Tims Ford State Park

Cool place. Full of mosquitos so prepare yourself accordingly. Also, if you are tent camping as we were, make sure to bring some serious padding. There is a specific place for you to put your tent and it’s gravel, and big gravel so not the most comfortable to sleep on with a thin sleeping bag.
Beautiful spot right on the water though. Worth the stop!

I’ll give the positives first.
The hiking trails are pretty extensive. You’re on the lake and a short drive from a couple of marinas. Great playground for a state park.
The bad. The sites are pretty small. You really need to plan accordingly if going in with anything bigger than a tent. Even a small pop-​up or R-​Pod is challenging on some of the sites. Still, it can be amusing watching someone pull in with a 32′ travel trailer and watching them try to fit it on to a site. Also note that the hook-​ups are on the wrong side on about half the sites. Driving the loop, if your site is on the right you should be fine. On the left… Hope you brought an extension cable and longer hose. Also worth noting that although the sites say they’re level… they’re clearly not, as evidence by how much I had to raise my camper to get it to level.
If you’re stopping in to hike or fish… great place. For long term camping… I think I’d pass.

Great summer place to fish, boat, hike, bird watch, mountain bike. Has cabin rentals and a new visitors center. By the boat launch there is a little store for snacks but it was closed when we went. I have done it all at this park and love the suspension bridges on the hikes. BTW have you found the wrecked 1940s plymouth in the woods yet. Its pretty stripped but I half expected it to be loaded with moonshine.

We stopped by the dam on a whim after exploring the area and were surprised to find that a few fishermen were actually catching stocked trout and natural small mouth at the base of the dam and about a mile down stream.
We couldn’t do any fishing ourselves due to a lack of license, but will be back when in the area. The area itself is just beautiful — there was mist on the water that made it look like we were in the clouds. Marvelous.
BTW, the dam is south of the actual state park off of hwy 50. You can find it by googling Tims Ford Dam Franklin County, TN.

This park is small compared to Fall Creek Falls, but is very cozy and welcoming! The cabins are on the water and are fabulous! They are clean and well maintained and have all the linens, utensils, and cookware you could need. I love the wood inside the cabin, it feels rustic and very comforting.
The park has a boat launch area where there is a seasonal place to eat and get snacks. You can rent boats, I believe. We went off season and so that wasn’t open. There were plenty of areas to go fishing near there, though.
There were plenty of water fowl to feed near the docks. Which you know little kids of all ages love to do!
There were hawks that flew overhead and seemed to walk the park with me, which I really enjoyed. I love birds of prey! They were so beautiful.
The whole park is gorgeous. They have a golf course. We didn’t play this trip, but we could see it across the lake. It’s well maintained and looks like fun for our next trip.
The park does have a swimming pool, which is seasonal of course. The staff that work there were really friendly and nice to us during our stay. We stayed a couple of years ago, before I knew of Unilocal… lol.
There isn’t a whole lot immediately around the park. Which we like. Just be sure to bring what you need. If there is a dire need then there is a quaint gas station near that is old but has a little bit of everything and is run by some really friendly people! You can also get your fishing license there. Which you have to have to fish in TN.
The park has a nice playground area that our daughter enjoyed a lot. That’s a plus for the families out there. There is also a small gift shop area in the visitor’s center/​office where you check in. I suggest a coffee mug. It’s fun to get one from every vacation you go on.
Overall the park is very peaceful off season and is a definite retreat from the hussle and bussle of the daily grind. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a fun getaway in any season. I can’t imagine it is too crowded during the summer, as it’s just not equipped to handle the massive amounts of people like Fall Creek Falls is. It’s worth a trip to for sure.