3 hr 5 min
By car from the Public Square, 183 mi
Field Guide 04 · Tennessee State Parks
Hiwassee Scenic River State Park
Tennessee's first state scenic river, named in 1968: the park follows 23 miles of the Hiwassee and its Class II rapids. Camping at Gee Creek and tubing from the Sugarloaf day-use area.
Polk CountyDelanoOpenChecked October 20, 2026
286
Acres*
2,509,529
Visitors in fiscal 2022*
1
Trails listed, 1.4 miles
Camp
Overnight: camping
5
Activities the state lists
* Acres: The plan gives one figure for the Hiwassee and Ocoee parks together.* Visitors: One count for the Hiwassee and Ocoee parks together; the plan does not split it.
What's there
Things to do
- Birding
- Camping
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Paddling
On site
- Birding
- Boat Ramp
- Campground
- Canoe Access
- Fishing
- Gift Shop
- Paddle Rentals
- Playground
- Scenic River
- Swimming
- Trails
- Visitor Center
The trails
| Trail | Miles | Difficulty | Surface | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gee Creek Campground Trail | 1.4 | 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.
Where to camp
- Hiwassee Scenic River Gee Creek CampgroundPrimitive ยท Group Camp
Getting there
404 Spring Creek Rd, Delano, TN 37325
Park office: 1-423-263-0050
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
- Ocoee River State Park10 miles away as the crow flies · 3 hr from Franklin
- Red Clay State Historic Park28 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 45 min from Franklin
- Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park28 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 55 min from Franklin
- Fort Loudoun State Historic Park31 miles away as the crow flies · 3 hr 25 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 and its camping page, read October 20, 2026.
- Acres. The park's strategic management plan. The plan gives one figure for the Hiwassee and Ocoee parks together.
- Visitors. The park's strategic management plan, its site fact sheet for fiscal 2022 (July 2021 to June 2022). One count for the Hiwassee and Ocoee parks together; the plan does not split it.