Tennessee

Parks

  • National Historic Site

    Andrew Johnson

    Greeneville, TN

    Andrew Johnson's complex presidency (1865-69) illustrates the Constitution at work following the Civil War. As the President and Congress disagreed on Reconstruction methods, the Constitution served as their guide on balance of powers, vetoes, and impeachment. In the end, it evolved as a living document with pivotal amendments on freedom, citizenship, and voting rights - topics still vital today.

    Andrew Johnson Visitor Center

  • National Scenic Trail

    Appalachian

    Maine to Georgia, CT,GA,MA,MD,ME,NC,NH,NJ,NY,PA,TN,VA,VT,WV

    The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.

    Hump Mountain

  • National River & Recreation Area

    Big South Fork

    Oneida, KY,TN

    Encompassing 125,000 acres of the Cumberland Plateau, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area protects the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries. The area boasts miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs, is rich with natural and historic features and has been developed to provide visitors with a wide range of outdoor recreational activities.

    One of the Twin Arches by Deannia Murphy

  • National Military Park

    Chickamauga & Chattanooga

    Fort Oglethorpe, GA,TN

    In 1863, Union and Confederate forces fought for control of Chattanooga, known as the "Gateway to the Deep South." The Confederates were victorious at nearby Chickamauga in September. However, renewed fighting in Chattanooga that November provided Union troops victory and control of the city. After the fighting, a Confederate soldier ominously wrote, "This...is the death-knell of the Confederacy."

    Cannons overlook the City of Chattanooga from atop Lookout Mountain

  • National Historical Park

    Cumberland Gap

    Middlesboro, KY,TN,VA

    Cumberland Gap was the first great gateway to the west. Come follow the path of bisons, Native Americans, longhunters, and pioneers. Walk where 300,000 people crossed the Appalachians to settle America. Explore 85 miles of trails and 14,000 acres of wilderness. Stand in 3 states at once. Explore a cave, see Hensley Settlement, or camp under the stars. Come find your connection to Cumberland Gap.

    fog flows through Cumberland Gap

  • National Battlefield

    Fort Donelson

    Dover, KY,TN

    Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant was becoming quite famous as he wrote these words following the surrender of Confederate Fort Donelson on Sunday, February 16, 1862. The Union victory at Fort Donelson elated the North, and stunned the South. Within days of the surrender, Clarksville and Nashville would fall into Union hands. Grant and his troops had created a pathway to victory for the Union.

    Fort Donelson as it may have looked in February, 1862.

  • National Park

    Great Smoky Mountains

    the states of NC,TN

    Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America's most visited national park. Plan your visit today!

    Approximately 1,500 black bears live in the national park.

  • National Historical Park

    Manhattan Project

    Manhattan Project National Historical Park, NM,WA,TN

    The Manhattan Project is one of the most transformative events of the 20th century. It ushered in the nuclear age with the development of the world’s first atomic bombs. The building of atomic weapons began in 1942 in three secret communities across the nation. As World War II waned in 1945, the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan—forever changing the world.

    workers housing in Happy Valley

  • Parkway

    Natchez Trace

    the states of AL,MS,TN

    The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile recreational road and scenic drive through three states. It roughly follows the "Old Natchez Trace" a historic travel corridor used by American Indians, "Kaintucks," European settlers, slave traders, soldiers, and future presidents. Today, people can enjoy not only a scenic drive but also hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping along the Parkway.

    A curve along the Natchez Trace Parkway with fall colors

  • National Scenic Trail

    Natchez Trace

    Tupelo, AL,MS,TN

    The Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail is five sections of hiking trail running roughly parallel to the 444-mile long Natchez Trace Parkway scenic motor road. The foot trails total more than 60 miles and offer opportunities to explore wetlands, swamps, hardwood forest, and the history of the area. For What's Open What's Close visit www.nps.gov/natr/planyourvisit/what-is-open-what-is-closed.htm

    3 hikers and a dog walk next to a creek

  • Wild & Scenic River

    Obed

    Wartburg, TN

    The Obed Wild and Scenic River looks much the same today as it did when the first white settlers strolled its banks in the late 1700s. While meagerly populated due to poor farming soil, the river was a hospitable fishing and hunting area for trappers and pioneers. Today, the Obed stretches along the Cumberland Plateau and offers visitors a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities.

    Rafting through the Obed Wild & Scenic River gorge

  • National Historic Trail

    Overmountain Victory

    NC,SC,TN,VA

    Stretching 330 miles through four states (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina) the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail traces the route used by patriot militia during the pivotal Kings Mountain campaign of 1780. Follow the campaign by utilizing a Commemorative Motor Route which uses existing state highways marked with the distinctive trail logo, or 87 miles of walkable pathways.

    Roaring Creek viewshed in North Carolina looking east at about 4,600 feet elevation.

  • National Military Park

    Shiloh

    Shiloh, TN,MS

    Visit the sites of the most epic struggle in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Nearly 110,000 American troops clashed in a bloody contest that resulted in 23,746 casualties; more casualties than in all of America's previous wars combined. Explore both the Shiloh and Corinth battlefields to discover the impact of this struggle on the soldiers and on the nation.

    The Tennessee Monument at Shiloh National Military Park

  • National Battlefield

    Stones River

    Murfreesboro, TN

    The Battle of Stones River began on the last day of 1862 and was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. The battle produced important military and political gains for the Union, and it changed forever the people who lived and fought here.

    Painting of Union cannons firing

  • National Historic Trail

    Trail Of Tears

    AL,AR,GA,IL,KY,MO,NC,OK,TN

    Remember and commemorate the survival of the Cherokee people, forcefully removed from their homelands in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee to live in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. They traveled by foot, horse, wagon, or steamboat in 1838-1839.

    Trail of Tears artwork and trail walk

By The Numbers

These numbers are just a sample of the National Park Service's work. Figures are for the fiscal year that ended 9/30/2020.