Public input sought on Booker T. Washington, North Chickamauga Creek Gorge state parks

If you’ve been itching to tell state officials what needs to be done at 86-year-old Booker T. Washington State Park or the new North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park, you’re about to get the chance.

Major improvements are already underway at Booker T. Washington, including a nearly $10 million event center and new playground, according to Jennifer Donnals, spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the parent agency for state parks. Meanwhile, the first permanent structures at North Chickamauga Creek Gorge will be constructed in early 2026 as part of a $5.5 million capital improvement project.

Projects at both parks are expected to go to bid soon.

Now, officials are seeking input from Tennesseans on 14 parks, and public input sessions are scheduled for residents to learn about the parks division’s proposals and objectives. The meetings will also give the public the opportunity to meet with parks division staffers, who can answer questions and discuss ideas specific to the park hosting the meeting, according to the Department of Environment and Conservation.

The proposed plan for each of the 14 parks is part of a 10-year plan that guides the operations of all 62 state parks in Tennessee, Environment and Conservation officials said in a statement. Each of the 14 parks’ plans must be reviewed and updated within that period.

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Key components of the plans for each park focus on the four cornerstones of park management, according to state parks officials: resource stewardship, visitor experience, facilities and amenities, and operational excellence.

“Public input is vital to the continued success of our state parks,” Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner of Environment and Conservation’s Bureau of Conservation, said in a press release. “These meetings are a fun opportunity for Tennesseans to help shape the future of our state parks and fulfill our mission to preserve, protect and share Tennessee’s natural and cultural resources while providing safe and quality outdoor experiences.”

The two Chattanooga region parks will host meetings in the coming months, with Booker T. Washington’s public input session set for Thursday, followed by the session at North Chickamauga Creek Gorge on Jan. 8.

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

The 353-acre park on the shores of Chickamauga Lake was one of only two state parks open to Black Tennesseans before the park system’s desegregation in 1962.

In 1937, according to state parks officials, Tennessee State Parks were created in a segregated system. At the time, only T.O. Fuller State Park and Booker T. Washington State Park were open to Black visitors. In the 1950s and 1960s, state parks systems across the U.S. were criticized for their role in segregation, according to parks division officials.

But in 1961, a community group organized an integrated picnic at Big Ridge State Park in Maynardville, Tennessee, on Memorial Day weekend. In 1962, Tennessee Gov. Buford Ellington quietly directed park staff to end segregation at all of the state’s parks.

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Over the past eight decades, Booker T. Washington’s facilities have degenerated and become outdated, offering a chance for redesign and innovative changes.

The park’s pool, built in the 1990s, will be replaced with a “well-designed event center that citizens and organizations, such as Friends of Booker T. Washington State Park, can use to gather and create a sense of community year-round,” Donnals, the Environment and Conservation spokesperson, said in an emailed response to questions on the Chattanooga area parks.

“The Tennessee General Assembly appropriated $9.9 million for the event center and a new playground,” she said. “The project has been approved by the State Building Commission and is currently in the open bidding process.”

The problem pool and new event center were in the cross-hairs in earlier developmental meetings on improvements needed at the park, and the next steps will be guided by public input from the upcoming meeting, officials said.

“Tennessee State Parks leadership has listened to Chattanooga residents and longtime visitors of the park, seeking their input on both projects to maintain Booker T. Washington’s close historical ties to the community,” Donnals said. “The designs were well received by community members and the Friends of Booker T. Washington State Park at a recent public meeting to discuss the plans.”

The pool was removed from park grounds earlier this year, she said.

Public input sought on Booker T. Washington, North Chickamauga Creek Gorge state parks

NORTH CHICKAMAUGA CREEK GORGE

After years as North Chickamauga Creek State Natural Area, managed as part of the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park, the creek gorge and its trails became a Tennessee state park on Sept. 5, 2024. The nearly 6,000-acre park is in Hamilton and Sequatchie counties, with a deep gorge cut about 10 miles into the sandstone of Walden’s Ridge as its centerpiece. The creek is among Tennessee’s State Scenic Rivers.

The park offers more than 20 miles of hiking trails with signage, Donnals said, but no permanent buildings were ever built for the state natural area.

“A $5.5 million capital improvement project to add parking and a restroom facility at the Blue Hole Trail has been funded by the Tennessee General Assembly and approved by the State Building Commission,” Donnals said. “The bidding process on this project is scheduled to start later this month, and construction is expected to be underway in early 2026.”

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The public input sessions kick off with Cove Lake State Park on Monday. Other public meetings include Big Ridge State Park, Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park, Bledsoe Creek State Park, Cumberland Mountain State Park, David Crockett State Park, Big Hill Pond State Park, Harpeth River State Park, Montgomery Bell State Park and Burgess Falls State Park.

Comments will be accepted through Jan. 31 in an online survey or by mail. The Comprehensive Strategic Plan, the individual park plan updates and the meeting schedule can be viewed by visiting the Bureau of Conservation, Planning and Publication page. For comments, go to the Tennessee State Parks Comment Card for Park Strategic Management Plans.

Comments by mail should be addressed to:

Attn: Liz Campbell

Davy Crockett Tower

500 James Robertson Parkway, 8th floor

Nashville, TN 37243

Contact Southeast Tennessee reporter Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.