2 hr 30 min
By car from the Public Square, 147 mi
Field Guide 04 · Tennessee State Parks
Booker T. Washington State Park
The Civilian Conservation Corps built it on Chickamauga Lake north of Chattanooga in 1939 as the park for Hamilton County's Black residents under segregation; the state bought the land from the TVA for $1 in 1954. Today it runs to group stays, with a group camp and lodge, a fishing pier, a boat ramp and a mountain bike loop.
Hamilton CountyChattanoogaOpenChecked October 20, 2026
400
Acres
164,126
Visitors in fiscal 2025
5
Trails listed, 8 miles
Day
Day use only
6
Activities the state lists
What's there
Things to do
- Biking
- Birding
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Paddling
On site
- Accessible Paddling Launch
- All-Terrain Wheelchair
- Amphitheater
- Aviary
- Basketball
- Bike Trails
- Birding
- Boat Access
- Boat Ramp
- Boat Rentals
- Canoe Access
- Fishing
- Gift Shop
- Group Lodges
- Paddle Rentals
- Playground
- Rental Venue
- Swimming
- Trails
- Visitor Center
- Volleyball
The trails
| Trail | Miles | Difficulty | Surface | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner Loop 1 Trail | 1.2 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Inner Loop 2 Trail | 2.25 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Nature Trail | 1.1 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Outer Loop Trail | 2.9 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Scenic Trail | 0.5 | Easy | Natural | Open |
As the park's hiking page lists them on October 20, 2026. Lengths are one way unless the trail is a loop, and some trails share ground, so the total is the sum of the list, not the miles on the ground.
Getting there
5801 Champion Road, Chattanooga, TN 37416
Park office: 1-423-894-4955
The park's page at Tennessee State Parks
Campsites, cabins and lodge rooms are booked online through the park's page or by phone at 1-888-867-2757, the state's reservation line.
Nearby
- Harrison Bay State Park6 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 35 min from Franklin
- North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park9 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 25 min from Franklin
- Red Clay State Historic Park16 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 45 min from Franklin
- Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park23 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 55 min from Franklin
How we know
Every fact on this page but the summary at the top is the state's, read on the date above, except the drive: that is Valhalla's route on OpenStreetMap's roads from Franklin's Public Square to the park office, with no traffic, rounded to five minutes. Visits are the park plan's count for the year named, mostly from traffic counters. How the guide was made.
- The park. Tennessee State Parks: the Find a Park list, the park's own page, its hiking page, read October 20, 2026.
- Acres. The park's strategic management plan.
- Visitors. The park's strategic management plan, its site fact sheet for fiscal 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025).