Indian Mountain State Park offers beauty on once ravaged land
Photographs courtesy of Indian Mountain State Park
The word “unique” is often overused, but it’s an apt description for Indian Mountain State Park in Jellico. The park, located at the base of Indian Mountain close to the border with Kentucky, truly has a unique history. It’s the first and only example in the Tennessee State Parks system of reclaiming an abandoned strip mine to develop into recreational opportunities for visitors to enjoy.
In fact, if you visit its more than 200 acres today, imagining it as an ugly scar on the landscape is difficult. Instead, you’ll see hiking trails, lakes, ponds, picnic areas, campsites and lovely views.
But in the 1940s and 1950s, the area looked much different as it was surface mined for the area’s high-quality Jellico coal. The mine ceased operation in the area that would become the park when the bed of coal was depleted. The city of Jellico became owner of the abandoned mine in 1960 and began the process of reclaiming the land with the help of grants from the state, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Appalachian Regional Commission.
After a decade of work to bring the area back to life, Indian Mountain State Park opened in 1971.
On and around the water
Elk Creek runs through the middle of the park, dividing it into two halves. Each has a prominent lake — the 6-acre Indian Mountain Lake in the western half and Ballard Lake, which is actually a large pond, in the eastern half.
Personal canoes and kayaks can be used on Indian Mountain Lake, and during the summer months you can rent a kayak, paddleboard or pedal boat to while away a warm day.
Fishing for bluegill, catfish and bass is also available for those who find relaxation trying their luck with a fishing pole.
The areas in and around the lakes, creek and flooded former strip pits can also be rewarding for birders. Nesting boxes for tree swallows and bluebirds are placed around the lake, so keep your eyes open for flashes of blue from these songbirds.
Take to the trails
Four hiking trails, ranging from half a mile to a mile in length, are rated either easy or moderate. All are natural surface trails except the 1-mile Indian Mountain Lake Trail, which is paved.
“Tennessee State Parks has prioritized making our parks accessible for everyone,” says Leighann Perkins, the park’s administrative assistant and the employee who has been with the park the longest. “Our park is proud to offer an all-terrain wheelchair, free of cost, to anyone who needs it, making all of our trails accessible to everyone.”
A fifth trail is scheduled to be open by June.
Let’s go camping
The park is a popular destination for campers because the campsites are open year-round. The main campground has 47 fully equipped sites for tents and RV campers. Here you’ll find the other thing that makes Indian Mountain unique among Tennessee State Parks: It’s the only state park to produce solar power from the solar panels, which are on the bath house at the campground, and sell the electricity back to the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The Rabbit Road Campground offers 10 primitive, hike-in tent sites. There are no water or electric hookups. While there is a bath house in the campground’s parking lot, it is only open seasonally, even though this campground is open year-round.
The name of the primitive campground actually has a personal tie to Perkins.
“As a child growing up next door to the park, my mom would take me for walks along a trail that was connected to the park,” Perkins says. “It was park property, but the trail was seldom used by visitors and was eventually closed. Some of my best childhood memories were made along that trail. One thing that always stood out was the enormous number of rabbits we never failed to see. Because of this, my family always referred to the trail as Rabbit Road. Then in 2020, the trail was reopened for primitive camping. There were 10 campsites with each located on top of a spoil pile created from the previous strip mining. By this time, I was an employee at Indian Mountain, and it was time to finally give the trail a name. I told this story to the park manager at the time, and the name then officially became Rabbit Road.”
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Other offerings
The park has three picnic shelters that can accommodate 50 to 75 people, depending on the shelter. These shelters, with tables and grills and access to restrooms, can be reserved up to a year in advance.
Are you a fan of playing disc golf, or do you want to give it a try? You’re in luck. The park is home to an 18-hole course.
If you need a snack, firewood for your campsite or a souvenir to take home, be sure to visit the camp store. Note that the store is only open seasonally during the warmer months.
In additional to regular ranger programs, the park hosts several special events throughout the year. Among these are a community Easter egg hunt, the Vaitor Davis Memorial Fishing Rodeo, the Miner’s Mile (run/walk race event), Battle at the Border Disc Golf Tournament and Halloween in the Park.
While Perkins has a long history with Indian Mountain, Park Manager Nick Shultz is not only pretty new to his position but also to Tennessee State Parks overall.
“I have been the manager at Indian Mountain State Park for all of two months,” he said in late December. “In October, I was given the opportunity to join the incredible team at Tennessee State Parks and made the move from Wisconsin, where I spent the last 12 years working at a private campground. In my short time here, my favorite part of the job has been the conversations I’ve been able to have with park visitors. Whether it’s someone just passing through, visiting from a different part of Tennessee, or someone local providing me a history lesson on the park or surrounding community of Jellico, those conversations truly make this a rewarding job.”
Indian Mountain State Park
For more information, visit tnstateparks.com/parks/indian-mountain or call the park office at 423-566-5870.
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