ONEIDA, Tenn. (AP) — Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area saw near-record attendance last year, the park announced.
Visitation in 2021 rose to more than 800,000, nearly 10% more than 2020. Facilities in most parks were closed for much of 2020 due to COVID-19, Big South Fork said in a news release Thursday.
“It’s wonderful to see so many new and repeat visitors, both local, and from out-of-town, continuing to find solace and inspiration in this incredible place during the second year of the pandemic,” Superintendent Niki Stephanie Nicholas said.
Big South Fork is located in northeastern Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky. It covers 125,000 acres of the Cumberland Plateau and protects the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries. It features scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs and natural and historic features.