Norris Dam State Park

Tennessee State Parks offers engaging, relevant, and interactive educational experiences. Discover more about learning with a Ranger -- in a park or in a classroom!

Starting January 1, 2021 Norris Dam State Park will launch the “Norris Dam 85-Mile Challenge.” The 85 comes for the 85th anniversary of Norris Dam. The program entails park visitors hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, or paddling on the trails and waterways at Norris Dam State Park, TVA Norris Dam trails and Norris Watershed trails. A new element added this year is the option to earn miles by volunteering at Norris Dam State Park. Each volunteer hour completed will be the equivalent to 2-miles hiked. Monthly ranger-led healthy hikes and volunteer opportunities will be offered throughout the year. This program compliments the Healthy Parks Healthy Person (HPHP) initiative. This will be a year long challenge where participants will need to download this activity log to record their miles/volunteer hours throughout the year. Activity logs are also available in the park office. 

Mountain biking is allowed on 11 trails, covering approximately 22 miles. These are multi-use trails. Maps are available online and a hiking/biking trail brochure may be purchased at the park.

The Lenoir Museum Cultural Complex is a must-see for park visitors. The complex includes the Lenoir Pioneer Museum, an 18th Century Rice Grist Mill and Crosby Threshing Barn. Exhibits include Appalachian artifacts and a pre-dam pictorial account of the area submerged by the lake. Tours available by request. 

Located on the shores of Norris Lake, the park offers recreational boating, skiing and fishing. 

The pool at Norris Dam State Park will remain closed for the 2021 summer season, in the interest of public health and staff safety. The park remains open and is still a great place for you to enjoy water-based recreation this summer. Find other activities at the park here.

The park has fifteen trails. They range in length from .5 mile to 5 miles and vary in degrees of difficulty from easy to difficult. These trails traverse ridge tops, valleys, hollows, and the lakeshore. Mountain biking and equestrian use is available on designated trails. Trail maps are available at the park office. 

Norris Dam is a 34,000-acre flood control impoundment on the Clinch River and provides excellent opportunities for fishing.

Waterfowl, osprey and eagles frequent the lake and the forests harbor great numbers of migratory birds in the spring and fall. For more park and nearby birding locations, view flyer.

Norris Dam State Park shares a boundary with the City of Norris. The following trails, located on the east side, are open for equestrian use: Camp Sam, Lake View Trail, Lakeside Loop, and Highpoint Trail.