One Day at David Crockett State Park
July 24, 2024 by Laura
David Crockett State Park was such a fun park to explore! There is so much to see and do including beautiful hikes, waterfalls, a covered bridge, and birds of prey. It is a wonderful way to spend the day out in nature!
David Crockett State Park Adventures
When we visit a new state for 50 States by 50 one of our requirements is to visit a state park. David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg worked perfectly with our Tennessee vacation schedule. This park is located in-between Chattanooga and Memphis. I would say that it is somewhat of a hidden treasure. It was so much fun!
If you are looking for more detailed Tennessee content check out our other travel blogs: Nashville Itinerary, Memphis Itinerary, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Itinerary, Tennessee Food Guide, 9 Day Tennessee Itinerary, Slawburger Festival.
David Crockett State Park Overview
David Crockett State Park is located in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. The park is open every day from 7AM to sunset. In this state park, you will find a small museum about David Crockett, birds of prey, lots of hiking, camping spots, cabins, and even a restaurant. A cool thing about Tennessee state parks is that they are all free to enter!
We visited David Crockett State Park in the middle of April on a Sunday morning. The whole park was very peaceful and quiet. In fact, we saw very few people while walking around and on the trails.
David Crockett State Park History
Obviously, this park is named after the famous Davy Crockett. Davy was born in Tennessee and moved to Lawrence County in 1817 where he served as a state representative, justice of peace, and colonel of the militia. Along Shoal Creek, he established a powdermill, gristmill, and distillery. Unfortunately, all were destroyed by a flood in 1821 but they would still become the namesake for this 1319-acre state park.
Inside the park, you will find a small museum dedicated to the life of David Crockett and a water-powered gristmill. The museum is only open during the summer months. Unfortunately, since we were visiting on a Sunday morning, it was closed when we were there. We were, however, still able to walk around the gristmill and read a bit about Davy on a sign posted outside of the museum.
Next to the museum, you will find some cages that house birds of prey. There wasn't much information about this birds, and since there were no park rangers around on Sunday morning, I couldn't ask anybody. They were very cool and pretty birds and it was amazing to see them up close. I'm not sure if these birds were injured, or if they were born in captivity, or if they have a different story. If you know their story, feel free to leave a comment below letting me know. I am very curious as I can't find anything online about them.
Covered Bridge over Shoal River
After attending Indiana's Covered Bridge Festival, I fell in love with covered bridges. I was so happy to see one here at this park. I find them to be so cool, and they just give off a cozy vibe reminding you of days past.
Be sure to walk over to this covered bridge, admire it, walk across it, and snap a few pictures of it.
Crockett Falls
While you are visiting David Crockett State Park, you must also walk over to Crockett Falls. This falls is right next to the road so you don't even have to hike to it! You can step out onto the big rock and small beaches and just enjoy the sounds of nature. The water running and trickling through is so peaceful. This falls is not big or tall, but it is beautiful and most definitely worth a visit.
Crawfish Valley Trail
Now on to my favorite part! We decided to hike Crawfish Valley which is a 2.7 mile trail that runs through the park. I'm not really sure what I expected from the hike, but it beyond exceeded my expectations. The first part of the hike is through the woods. There are so many trees, wildflowers, mushrooms, and small creatures everywhere.
Since we were the only ones on the trail, it was so quite and peaceful. All we could hear were the songbirds singing their tunes. The trail winds through the trees and past large rocks, it truly was the best time out in nature.
As we were walking, we kept passing signs that said 'Water Crossing Ahead'. We weren't really sure what that meant, but we kept on hoping that the trail wasn't too overflooded for us to pass. We then came across a bridge. This long bridge runs across a river. Here we saw many blooming flowers, beautiful birds, a flock of ducks, and cute chipmunks. After viewing the beautiful scenery over the water, we headed on. We still were seeing the 'Water Crossing Ahead' signs and were getting anxious about what was to come.
After walking a few more minutes, we could hear water running, and it sounded like a lot of water! We made a few more turns, and there it was! This most beautiful waterfall. I couldn't believe it! We had no idea there was a waterfall on this trail, and this was such a happy surprise. I wanted to stand there on the rocks and view it forever. It was that pretty! We were the only people in sight, and it was a moment that I will remember forever.
The water crossing signs were indeed talking about this waterfall. We had to hop from one rock to the next to get over, and our boots did get wet! It was so much fun and exhilarating to be that close to a waterfall. 10 out of 10 experience!
We then kept on forward where the trail ended up next to this open field. Here is where we saw many birds including a pileated woodpecker and many chipmunks. We spent a good amount of time just searching for fun animals in this spot! After that, the trail came to an end. We had to hike up the road back to our car. The hike back to the car does pass the restaurant which would be a great place to relax for a bit!
Overall, this hike was one of my most favorite hikes of my life. Seriously! I don't think I'll ever forget this one, and the sheer joy that waterfall brought me.
50 States by 50
Tennessee was our fourth state for our 50 states by 50 challenge. My husband, Brian, and I are planning to visit all the states in the United States by the time we turn 50 years old. To choose which state we travel to next, we will draw it randomly!
For each state, we will plan at least a 4 day trip that consists of visiting the state capitol and state museum, exploring a state park, and eating whatever food that state is most known for. I will be documenting all of our travels here on my blog and making vlogs as well which will be posted on YouTube. Read more about our 50 States by 50 Bucket List.
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Thank you for reading about our amazing time at David Crockett State Park in Tennessee. I hope you enjoyed the pictures, and it was helpful in planning your visit to Tennessee! If you have any questions or just want to share your David Crockett adventures, please leave a comment down below.
Category: Tennessee, National and State Parks
Keywords: hiking in Tennessee, state parks in Tennessee, David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg, David Crockett State Park review
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Bon Voyage!
July 24, 2024 by Laura Ehlers
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