The heavily forested, 3,687-acre park lies on the southern shore of TVA's Norris Reservoir approximately 25 miles north of Knoxville. Visitors to the park will find a wealth of activities to meet any interest from guided nature tours to back country camping.Our Maynardville trip maker app makes visiting Big Ridge State Park and other Maynardville attractions simple, and helps you make a travel plan personal to you.
History
Big Ridge State Park was one of five demonstration parks developed by the Tennessee Valley Authority in cooperation with the National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as an example of public recreation development along TVA lakeshores. The structures on the park reflect the craftsmanship and stonework of the CCC, and along the trails you may see remnants of the homes and farms that existed here prior to the birth of the TVA. Before the park was created, the area was heavily populated and used for agriculture.
Other notable features of the park include: the Norton Gristmill built in 1825, remnants of Sharp's Station Fort construction in the late 1700's, and Indian Rock where a plaque commemorates the death of Peter Graves, a settler of Sharp's Station who was attacked by Indians at this spot. Also, the park has several notable structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corp.
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Big Ridge State Park reviews
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My family and I stayed at the cabin for two days. We absolutely loved it! It was spacious and had everything we needed. I can't believe it was such an affordable price for everything this place... more »
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Did part of a day visit here. Close to I75. Easy to find. Visitor center small but informative. It is located on Norris Lake. Nice swimming beach. Recreation center charming. Views excellent. Lots... more »
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Tucked away in the TN mountains, this pool of peace is a nice place to take in Nature and breath out your stress. Some of the facilities are showing their age but overall this park is well kept offering swimming, hiking, camping and special events. They host a Bluegrass festival the 3rd Friday of each August. The hiking trails offer great views and historical sites such as the marker for the Indian Ambush. This park is well worth planning visits to enjoy.
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I highly recommend this campground if you have an RV and noisy kids and are just a rude and obnoxious family. But if you have a tent and enjoy the peace of nature, DO NOT CAMP HERE!!!!! The boats and jet skis are just as bad as the constant trucks and noisy golf carts. People are still allowed in after 10 pm, so much for “quiet time.” The 2 car maximum rule is not enforced, so you have little redneck cities every weekend. When you arrive in the late afternoon, the visitor center is closed so you cannot buy firewood, and they don’t want you to bring your own. WTF Lake Trail is a MODERATE hike, nothing easy about it, it is NOT well maintained and it’s boring. The overlook trail has no view until the winter. Photos of our campsites looked nothing like it. There are more sites on the water to the left of 29 & 30 but they are not shown on the map, why? No trash cans. You have to drive your trash over to one dumpster. The bath house was pretty well maintained and pretty modern, I was happy with that. Just don't understand why there isn't a separate tent camping area on the QUIET side (Big Ridge Lake).
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