Outdoor Recreation

Other outdoor recreation

The East Tennessee region is internationally renowned for some of the most spectacular and accessible natural beauty anywhere.  Nature-lovers can choose from numerous parks and recreational spaces including vast forests, abundant fresh-water fishing streams, and lakes. 

Hikers, campers, skiers, rock climbers, kayakers, boaters, hunters, fishermen, and other outdoor sportsmen find East Tennessee to be the ideal outdoor sports location.

Popular venues include:

• The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the country, with over 500,000 acres of rugged mountains, waterfalls, lush valleys, and breath-taking vistas, just minutes from downtown Knoxville.
•  The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, 90 miles of scenic gorges and valleys
• The Obed Wild and Scenic River is part of the National Park System
• Two national forests, nine state parks, numerous hiking trails, and three whitewater rafting rivers
• Seven Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) managed lakes covering 266 square miles and nearly 3,500 miles of shoreline