Unplugging to Reconnect at Chickasaw State Park

The layout of the park seems to have been designed with community in mind. The cabins, as well as the group lodge, are steps away from the central lakefront recreation area where the activities are abundant. Best of all for us, those options included a playground where our kids could enjoy some free-range play within a short walk from the cabin. For the first time in our 21st-century lives, I was able to prepare a meal in peace and holler out the cabin door when it was ready. Within a minute, the kids came running.

But the beauty of this hub of activity is that you don’t have to be doing anything to enjoy it; you can just be. Taking a seat to soak in the surroundings is enough. From the gentle sway of a bench swing, I finished reading an entire book as well as two full issues of Travel + Leisure, and from the small pier behind our cabin, my family sat quietly and witnessed stunning sunrises and sunsets.

When I told my kids we’d be horseback riding on this trip, I was met with immediate excitement… followed by some fearful hesitation. For these suburban girls, the only horses they’d really seen were through a car window or on a television screen. 

Chickasaw is the only state park in the system that offers both a wrangler campground and guided horseback rides, which means you can B.Y.O.H. (bring your own horse) and explore the hundreds of miles between the State Park and neighboring State Forest; or, you can book a ride at the Chickasaw Riding Stables, a family-operated outfitter that operates in cooperation with the state park. My 7-year-old was old enough to command her own horse; my 4-year-old rode in tandem with me on a sturdy horse named Cojack; and my husband was paired with Cash, a horse we joked was disappointed to be carrying a full-grown man instead of a much-lighter child.

When enjoying the relaxing cabin life at Chickasaw, especially in early March before the hibernating season has ended, it’s kind of easy to forget that you’re surrounded by a vibrant natural world. But this lakefront retreat is part of a diverse set of forest and wetland ecosystems, and the trail system is the best way to explore its distinct environs.

The .8-mile Owen Springs Trail and the .65-mile Fern Creek Trail traverse both wetland and hardwood areas, while the .95-mile Forked Pine Trail passes through established pine forest. At the recommendation of a ranger, we chose to hike the 1.5-mile Lake Shore Trail, which is the park’s most popular. It encircles Lake Placid with a midpoint detour that crosses the lake’s pedestrian bridge. Best of all, there are numerous spots to hop on the trail. We began just down the lawn from our cabin, following the trail in a clockwise motion. The path is mostly flat and easy for small legs. As we rounded the lake’s most northeastern edge, we entered a swampy stretch where a series of boardwalks form the path. It was great fun to dodge the mud and avoid the cracks. On the south side of the lake, the terrain gets a little more elevated, and we once again imagined that we were keeping lookout from the cliffs and spotting pirates on the lake. After clocking about 1 mile, the bridge was the perfect endpoint for us; the playground awaited on the other side.

Had we continued up the western side of the Lake, we would have passed the Wrangler Campground, picnic areas, and the historic Sagamore Lodge (a WPA-era event venue) before returning to the beach and recreation area. A quick detour onto the park road leads uphill to the aviary across from the Visitor Center where an educational Birds of Prey program gives park guests and visiting groups an up-close look at native raptors that have sustained injuries and are now cared for by the park.

Another unique feature of the park? Its location within the much-larger Chickasaw State Forest. Ranger Elder emphasized how these 14,000 acres provide the opportunity for recreational activities that are usually unavailable on state park land. Through the neighboring State Forest, visitors can explore hundreds of miles of trails, for hiking as well as horseback riding and ATV-riding. Hunting is also allowed in the State Forest as long as it follows Tennessee hunting dates and regulations. There are even a couple old cemeteries to explore!

Less than 20 minutes northeast of Chickasaw is Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park. This is one of the state’s two archaeological parks and features 17 Native American mounds from the Middle Woodland period - over 2,000 years ago! Pinson was the final park on our area tour, as we made a mid-morning visit after checking out of our cabin at Chickasaw. We began our visit in the Interpretive Center and Museum, a necessary starting point to understand the context and incredible history this area holds. The mounds were a sacred pilgrimage site, not a residential one. Deposits of shell, obsidian, and copper indicate that early visitors trekked to the area from as far away as Colorado and the Gulf Coast. The arrangement of the mounds, themselves, are significant; they were designed to mark the points of sunrise at the solar equinox and solstice - an ancient astronomical record. Saul’s Mound is the 72-foot-high hub of the park; on a beautiful, clear day, we made the climb to the observation deck for an all-encompassing view of the area. 

The visit to Pinson Mounds was a wonderful way to close out our Spring Break stay; we spent the morning exploring a fascinating piece of Tennessee history and enjoyed a picnic lunch and playground session before hopping in the car and heading home, holding on to the bliss of a disconnected vacation for as long as we could.