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Submission
From I-75, Exit 122, take Hwy 61 east for approximately 12 miles. Park entrance is on the left. The park is located between the cities of Andersonville and Maynardville.
Big Ridge State Park is a really nice park. We stayed the weekend in cabin 15. It could sleep 5. Clean, no evidence of any critters. The kitchen is extremely small!!! We didn’t cook anything at the cabin. The beds were bouncy, so if you rolled over, you’ll wake the other person. The parking was tight, you had to park on the side of the road. Relatively quiet. We would stay again!
They have an information list of the trails. We did the Lake Trail, little steeper than we were expecting, but still a nice hike to the Big Ridge Dam. Then we took the Old Mill Trail, that will take you back to the cabins.
Everyone was really nice. It’s not far to Norris Dam State Park and the Museum of Appalachia.
Stayed in cabin 7 for the weekend. The kitchen is small but functional. Everything was clean. There is no fire pit for a campfire, but you do have a screened in porch to shield from bugs. One of the windows didn't seal so it was drafty. For September this was fine, would not be fun in the winter trying to stay warm. They have a park for kids, an area for events and shelters for picnics, they have some trails, the one we went on wasn't very maintained and had a lot of overgrowth. They also have boat rentals for kayaks, paddle boards, row boats, canoes, and peddle boats they are inexpensive to rent and are a nice activity.
Good location on Norris lake. The staff is friendly and helpful. Even though it was full when we camped there it was reasonably quiet. Nice playground. The sites are close, the bathhouses are adequate but needed some tlc. The biggest negative is the haphazard location of the campsite utilities. Bring an extra water hose!
Great park. So much to do. It's beautiful and peaceful. Clean bathrooms. It's a beautiful lake. We walked a short trail by the old mill and it was perfect with lots of shade and lake views.
