Absolutely stunning walk in nature. I highly recommend this easy 3 mile in and out hike. It's…read morewaterfall heaven! I should have counted to see how many waterfalls there were; I am curious to know how many I saw today. The museum is nice as well. There is also camping, playground, picnic area and large ceremonial Indian field.

Great park with beautiful waterfalls! I came here right before the hurricane so the there was not…read moreas much water and but it was still beautiful! The hike is super easy and very kid friendly! We had brought water shoes so we could dip our feet into the lake! It was lots of fun! We will definitely be back! Very scenic and fun!

Wooden Park is still here! Just a heads up, there's some construction happening across from the…read morepark, so the front parking lot is closed. No worries, though! Just park right when you drive in. The only small downside is that there are wasps around. So keep an eye on the kids and encourage them not to bother them. Other than that its a great park i love how this wooden park is still here!

Nice local little park for my grand daughter. Excellent design to stir up the imagination of a…read more3&1/2 year old. She has so much fun that she didn't want to leave. We'll definitely be going back for more play time in a well layed out design for children's safe experience.

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.

It's a nice place to walk. An even better place to take photos. It's always clean and taken care of.read more

Small park above the Maple Hill Cemetery. The cemetery is pretty old and the playground attracts…read moreodd folks who want a little haunting in their life. Place to picnic and the kids to play, not really in the cemetery. Fun little stop and the cemetery in spring is lovely. A fun geocache isn't far away.

I finally went here while I was waiting for the cemetery stroll to start. It's a very nice…read moreplayground/ picnic area with a few parking spots. Nothing really felt creepy about it.

Nice big lake. Lots of piers and spots for fishing. Parks and boat launches a plenty…read more Didnt catch many fish and i am told that other lakes nearby provide more opportunity for fisherman.

It's so pretty here! One of the best places I've ever been to. I'm from CA and here on a family…read morevacation and I've never been to a place so green! The water is a refreshing warm and the vibes are endless! We rented a boat and spent the whole day cruising around, floating and tubing. Wish we were here a few days longer though, but we will be back! HIGHLY RECOMMEND COMING HERE!

The Short Springs Natural Area wasn't exactly what I pictured in my mind, but satisfying…read morenonetheless. First, for some reason I pictures a state park with large parking areas, a visitor center, road signage and restroom facilities. NOPE!!! Google Maps navigated us to the general area, but figuring out where the trailhead and parking were located was up to our own savvy. But as God would have it, we found parking near a water tower off Powell Road and someone just happened to be leaving as we arrived, giving us a great parking space. This was extremely fortuitous because spaces are limited and several people who arrivaled just minutes after us waited a good while for spaces to become available. WARNING: Find restroom facilities BEFORE you make it here! Otherwise you will find yourself searching for privacy in the nearby forest to relieve yourself. The trailhead is directly across Short Springs Road from the parking area. I would highly recommend using ALLTRAILS to navigate your way around the Natural Area. My wife has developed Morton Noroma in recent years which severely limits the types of hikes she can join me on, so our intention here was to only visit MACHINE FALLS and BUSBY FALLS, bypassing more than half of the entire Short Springs loop. Still, this was not as easy a trail as I thought and my wife wound up viewing Machine Falls only from the overlook deck. The descent to the base of the falls is steep, so she opted to stay on the trail above as I climbed down for pictures. MACHINE FALLS is a beautiful multi-tiered waterfall surrounded by high shale rock cliffs adorned with moss. The climb down to the falls is a combination of manmade wooden steps, boulders and tree roots. Once you reach the creek, you will need to hug the right side stones all the way to the falls (if you don't want to get your feet wet). The volume of water was fairly light the day we visited, so on heavy volume days it's probably impossible not to get your feet wet. After Machine Falls we followed the loop to Bobo Creek Trail which leads towards BUSBY FALLS. We then took the split to Laurel Bluff Trail via Collier Horn Bridge. After crossing the bridge you can choose to go left or right around this 1.4 mile loop. We chose to go right, which is the quickest way to Busby Falls. The trail follows Bobo Creek, but one small section of it requires the use of a rope due to a severe elevation change. It's not difficult, but something older hikers and those with really young children should be aware of the challenge. To my surprise there was a secondary waterfall coming off the cliffs near Busby Falls as well as a third 14 foot waterfall along Bobo Creek closer to the bridge. Not sure if these two additional waterfalls have names like the others within the Natural Area, but they were very nice surprises! My wife did not do the rope climb down to Busby and instead just enjoyed the scenic views of the river while I went off exploring the waterfall just a short distance away. We retraced our steps back to the Bobo Creek Trail and took the right leading us back to the parking area. While I didn't think the trail leading directly to Machine Falls was very attractive (it honestly was one of the ugliest trails I've ever seen), the remainder of the hike was nice and the Laurel Bluff Trail near Busby Falls was easily the most scenic portion of any trail we hiked today. I can't speak for the rest of the Machine Falls Loop or the Adams Falls Trail, but I've read reviews saying it's a nice looking trail. FINAL THOUGHTS Overall not what I expected when looking for easy waterfall hikes my wife could enjoy, but it IS manageable and customizable to fit different hiking needs. There are multiple waterfalls throughout the Natural Area. Our hike took 1:37 hours and was approx. 2.4 miles long with an elevation gain of about 335 feet according to my ALLTRAILS log. Machine Falls was the largest, but I personally thought Busby Falls was prettier. Also nearby (within a 5 minute drive) is Rutledge Falls. I highly recommend paying it a visit if you are planning to be in the area. 2023 / 28

