Middle Fork Bottoms Is Tennessee’s Newest State Park
Credit: Tennessee State Parks
Middle Fork Bottoms State Parks is the state’s newest state park, opened just this week.
On Monday, park rangers unveiled the brand new sign for the park before a small crowd gathered in Humboldt, just south of Jackson in West Tennessee.
The nearly 860-acre park began as a floodplain restoration project in 2018, managed by the West Tennessee River Basin Authority. It is now a thriving habitat boasting 250,000 newly planted hardwood trees, 200 acres of restored wetlands, and two miles of revitalized streams.
Visitors can fish and paddle in and on Middle Fork Lake and hike alone four miles of scenic walking trails. The park features four other lakes, natural grassland habitats, a five-acre bald cypress grove, and various waterfowl habitats.
“The area that now flourishes with wildlife and greenery was once used for row crop agriculture and sod farming,” reads the state park’s website.
The park was also once home to a train depot, known as Young’s Crossing, which served as a hub for loading agricultural goods. The eastern side of the park was once a hog farm.
“The wildlife hotspot is home to waterfowl, Wild Turkey, white-tailed deer, coyotes, bobcats, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron., bass, bluegill, catfish, reptiles, amphibians, and more.”
The park is now a hotspot for wildlife including waterfowl during winter months, Wild Turkey, white-tailed deer, small mammals, and predators like coyotes and bobcats. Birdwatchers can spot shorebirds like Killdeer and wading birds like Great Egret and Great Blue Heron.
In the fishable lakes, anglers will find bluegill, catfish, and bass. Reptiles, amphibians, and six species of naturally occurring mussels help improve water quality and add to the park’s ecological diversity.
Get there:
Main Entrance
111 Sanders Bluff Rd
Humboldt, TN 38343
Or GPS coordinates: 35.7558, -88.8532
Contact:
Phone: (731) 435-6725
Hours
Daylight Savings Time:
7 a.m.-8 p.m.
Standard Time:
7 a.m.-5 p.m.
