Old Stone Fort State Park & Campground

While passing through Tennessee, we found this state park for an overnight and wished we had time to stay longer.

This park is located a short distance from I-24 through Tennessee, near the town of Manchester. It was easy to get to, and, even with a big rig, we managed to get in and out without trouble–just go really slow and you may want a “wing-walker” on some of the curves.

The sites are nicely paved and have water and electric at most sites, along with a grill and picnic table. Shower and bathrooms are available, I believe there were two, as well. The tree cover made it hard work for solar and Starlink, but they were private and a decent size, even with our large rig in the space. They have a dump station up near the front guard shack and had recently widened the loop, making it much easier to swing the loop to circle back out. There are also tent camping spots available. for non-state park members the fee is $30 a night, I think we got a veteran discount, though.

The draw to this park was the abundance of trails and that it is an archaeological park, as well as a state park. The name of Old Stone Fort is a misnomer since it was named by the European settlers that found it, but Native Americans had abandoned it centuries before. They used it for over 500 years, and ceremonial areas are present. We had just missed the summer solstice when modern native tribes had come and done a ceremony on site, re-enacting what their ancestors had passed down to them as possibly being what it had been used for 2,000 years ago. If that part of history interests you, definitely look into it and time your trip with an event.

Even if history isn’t your thing, the beauty here is incredible. There are lots of trees, stone structures everywhere, and the waterfalls are flowing everywhere, some of them terraced. It was a good hike after a long travel day to stretch our legs.

Since it is close to town, if you need a store or restaurant, they aren’t very far away.

The next time our travels take us through central Tennessee, we plan to stop again, for a bit longer, and hopefully during an event, which they have a calendar of on their website and you can book in advance.

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