Black Rock Mountain State Park - Hiking and Camping

Hiking and Camping

There are five hiking trails through lush forests, alongside cascading mountain streams and around 17 acre (69,000 m²) Black Rock Lake. The 2.2-mile (3.5 km) Tennessee Rock Trail crosses Black Rock Mountain's cool north slope before climbing across the mountain's summit and following the Eastern Continental Divide. From the trail's namesake feature - Tennessee Rock itself - hikers enjoy vistas that extend northward into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including Clingman's Dome, the highest point in Tennessee.

The 7.2-mile (11.6 km) James E. Edmonds Trail is named for "Mr. Eddie" Edmonds, one of the park's earliest and longest-serving rangers. This rugged trail features four secluded campsites which allow backpackers with reservations to escape into the park's quiet backcountry. The campsites- Fern Cove, Lookoff Mountain, Laurel Ridge, and Creek Ridge- are completely undeveloped and offer no facilities. In places the Edmonds Trail weaves in and out of laurel-filled coves and follows cascading mountain streams with small waterfalls. At the trail's northern end, hikers reach 3,162-foot (964 m) Lookoff Mountain and enjoy views of scenic Wolffork Valley, the source of the Little Tennessee River.

The Ada-Hi Falls Trail is named for the Cherokee word for "forest." The quarter-mile trail begins near the entrance of the park's popular RV camping area and leads hikers into a moist north-facing cove filled with rosebay rhododendron. The lower portion of the trail becomes very steep and utilizes a series of wooden steps before ending on the observation platform for Ada-hi Falls, a small cascade typical of falls found in the upper reaches of mountain coves. The trail is short but strenuous due to the 220-foot (67 m) elevation change. Note: this trail remains closed after sections of it were heavily damaged from a tornado strike on April 27, 2011.

The .85-mile (137 km) Black Rock Lake Trail was completed in August, 2007. This gently-rolling path completely encircles Black Rock Lake and features several wooden bridges that span cascading streams, as well as trailside benches which afford scenic views of the lake. The trail is easy and can be enjoyed by hikers of most any fitness level.

The park's newest trail, the Norma Campbell Cove Trail, is short- only 200 yards- but nevertheless very scenic. It begins on the southern edge of the Eastern Continental Divide near the Marie Mellinger Center and descends into the upper reaches of a south-facing cove filled with ferns, mayapple and trillium. Hikers pass huge boulders and large rock outcrops, as well as small springs that flow into Stekoa Creek, one of the principal tributaries of the federally-designated "wild and scenic" Chattooga River. The cove and trail are named for the late Norma Campbell, a popular park naturalist, who led the decade-long effort to acquire funding for the construction of the Marie Mellinger Center, the park's primary programming and special event facility.

The park offers a variety of camping experiences. It has a 44-site campground featuring water, electricity and cable TV hookups for recreational vehicles. There are also 12 isolated walk-in tent sites located in Hickory Cove on the mountain's southeastern slope. On the park's westernmost ridge are ten rental cottages and Camp Tsatu-gi, a primitive pioneer campsite designed for use by organized groups.