A Park Ranger Sent us to a Cave Hike in Tennessee We’ll Never Forget

We set off to find one of the best hikes near Knoxville, and what we found was Hazard Cave. There are many caves in Tennessee; in fact, there are more caves in the Volunteer State than in any other state in our country! We have delved into many of them but there is something about Hazard Cave that has a certain wow factor to it. It may not be a deep underground labyrinth like the Lost Sea Adventure or have that one-of-a-kind factor like Tuckaleechee Caverns, but we loved it. We took a trip to Pickett CCC Memorial State Park to see this cave for ourselves and it was well worth the adventure. 

Driving around the remote area of Jamestown, we started to notice a few downed trees as we got closer to Pickett CCC Memorial State Park. The damage seemed to get worse the closer we got until we saw yellow tape covering some of the other trails. We were not aware that a storm had just gone through and caused plenty of damage. I stopped by the visitor center for some answers and was lucky enough to find a park ranger. He told me a couple of days ago they had some straight winds come through and it decimated the forest. He had his suspicions that it was actually a tornado but nonetheless, the damage had already been done. We discussed our plans we had for hiking that day and he was kind enough to show me a way to still get to Hazard Cave! So with a new map in hand, we took off for the trailhead. 

We were thankful for the open trail and walked down the stairs for a much shorter hike than we had planned for the day. The forest had been hit pretty hard and we could see evidence of the storm all around us, but despite that, the forest was rather beautiful. Nothing dampened my spirits as I already knew that this was one of the best cave hikes near Knoxville, and we were still able to experience it. The stairs and trail were in great condition and soon, our breath was stolen when we arrived at the cave entrance. 

There is a fence and a wooden boardwalk leading to the cave with a massive rock wall soaring high in the air. The smooth pockets and holes on the rocks made me think of something out of an HP Lovecraft story, my wild imagination pictured octopi tentacles reaching out. Even though the cave was devoid of any horror-themed mayhem, it still was rather attractive and drew us in for a closer look.

My hiking boots left the wooden boardwalk and found the soft sand at the cave entrance to be a refreshing change of pace. It reminded me of the many miles we had hiked in the desert but here I was in my own state. The cave entrance beckoned us to explore further and I didn’t have to tell my kids twice; they were already running in. Large boulders made the cave exploration even more exciting as we climbed up and looked around. My favorite view was from the back of the cave looking back out into the forest. The lush green and bright sunlight makes a beautiful contrast to the darkness of the cool cave.

We did a few more trails in the park that day, but this ended up being our favorite out of all the hikes in Pickett CCC Memorial State Park. We were also pleased to discover that there was a slight trickle falling on one side of the cave entrance and I could imagine that this would make for a mini waterfall after a good rain. We spent a good amount of time taking in the view, exploring the cave, and playing in the sand before heading back for lunch. 

If you are looking for some of the best hikes near Knoxville, then make sure Hazard Cave is on your list. This park was a great find for us and we would highly recommend it. There were many other trails and we enjoyed the beach for a while before we left for our next hike. I would easily go back next time I get the chance and when I do I will make sure to have my AllTrails app handy since it is my favorite hiking tool. I would also suggest staying through the night because this is one of the best dark sky parks in Tennessee, so enjoy the starry show when the sun goes down. I find it helpful to know before you go what the trail looks like so make sure to check out this Adventuring in the Moment video we made when we visited.