Friends of Fall Creek Falls State Park, Inc.

Friends of Fall Creek Falls is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to preserving the natural and cultural riches of Fall Creek Falls State Park.

Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park, situated on the Western Edge of the Cumberland Plateau, contains over 25,000 acres of rugged beauty. Inside the park are both first class recreational facilities, including an 18-hole golf course and untrammeled pristine wilderness. Resource management staff is available year round to assist park visitors. Fifty miles of trails, including twenty-five miles of hiking trails, and twenty miles of biking trails, lead the visitor away from the roads and into the wilderness at Fall Creek.

Tennessee's Largest state park, with over 25,000 acres, Fall Creek Falls State Park offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the South. Over half the park is designated a natural area wilderness. Numerous spectacular water falls and streams grace the park. A 345 acre lake has yielded state record bluegill and channel catfish. Renowned Civil War genre painter, Gilbert Gaul, worked from his homesite within the present boundary of the park.

The purpose of the "Friends" organization is to foster conservation and educational efforts in support of Fall Creek Falls State Park, and to assist the Park in its efforts to better preserve and protect its existing land resources. This includes but is not limited to the many natural, cultural and scenic features and to assist in providing quality recreational and interpretive experiences.

We encourage you to join us in our efforts to assist Fall Creek Falls State Park by becoming a member of our organization. You will receive a quarterly newsletter which will keep you up on scheduled Friends and park events, a 20% discount on gift shop items, and an opportunity to serve in various ways. We co-sponsor several park activities and a variety of projects and activities.

The support given through your membership and donations go toward these many worthy causes. Your donations are an investment in our future.

Background Information About Fall Creek Falls State Park

In 1935, the National Park Service proposed the creation of Fall Creek Falls State Park situated in both Van Buren and Bledsoe Counties. The original plans were to include the entire Cane Creek Gulf watershed, but only 15,777 acres of land were purchased from local farmers centering on the upper portion of the Cane Creek and Fall Creek watersheds. Workers from the Works Progress Administration began construction of the park in 1936, and by 1944 the management of the park was turned over to the fledgling Tennessee Department of Conservation. In the early stages of the park, development was kept to a minimum. The rustic park was a destination for hikers, hunters, swimmers, and other nature lovers. Camping was in an open field; groups could also stay in Youth Camp One, which was built around 1938.

An instrumental person in the development of Fall Creek Falls as a state park was James Taft, a teacher, Boy Scout leader, and preacher, who lived in the area. Taft quickly recognized the value of the area as a park and began his lobbying efforts to see it set aside for the public. Through his passionate insistence about the possibilities for this land, James Taft helped get the area set aside as a state park.

In 1968, an 8.1 million dollar bond project was approved for the development of Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park. Most of the park facilities you see today were built during that period: the Inn and Restaurant, the 18-hole golf course, the Nature Center, and the Village Green Complex. With the development of the resort park, visitation increased dramatically, especially during summer months.

Questions relating to the programs above should be addressed to the Nature Center, Fall Creek Falls State Park, 10821 Park Road, Pikeville, TN, 37367. Phone (423) 881-5708.

Cabins and rooms can be reserved at Fall Creek Falls Inn by calling (423) 881-5241 or 1-800-250-8610.

"The Richest Values of Wilderness Lie Not in the Days of Daniel Boone Nor Even in the Present, But Rather in the Future"- Leopold.

HOME | CONTACT US | LINKS | MEET OUR BOARD

423.881.5708
Contact us by email

Friends of Fall Creek Falls State Park
10821 Park Road
Pikeville, TN 37367

Hours:
Mon.-Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST

Friends of Fall Creek Falls is a not-for-profit
501(c)(3) organization.

Read our Privacy Policy.

© 2008 Friends of Fall Creek Falls State Park, Inc.
All rights reserved. For questions or comments
about this website, contact the webmaster.

DONATE NOW

Upcoming Board Meetings

Background Information About Fall Creek Falls State Park