Park: 5/5
Great park. Bathrooms could use a seat and the park manager is a real hillbilly calling the park his front yard. Other then that thank you Tennessee!
Beautiful state park with great hiking trails and lots of place to explore. My first visit was a solo trip. I had such a great experience I decided to go back again, this time with two friends. We drove a few hours from Nashville to go for a weekend camp. We arrived at 8pm and began setting up our tents at the Davis Pond campsite. A posted sign said not to setup camp after sunset. We looked for a ranger and not finding one, we continued setting up camp anyways. ("Big mistake.") Two park rangers arrived shortly after telling us the park was open, but we were not allowed to enter and pitch our tents after sunset. I explained to the rangers that we made the long trip from Nashville and were not about to turn around and drive back home. They responded by telling us to "Get lost and do not come back, we don't care if you drove here from Hawaii." Then proceeded to escort us out and give us a $240 ticket. Being an Eagle Scout I have hiked and camped at many state parks across our country and have never been treated with such hostility when expecting hospitality. I am truly disappointed with the lack of rationalism and professionalism demonstrated by park staff. After being told to “get lost and don’t come back” we have decided we do not wish to return to Prentice Cooper State forest anytime in the foreseeable future.
Worth the trip just 20 minutes from downtown Chattanooga. There is some good easy to moderate hiking and there are some gorgeous views. I light camelback is all you really need unless you want to tackle the Cumberland Trail. Then you need to do your homework.
Beautiful place. Went there for a friend memorial service at Lusk Cemetery and loved the scenery.
(9-23-17)
(9-25-17) Update: I have emailed Jim Lane, the State Forest Supervisor regarding the situation. The response I received was unsatisfactory to say the least. No apology, and "you should not be surprised that you got a ticket" was the response I received.
Park staff: -5/5
Really nice area. Lots of trails that loop off and back to the main road. This makes getting lost a lot less likely. There are hiking, biking, horse back riding and 4x4 trails mixed out there. There are even trails that have warning signs that require 4x4's to access. They have a gun range at the front of the area that is not monitored so shooting is at your risk depending on the people shooting while you are there.
Prentice Cooper State Forest is a US Park based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Prentice Cooper State Forest is located at 3998 Game Reserve Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37405, USA.
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