7 Tennessee State Parks Tennesseans Save for Late Fall

After the leaves come down, a lot of people put away their hiking boots until spring.

Tennesseans who keep going will find state parks with quiet trails, lake views, and even Thanksgiving traditions.

Here are the parks worth saving for late fall.

1. Fall Creek Falls

Fall Creek Falls State Park, in Spencer, offered a Thanksgiving lunch buffet of turkey, fried catfish and pumpkin pie in 2025, according to a state environment department news release.

Adults paid $32 and children ages 4 to 12 paid $22.

Reservations were required, and the park took them through Nov. 24.

Call the park in early November to ask whether you can get a seat this year.

You can explore some of the park’s waterfalls and hike its trails after the meal.

The state tourism office calls the park’s 256-foot waterfall one of the highest in the eastern United States.

The park covers 29,800 acres.

2. Reelfoot Lake

Reelfoot Lake State Park, in Tiptonville, listed weekend fall color pontoon cruises in October and November in the state’s 2022 fall guide.

Each was a two-hour tour with a naturalist.

If you’re planning a trip, ask the park whether cruises are running this fall.

Large groups of eagles and ducks migrate to the lake for the winter.

The state’s 2026 fall guide says fall also coincides with the arrival of migratory birds at the lake, including bald eagles.

If you’re after eagles, the state’s natural area page for the lake says it has a significant population of wintering bald eagles.

More than 270 bird species have been reported in the area.

3. Cumberland Mountain

In 2025, you couldn’t reserve a seat at the Thanksgiving lunch buffet at Cumberland Mountain State Park, in Crossville.

The state environment department’s news release said the entire party had to be present to be seated.

The buffet featured turkey and southern glazed ham for $32 a person.

Children ages 4 to 12 paid $22.

After the meal, you could walk the accessible Byrd Lake Trail or bring fishing gear to the lake.

The state’s 2026 fall guide tells you to look for the Crab Orchard Stone Bridge, which it says was built in the late 1930s.

4. Savage Gulf

Savage Gulf State Park led a seven-mile trek on the day after Thanksgiving in 2024, according to the state environment department.

The state’s natural area page for the gulf lists more than 50 miles of hiking trails.

You reach the Stone Door entrance via Highway 56 in Beersheba Springs.

If you want a look at the Stone Door, it’s a crack 10 feet wide and 100 feet deep.

That crack runs from the top of the escarpment into the gorge below.

5. Natchez Trace

Natchez Trace State Park, near Wildersville, had a color window of late October to early November in the state's 2022 fall guide.

You can rent a kayak on Pin Oak Lake to see the colors reflecting off the water.

If you ride a bike, the park also has more than 50 miles of multi-use fire trails.

The park's restaurant served a Thanksgiving buffet in 2023, according to the state environment department.

Adults paid $20.95.

Brown's Creek Levee is another sunset stop.

6. Pickwick Landing

In 2024, Pickwick Landing State Park, in Counce, hosted a Pre-Gobble Wobble on Thanksgiving Day, then an After-Feast Stroll the same day.

In 2025, you could eat Thanksgiving lunch or dinner at the park, where the buffet had turkey, fried chicken strips and fruit cobblers.

If you were bringing a group of six or more, reservations were preferred.

The park's management plan lists 1,533 acres.

7. Meeman-Shelby Forest

If you want a short walk the day after Thanksgiving, Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, near Memphis, offered a one-mile woodland loop in 2024.

Advanced hikers had the option of a more strenuous route.

The state's 2026 fall guide describes Poplar Tree Lake as surrounded by orange, yellow and red.

If you'd rather be on the water, there are also guided canoe and kayak trips.

The park's management plan lists 12,539 acres.

Day-After-Thanksgiving Hikes

Savage Gulf and Meeman-Shelby Forest weren't the only parks with hikes on Nov. 29, 2024.

Cedars of Lebanon State Park used a new paved, accessible trail for its hike.

If you want a history lesson, Mousetail Landing State Park's hike covered the Tennessee River and its port locations.

Dunbar Cave State Park's hike showed how various cultures have altered the landscape over centuries.

Paris Landing State Park held a Thanksgiving night hike.

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park led a tour on the state's history.

In 2025, the state environment department said free guided hikes would run at many parks on Friday, Nov. 28.

Wear good walking shoes and bring water.

Your park's visitor center can tell you whether a hike is planned for this year.

Free All-Terrain Wheelchairs

Tennessee State Parks announced free all-terrain wheelchairs for seven more parks in March 2024.

Cummins Falls, Natchez Trace and Cumberland Mountain were among them.

Radnor Lake State Park was one of five parks that already had them.

The chairs are free to the public for both children and adults.

You can request a chair when you arrive, but it may already be reserved for another guest.

Advance notice is requested.

Colorblind Viewfinders

Tennessee State Parks had colorblind viewfinders at 12 parks as of September 2025, according to a state environment department news release.

The viewfinders have special lenses that let people with red-green colorblindness see a broad range of clear, vibrant colors.

If you have red-green colorblindness, you can use a viewfinder at Fall Creek Falls, Meeman-Shelby Forest, Paris Landing or Savage Gulf.