If you were looking for a spot to establish Tennessee’s 55th state park, fewer locations would be more appealing than a 2,000-acre tract with 16 miles of Blue Ribbon trout streams, endangered species and Appalachian Trail access. As a bonus, it’s already surrounded by thousands more acres of protected land. Sound like a good spot? Welcome to Rocky Fork.
On Oct. 30, Gov. Bill Haslam announced that an area in Unicoi County near Johnson City known as Rocky Fork will be the Volunteer State’s newest park. Preliminary plans call for an access road, ranger station, primitive campground, picnic areas, trails and interpretive markers about the area’s Revolutionary War-era battles.
“A Tennessee State Park in the Rocky Fork area will attract anyone who enjoys the great American outdoors to come to beautiful Unicoi County, have a good time and spend some money to build up the tax base,” says Sen. Lamar Alexander.
Officials call Rocky Fork a “park in progress” and have not discussed when it will be open. The property, which was one of the largest unprotected areas in the southern Appalachians, is part of a 10,000-acre tract The Conservation Fund and U.S. Forest Service acquired in 2008. Adjacent to the new park are more than 22,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service designated wilderness, including Sampson and Bald mountains.
The land was purchased with a combination of public funds and more than $4 million in private contributions.