1 hr 30 min
By car from the Public Square, 90 mi
Field Guide 04 · Tennessee State Parks
Natchez Trace State Park
The park sits inside nearly 48,000 acres of worn-out farmland the federal government bought in the 1930s, where the Civilian Conservation Corps built 250,000 check dams to hold the soil. An inn, cabins, a riders' campground, lakes to swim and fish, and the 24-mile Red Leaves Trail.
Henderson CountyWildersvilleOpenChecked October 20, 2026
8,268
Acres*
546,402
Visitors in fiscal 2022
7
Trails listed, 31 miles
Lodge
Overnight: camping, cabins, lodge
12
Activities the state lists
* Acres: The plan's fact sheet; its history says close to 10,000 acres, inside nearly 48,000 acres of state land.
What's there
Things to do
- Archery
- Birding
- Boating
- Camping
- Caving
- Community Events
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horseback Riding
- Mountain Biking
- Shooting
- Swimming
On site
- Adult-Sized Changing Table
- All-Terrain Wheelchair
- Beach
- Bike Trails
- Birding
- Boat Access
- Boat Ramp
- Boat Rentals
- Cabins
- Camp Store
- Campground
- Canoe Access
- Fishing
- Gift Shop
- Group Lodges
- Horseback Riding
- Hotel
- Laundromat
- Meeting Rooms
- Museum
- Playground
- Restaurant
- Snack Bar
- Stables
- Swimming
- Trails
- Visitor Center
The trails
| Trail | Miles | Difficulty | Surface | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cub Lake Trail | 2.7 | Moderate | Natural | Closed |
| Fairview Gullies Trail | 1 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Fern Trail | 0.45 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Oak Ridge Trail | 0.8 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Pin Oak Trail | 1.05 | Moderate | Natural | Open |
| Red Leaves Trail | 24.3 | Difficult | Natural | Open |
| VC Trail | 0.65 | 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
- Natchez Trace Pin Oak CampgroundTent & RV
- Natchez Trace Cub Lake Recreation AreaPrimitive ยท Tent & RV
- Cub Lake ShelterBackcountry Shelter
- Natchez Trace Wrangler CampgroundWrangler
- Camping CabinsCamping Cabins
Getting there
24845 Natchez Trace Rd, Wildersville, TN 38388
Park office: 1-731-968-3742
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
- Mousetail Landing State Park17 miles away as the crow flies · 1 hr 50 min from Franklin
- Johnsonville State Historic Park24 miles away as the crow flies · 1 hr 30 min from Franklin
- Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park25 miles away as the crow flies · 1 hr 50 min from Franklin
- Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park31 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 20 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's fact sheet; its history says close to 10,000 acres, inside nearly 48,000 acres of state land.
- Visitors. The park's strategic management plan, its site fact sheet for fiscal 2022 (July 2021 to June 2022).