Roan Mountain State Park

Park Overview

Roan Mountain State Park offers 11 trails with a total of 12.67 miles of hiking trails running through forest and some up to overlooks.

How to get there

From Johnson City (I-26 Exit 24):

1. Take TN67/US321 over to Elizabethton (about eight miles).
2. Turn right/south at traffic light for TN37/US19E/US321 and travel for 17 miles.
3. Turn right/south for TN143 for five miles to park visitors center.
4. Trailheads are in several places around the park.

GPS address is 1015 Hwy 143 Roan Mountain, TN 37687.

Park Trails

There are several discrepancies between the park trail map, posted trail lengths, and GPS measured hikes. This wiki lists the GPS tracked hike.

The following trails are available in Roan Mountain State Park.

Park Trails	Distance	Difficulty	Marking	Usage	Highlight
Blue 2	1.51 mi	Medium	Blue		One of the two trail mountain bike system at the park
Chestnut Ridge	2.19 mi	Medium	Orange
Cloudland	0.62 mi	Easy	Light Blue		Self guided visitor's trail from the visitor's center/grist mill
Forest Road	3.22 mi	Medium	Purple
Fred Behrend	2.20 mi	Medium	Green		Loop hike from the campground
Peg Leg Mine	0.28 mi	Easy	White		View the entrance to an abandoned mine
Raven Rock	0.97 mi	Medium	Red		Easy(ish) hike from the campground to a view of the hollow
Ridge Top	0.23 mi	Easy	Yellow		One of the two trail mountain bike system at the park
Riverside	0.57 mi	Easy	White		Easy, handicap accessible, trail along Doe River
Tom Gray	0.47 mi	Easy	White		Easy hike from the campground
Turkey Trot	0.41 mi	Medium	Red		Connects the cabins to the trail artery Forest Road

Official Park Map

Park Lodging

Park offers RV sites, tent only sites as well as cabins. Sites fill up quickly on most summer weekends. It is ill advised to arrive without a reservation in the summer.

Campground

Camp store sells wood, ice, and some very basic other sundries. The main RV area is blanketed with Wi-Fi but when visiting in Summer of 2015, couldn't be accessed. Several bathhouses are spread around the site and include flushing toilets and hot showers. A dump station for RV's is also available near the camp check-in station.

Typical tent only site

Tent only sites are built on a course gravel bed so bring your tarps to protect your tent floor and sleeping pads or mattresses for comfort. Each site includes a lantern post, a concrete picnic table, rock lined fire ring, standing grill, water hydrant, and trash can. Note that the tent only sites do not have electrical hookups.

Camp sites of special note:

• 22 & 38 have no tree block separating them (good for groups, bad for others)
• 26 is next to a bathroom with a light and fan on all night
• 33, 35, 36, 37, 39, and 40 are prime sites along the Doe River

Note! As a state park, alcoholic beverages are prohibited.

Other Park Amenities

• Pool
• Playgrounds
• Amphitheater
• Conference center
• Picnic areas
• Pavilions
• Tennis courts
• Shuffle board - in state of disrepair
• Volleyball court

Fees, Permits, etc.

The park has no day use, trail head, or entrance fees.

Camping fees range from $11-$27.50 per night depending on time of year and site amenities plus a $3 per reservation fee and taxes. Reservations can be made at their website.

Cabins range from $85 — $140 per night depending on size and time of year plus a $3 per reservation fee and taxes. Reservations can be made at their website.

Misc. Information

The house at the Miller Homestead was built in 1908 by Nathanial Miller and eventually became the home of his family of wife Sallie and their six children (Eula, Frank, David, Steward, Lloyd, and Carrie). Frank Miller was a State Park on-site interpreter for a time before his death.

After the Hike

After a hike, check out Bob's Dairyland back down in Roan Mountain.

Maps

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Photos

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  Entrance sign

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  Cabin Playground

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  Campground Playground

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  Pavilion Near Campground

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  Water wheel at Visitor's Center