Posted in Tennessee
November 25, 2016
The Unique Park Everyone In Tennessee Should Visit At Least Once
Here’s the thing: Frozen Head State Park has the strangest name of all state parks in our sweet lil’ Tennessee. Where the heck did that name come from? Does it have a history based in ghost story lore, is it just a strange kind of euphemism? We weren’t sure, so we decided to find out. Curious?
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
Frozen Head State Park gets its unique (kind of creepy) name from Frozen Head, a mountain in the park that always has a cap of snow and ice during the winter.
It's from the deck that you can see the Great Smoky Mountains, Cumberland Plateau and the Tennessee Valley.
Frozen Head Mountain forms a natural basin on one side, and its here you can find Brushy Mountain State Prison - known for the internment of James Earl Gray.
Located in Morgan County, you can take a pit stop at the park if you're ever in east Tennessee. And we hope you are because it's positively beautiful.
The land was once Cherokee hunting grounds, and the land was ceded to the US government in 1805 after the signing of the Third Treaty of Tellico.
Convicts from the prison were made to mine coal in the area that is now Frozen Head State Park.
Although the area is stunning, it is also the location of the Barkley Marathon. Known as the hardest marathon in the states, it's a 100-mile course participants must traverse in 60 hours. Rough times, folks.
Frozen Head Mountain is the tallest peak in the park, but you can find fourteen peaks over 3,000 feet in the natural area.
In 2006, the fire tower on Frozen Head was replaced with a 360 degree observation deck.
There are fifty miles of hiking trails within park lines and twenty primitive campsites.
If you’re still looking for some fun in Tennessee, this place is basically heaven on earth. Really.
