Big Hill Pond State Park, Pocahontas, TN

The park is filled with wildlife, small lakes, and swamp areas. This terrain offers visitors the chance to see waterfowl, wildlife of different species and the ability to go fishing. Big Hill Pond is in the southwest part of Tennessee and has about five thousand acres. There are beautiful hardwoods trees and plenty of other timber in the bottomlands that make up the parks acreage. Water from Cypress Creek and the Tuscumbia River border the park.

One of the most interesting parts of the park is the eight tenths of a mile Boardwalk and Dismal Swamp trail. This trail takes guests through the Dismal Swamp. There is an Observation Tower that stands seventy feet tall. It has been renovated since it was used as a fire tower. The view of Travis McNatt Lake and the Dismal Swamp Civil War Earthworks is impressive. The earthworks was a railroad guard post that was constructed by the Union Soldiers.

Visitors to the park can see Osprey and other migratory birds in the spring and fall. Some of the birds and wildlife live in the park throughout the year. The park got its name from the Big Hill Pond that was constructed in 1853. Dirt was taken from a borrow pit to build a levee across the Tuscumbia River and the Cypress Creek bottom. This enabled the Memphis to Charleston Railroad to run trains in the area. Since it was first built many cypress trees have filled in the area around the thirty five acre pond. Visitors can reach the pond by using a four wheel drive vehicle.

There are many trails throughout the park that can be used by mountain bikers and horseback riders. Since they both use the same trails caution and consideration should be used by both parties.

A boat ramp has been built at Big Hill Pond State Park. Light weight vehicles can have problems leaving the steep boat ramp, however. Bass boats that are as large as twenty feet can use the boat ramp as long as the vehicle towing them can climb the boat ramp. Boats can only use electric motors.

There are shelters for campers within the park. There are four shelters altogether with three of them being very remote. Backcountry camping isn't allowed so campers must stay in one of the shelters. Staying at the shelters is on a first come basis. Campers need to check in with a ranger about which shelter they will be occupying or leave a note on the dash of the car. This allows the rangers to know why the vehicle is parked overnight. Campers also need to tell a ranger how long they will be camping. There are six bunks in the shelters, but four more people can camp out on the floor.

Four scout camps are available in the park; one is in the campground area with three more down a gravel road. Five miles of the hiking trails in the park and two of the shelters that lie south of the railroad are within the hunting area.