South Cumberland State Park won its category for the second straight year, and Hiwassee-Ocoee Scenic River State Park notched a second-place finish in its category in Tennessee State Parks’ annual fundraiser, My TN State Park, for 2023.
In all, the state fundraiser, in its third year, generated more than $113,000 from more than 1,600 donations to the program, according to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The fundraiser specifically targets projects at each of the state’s 57 public parks. The parks are categorized into three groups for the contest based on park visitation numbers, and parks compete against others in their category.
The fundraiser allows Tennesseans to “vote” for their favorite park by donating money. The contest helps the park system because Tennessee is one of seven states in the U.S. that does not charge for access to any of its state parks.
South Cumberland State Park netted $3,364 in donations for a first-place finish among Group 2 parks, identified as those with between 350,000-750,000 annual visitors, according to the state’s final tally.
(READ MORE: Meet the 58-year-old grandmother who hiked all 56 Tennessee State Parks in eight months)
In Group 1 — 750,000 annual visitors or more — Hiwassee-Ocoee State Park in Polk County garnered $5,331 in donations, second to Paris Landing State Park in Henry County, which won with $5,629 in donations, according to state results.
During the 2022 drive, about 2,000 donors gave $111,875 to parks, with all parks receiving $500 or more, state parks spokeswoman Kim Schofinski said by email at the beginning of the drive in early April. Paris Landing State Park won the largest group then, too, and South Cumberland won the mid-size group, she said. In the smallest group, Frozen Head State Park took first, making it a repeat winner in 2023, too.
Staff Photo / From left, Kathleen Nolte, Cody Roney, Penny Bird and Ruthie Bird stand on the overlook at the newly dedicated Denny Cove addition to South Cumberland State Park near Sequatchie, Tenn., in 2017. The 685-acre parcel is home to more than 150 rock climbing routes.SOUTH CUMBERLAND
The money raised for South Cumberland State Park will be used to enhance the park’s aviary for its Birds of Prey program to make the birds more comfortable and to replace wooden footbridges and structures on the Fiery Gizzard Trail system, according to officials. The park is within Grundy, Franklin and Marion counties, comprising 12,166 acres with what state officials contend is some of the best hiking and back-country camping in the region. Areas to explore include Fiery Gizzard, Denny Cove, Lost Cove and Grundy Lakes.
HIWASSEE-OCOEE
Hiwassee/Ocoee State Park‘s donations will fund improvements to make the park safer by adding signage to the walking trail to better direct hikers to river access and provide more educational information about sites along the trails. The park properties contain the internationally-recognized Ocoee River — home to the 1996 Olympic whitewater events — and the Hiwassee River, a bit slower moving, which offers whitewater paddling, drifting and fishing. The park is also home to facilities on Gee Creek, including a 47-site primitive tent campground adjacent to the Gee Creek Wilderness of the Cherokee National Forest.
OTHER REGION PARKS
The Chattanooga region managed two other top-10 finishes, with Harrison Bay State Park getting $3,629 in donations to take fourth place in Group 1, and in Group 3, Red Clay State Park finished eighth with $2,420, according to state officials.
Savage Gulf State Park, the newest park added in 2022 to the state’s 56 existing parks, made its first appearance in the dollar-per-vote contest, managing a 12th place finish in Group 3 with $1,135, results show.
Winning parks get a plaque featuring the names of their donors, according to state officials.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.