Did the hike to machine falls and it was worth it! It is breathtaking! I've heard that in the…read morespring the waterfalls are heavier and there are a bunch of wildflowers... but the moss against the rocks and water was a sight on to itself. The trails are marked well and the description of the trails are accurate. The trail to machine falls does note it is steep in some parts and that is very accurate. There are places where you are on narrow paths with a drop off. I personally wished I had brought my walking poles but that is personal preference. Parking is on the other side of the road from where the trails start and is limited. Highly recommend this hike and this park!

This is kind of a strange park as several sites are distributed widely but considered under the…read moresame umbrella. I visited several, including their headquarters with a wounded hawk at the entrance, a rainforest-y loop trail, and a splendid-looking waterfall. Individually, the sites were nice but not the best the state has to offer, but when one considers the sum total of various environs and the fact that Tennessee state parks do not charge admission, I struggle to criticize. I noted that a park ranger gently pushed someone to leash their dog on the trail without getting into a confrontation.

Denny Cove Falls trail is a wonderful, moderate hike. Out & back to a gorgeous waterfall. The trail…read moreis well marked and maintained. It's a long gravel road to the parking lot dedicated just to this particular trailhead.

So many great trails to choose from here! There are some that aren't super advanced and have a…read morequick route and others that might take you several hours.

Parking was alright and the overlook loop trail which is rated as one of the top ten hikes in the…read morecountry by backpacker magazine was alright! I wouldn't have given it that high a rating but jt was a nice hike. When you first start the trail there is a fork for the loop, either you go down into the forest or go straight along the cliff. Most people we ran into seemingly walked down into the forest first, which meant they walked uphill most of the hike. We went straight along the cliff wall and ended up walking down hill for most of the 5 mile loop. It really was only the last half a mile that was uphill to get back to the start of the trail. I highly advise to go straight to make less work on yourself esp if you're elderly or with young families. I saw a few people turn around because the hike up was becoming too much. We had three children 5 and under who didn't feel tired until we were into the half mile uphill for reference on the different experiences you can have depending on the route you take.

One of my roommates and some friends of ours come to this park once a week and play pickleball…read morehere. We don't play competitive or on teams, just for fun. I use to play tennis in college and I quickly fell in love with pickleball while playing at Dublin Park. The park is kept well lit at night and is nice and clean. A lot of things to do here during the day as well

What an amazing place for people of all ages and hobbies! We came on a humid Wednesday around 5pm…read morefor the playground and my kids (almost 2 and 4) were immediately in love with the rock climbing walls, variety of swings for literally all ages, and the various structures. The only way we convinced our toddlers to leave was to promise smoothies/icees as a departure treat. Felt extremely safe, was spotlessly clean, and people there were friendly as well. Wish we had a spot like this near us.

Sharon Johnston Park is a park we frequented growing up. Back then it did not offer all that it…read moredoes these days; however, they have always hosted a Madison County Youth Fishing Rodeo every May. The lakeis stocked with catfish, bream, bass and crappie. Other annual events are a classic car show and a fall festival. I always knew the park honored Sharon Johnston but didn't know anything about Sharon. Turns out she was quite the "dare devil" and was a stunt pilot who tragically died when her biplane crashed during an air show at the South Weymouth Air Station at the young age of 31. She lost control of the single engine plane during a series of spins and crashed. Her family donated the land to the community in her name because it was a place she loved dearly, where her father built a lake, worked to conserve wildlife, and taught his children about the wonders of nature. Since the 70s the park has really grown! Now it includes an arena (think horse arena - not concert venue), a marked walking/running course, rental pavilions, a playground with pavilion, Olympic sized swimming pool, campground for tent and RV camping, frisbee golf, and a shooting range. It's a cool park with some neat rustic touches like an old wooden carriage and log cabin styled structures.

We love this park!! More importantly, the kids love this park. We're thankful to have this nearby…read moreas there soo much to do here. Can't wait to plug in more with the activities here.