Day trips from Nashville · Hiking
Prentice Cooper State Forest
125 miles from downtown Nashville · about 2 hours
Marion and Hamilton Counties, TN, on the north rim of the Tennessee River Gorge
Prentice Cooper is 24,459 acres of state forest and wildlife management area on the north rim of the Tennessee River Gorge, with thirty-five miles of hiking trail, a string of overlooks, and the southern end of the Cumberland Trail running through it. It is also where the Tennessee Wall climbing area is.
- Size
- 24,459 acres
- Trails
- About 35 miles
- Hours
- Sunrise to sunset, free
- Contact
- 423-658-5551
Permits, fees and access
Free and open sunrise to sunset, but the closures here are serious and specific. During managed hunts, everything west of Suck Creek Road is closed to everyone except licensed hunters, while the east side stays open. Roads close from late April into early July for turkey nesting, and there is an annual winter road closure from December 20 to March 15. Check the current hunt calendar before you go.
One thing to know first
Turning up during a managed hunt and finding half the forest closed is the standard way this trip fails. There is also very little cell service once you are in, so download your map first.
Access rules, fees and closures verified August 15, 2026 against the agency that manages this place. They change, sometimes without notice. Check before you drive.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date. If you are weighing a move to Middle Tennessee and want to know which part of it puts you closest to the things you actually like, ask me. No pitch.