3 hr 25 min
By car from the Public Square, 197 mi
Field Guide 04 · Tennessee State Parks
Reelfoot Lake State Park
A shallow cypress lake made by the earthquakes of the winter of 1811 and 1812, when the Mississippi ran backward. The park is 280 acres in pieces around it, with two campgrounds, cabins, boardwalks, a museum and boat tours.
Lake CountyTiptonvilleOpenChecked October 20, 2026
280
Acres*
532,927
Visitors in fiscal 2022
6
Trails listed, 3.7 miles
Cabins
Overnight: camping, cabins
7
Activities the state lists
* Acres: The park's own land, in pieces around the lake.
What's there
Things to do
- Birding
- Boating
- Camping
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Paddling
- Tours
On site
- Accessible Paddling Launch
- Adult-Sized Changing Table
- All-Terrain Wheelchair
- Aviary
- Birding
- Boat Access
- Boat Ramp
- Cabins
- Campground
- Canoe Access
- Fishing
- Gift Shop
- Laundromat
- Meeting Rooms
- Museum
- Playground
- Trails
- Visitor Center
- Wheelchair-Friendly Paved Trails
The trails
| Trail | Miles | Difficulty | Surface | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airpark Trail | 1.25 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Black Bayou Trail | 0.7 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Boardwalk | 0.45 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Brough Slough Nature Trail | 0.3 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Keystone Trail | 0.6 | Easy | Natural | Open |
| Walking Loop Trail | 0.4 | Easy | Paved | 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
- Reelfoot Lake South CampgroundTent & RV
- Reelfoot Lake Airpark North CampgroundTent & RV
Getting there
2595 HWY 21 E, Tiptonville, TN 38079
Park office: 1-731-253-9652
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
- Big Cypress Tree State Park32 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 45 min from Franklin
- Middle Fork Bottoms State Park53 miles away as the crow flies · 2 hr 10 min from Franklin
- Fort Pillow State Park55 miles away as the crow flies · 3 hr 35 min from Franklin
- Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park73 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 park's own land, in pieces around the lake.
- Visitors. The park's strategic management plan, its site fact sheet for fiscal 2022 (July 2021 to June 2022).