Tennessee Appalachian Trail Buffer: Rocky Fork Into Public Ownership
The Nashville Business Journal reported last month that there is a new State Park in Tennessee. The 2036 acre park is located near the A.T. in the Northeastern part of the State and provides an additional buffer against development in this area. The transfer of Rocky Fork into public ownership has been a goal of the Appalachian Trail Conference since at least 1983:
Gov. Bill Haslam and other Tennessee officials announced the creation of a new state park Tuesday.
Located in Unicoi County, about 30 miles from Johnson City in northeast Tennessee, the Rocky Fork tract of land will add 2,000 acres to Tennessee’s state park system, Knoxville News Sentinel reports. An additional 8,000 acres surrounding the park will be managed as a national forest by the U.S. Forest Service.
Initial plans for the park, which includes 16 miles of trout streams, include picnic areas, a primitive campground and trails, according to the News Sentinel.
Said Sen. Lamar Alexander describing the area, “If you like the Smokies, you’ll like Rocky Fork.”