-in office was being renovated, so we handled everything by phone - provided you could find a spot at the top of a hill where cell phones could connect! But once we did, we were hosted by April, a terrific gal who is from the area and knew everything about the waterways in the BSFRA. Working with us, she custom-tailored a trip for us that best suited our needs. The point here is - whatever it is that you'd like to do, just ASK! So on a beautiful warm day, we began our 7-mile from a custom put-in spot where April met us and dropped off our yaks. From there we floated down the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River passing through 2 Class I and 2 near-Class II "rapids" (gimme a break, we're in our 60's!) and we never encountered another soul until we got to our take-out point. We had brought with us our cooler with drinks and lunch, and we had ample time to jump in, swim and play, and climb around on huge boulders to boot. At take-out time, April promptly picked us up and drove us back to our car, handling all the gear and equipment so that all we had to do was drive away and revel in our new, best-kept-secret find - Outdoor Addiction Outfitters. April, we WILL return - and for a longer trip next time!

As I write this, Yelp reviews for the state park, the lodge, and the restaurant are all rolled into…read moreone, so for better or worse, some of the ratings for this 1500-acre forest are being brought down by a disappointing salad bar experience or two. But make no mistake here -- the state park and the hiking trails are really very good and very well-maintained. We did have a 2-night stay in a cottage that is at least 50 years old - maybe more - and we were very happy with its offering modern amenities (thermostat, full kitchen, wifi) in an old wooden cabin. Nearby Honeymoon Falls is a a loop trail that is every bit as good as anything we saw in Cumberland Gap National Park, and we also thought highly of the Chained Rock trail, silly as the chain story is. The lodge seems nice too, although we didn't stay there. The dining area is a little more utilitarian looking than I might hope for from a 100 year-old lodge, but the view from the big windows makes up for it. The food? Yeah, it's nothing special. But we've seen worse from similar places. If you're here for the food and not for the other stuff then yeah, rethink your life choices or do some soul-searching.

Amazing views of the city if you drive up to the parking area for Chained Rock. Once you park there…read moreis a great view area on one hike and the chained rock on the other. There are several other hikes you can do. This is very easy going down but be ready for coming back up. Steep but go slow, watch your footing and take step by step! For sure bring a bottle water with you and do in the morning. It is very cool to do and it brings life to pineville. There is several spots to camp and chill as we saw on drive up the mountain!! Would totally recommend to anyone of multiple ages!!