Big Ridge State Park was created in the 1930s by the Tennessee Valley Authority in cooperation with the National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps. A small dam was designed by TVA and built by the CCC to create a 45 acre lake that would not be subject to the seasonal drawdown of the Norris reservoir. I visited the park one evening in early May, 2013 and hiked the 1.5 mile Lake Trail as well as the Meditation Point and Loyston Overlook spur trails. The Lake Trail starts near the park office and recreation fields and ends near the group camp. An additional hike of over a mile via either road or trail leads back to the parking area. For the most part, the trails were in fairly good shape considering the tremendous amount of rainfall in the region this spring. There are some places that are still very wet, so an extra pair of shoes and dry socks for the ride home might be necessary. I also found hiking sticks were helpful in attempting to rock hop across those wet areas.
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| Big Ridge Lake from near the trail head |
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| The Lake Trail is well worn with plenty of protruding roots |
The first spur trail to Meditation Point is only about 300 yards down the trail. It heads to the right about ¼ mile up a small hill to a covered bench. The trail was in fairly poor condition with numerous trees down. However, a tree crew was working in the park so the trail should be in better condition soon.
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| Meditation Point Trail |
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| Dead tree standing in the trail |
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| Dead tree that fell across the trail |
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| Back to back covered benches at the end of the trail |
Back on the Lake Trail, the conditions improved considerably as the trail climbed up the hillside and the forest opened up a bit.
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| Lake Trail |
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| Lake Trail covered bench |
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| Another tree across the trail |
The second spur trail is about ¼ mile beyond the first spur and is called the Loyston Overlook Trail. It takes about 0.3 miles to climb to the top of a knob west of Big Ridge Dam and then circles the hill in another tenth of a mile. There really wasn't much of an overlook as the forest severely obscured the view of the "Loyston Sea."
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| Junction of Loyston Overlook Trail on the left and the Lake Trail on the right |
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| Obstructed view of the "Loyston Sea" |
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| The Loyston Overlook Trail circles back on itself |
Back on the Lake Trail, the route descends to cross Big Ridge Dam before heading back along the east shore. The elevation of Norris reservoir was higher than the Big Ridge Dam, so the Clinch River expanded into Big Ridge Lake as well.
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| First glimpse of Big Ridge Dam |
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| Note that the water is above the top of the dam |
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| Sturdy handrails and fencing border the walkway across the dam |
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| Big Ridge Lake |
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| Norris Lake |
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| The Lake Trail continues around the shoreline |
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| Pollen floats as a film on the still water near the dam |
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| Tree crews are clearing downed trees and improving the trail as well |
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| Still more trees to be cleared off the trail |
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| Reflections in Big Ridge Lake |
The usual bugs were out in force, so carry and use the insect repellent of your choice. There is much more to see and do in the park including several additional hiking trails as well as a picnic area, cabins and campsites.
The park website is http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/BigRidge/.