Pickett CCC Memorial State Park · Tennessee
Natural Bridge Trail at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park
Natural Bridge Trail at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park: 1.00 mi, easy.
Updated Oct 30, 2026 · Source-verified by TennesseeHikes
- Distance
- 1.00 mi
On this page
Natural bridge at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park, viewed from beneath. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Natural Bridge Trail is a walk at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park, a 922-acre park on the Cumberland Plateau in Fentress County. The hiking page lists 1.00 mile, difficulty Easy, surface Natural, availability Open. The trail navigates through an open hardwood forest and features an impressive natural sandstone bridge that spans 86 feet in length and 35 feet in height.
The park is Dark Sky designated. The CCC Museum is on site, and Arch Lake is there for paddling. The address is 4605 Pickett Park Highway, Jamestown, TN 38556. Phone 931-879-5821. The visitor center is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The published park location is 36.551266, -84.796691.
Quick facts
- Official distance: 1.00 mi. Easy. Natural surface. Open.
- Mapped line: 0.51 mi on this site (
natural-bridge-trail). Do not average 1.00 and 0.51. The hiking page does not print 0.51. - Route type: not stated. Keep the official 1.00 mi figure, and do not label the walk a loop or an out-and-back.
- Bridge: natural sandstone, 86 feet long and 35 feet high, in an open hardwood forest.
- Address: 4605 Pickett Park Highway, Jamestown, TN 38556. Phone 931-879-5821. Visitor center 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Park: 922 acres on the Cumberland Plateau. Dark Sky designated. CCC Museum. Arch Lake paddling. Published location 36.551266, -84.796691.
- Nearby on the park map: Hazard Cave Trail and Thompson Overlook.
- Campground: closed for renovations to the bathhouse and campground. Check park alerts before you go.
- Not stated: elevation gain, a fee for hiking, a trailhead, and dog rules.
Getting There
The address is 4605 Pickett Park Highway, Jamestown, TN 38556. Phone 931-879-5821. The visitor center is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The park page publishes a location of 36.551266, -84.796691. That pair is the park. These sources do not name a trailhead, a parking lot, or a signed start. The campground is closed for bathhouse and campground renovations. That alert is about overnight sites. The hiking page still lists Natural Bridge Trail as Open. Read the park page before you go.
The Trail
Official length 1.00 mile. This site’s mapped line is 0.51 mi. Never average them. The hiking page does not print a route type, so this guide does not call the trail a loop or an out-and-back.
You are on an easy, natural-surface walk that navigates through an open hardwood forest. The feature is a natural sandstone bridge 86 feet long and 35 feet high. The photograph on this page shows that bridge from beneath.
The park map places Natural Bridge Trail near Hazard Cave Trail and Thompson Overlook. A cave or an overlook on a neighboring path is a different walk. Stay on the trail you came to hike.
No elevation gain is stated. Wet sandstone can be slick, including the rock under and around the bridge. Stay on the trail, and check the park’s alerts before you go.
The bridge and the park
The 922-acre park sits on the Cumberland Plateau. Pickett is Dark Sky designated. The CCC Museum is on site, and Arch Lake is the paddling water.
Island Trail crosses a shorter natural sandstone bridge on Arch Lake. That span is not the 86-foot bridge on Natural Bridge Trail. The campground stays closed during the bathhouse and campground renovations. Confirm alerts on the park page the day you go.
Other trails on the same page
Hazard Cave Trail is 1.60 miles, moderate, and open. The park map puts it near Natural Bridge Trail and Thompson Overlook.
Lake Trail is 1.55 miles, easy, and open. Island Trail is 0.30 mile, easy, and open, over a natural sandstone bridge on Arch Lake.
Hidden Passage Trail is 7.80 miles, moderate, and open. It is the long hike on this park’s list.
Ridge Trail shows Partial Closure. That posting is not a closure of Natural Bridge Trail, which the hiking page still lists as Open. Check the park’s alerts before you go.
Twin Arches Loop Trail is a nearby sandstone-arch guide. It is not a trail named on the Pickett hiking page.
Rules
Stay on the trail. Wet sandstone can be slick. Dog rules and a hiking fee are not stated in these sources.
The visitor center is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 931-879-5821. Check park alerts before you go. The campground renovation does not, by itself, close Natural Bridge Trail.
Tips
Use 1.00 mile for the official distance and 0.51 mi only for this site’s mapped line. Do not average them, and do not add a loop or out-and-back label.
The walk is easy on a natural surface through an open hardwood forest. No elevation gain is published. The bridge is 86 feet long and 35 feet high. Wet sandstone can be slick, so stay on the trail. The visitor center, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is the place to ask how this path sits near Hazard Cave Trail and Thompson Overlook.
Sources
- Pickett hiking (Tennessee State Parks): Natural Bridge Trail, 1.00 mi, easy, natural, open; open hardwood forest; sandstone bridge 86 feet long and 35 feet high; Ridge Trail partial closure; Hazard Cave 1.60 mi moderate; Lake Trail 1.55 mi easy; Island Trail 0.30 mi easy on Arch Lake; Hidden Passage 7.80 mi moderate.
- Pickett CCC Memorial State Park: 922 acres on the Cumberland Plateau, Dark Sky designated, CCC Museum, Arch Lake paddling, address, phone, visitor center hours, park location, campground renovation alert.
- This site: mapped 0.51 mi on
natural-bridge-trail, not an official length. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FAQs
How long is Natural Bridge Trail?
1.00 mile on the hiking page. This site’s mapped line is 0.51 mi (natural-bridge-trail). Do not average them. It is easy, on a natural surface. No elevation gain is stated, and no route type is stated.
Is it open?
The hiking page says Open. Ridge Trail shows Partial Closure. Hazard Cave, Lake Trail, Island Trail, and Hidden Passage are listed open. The campground is closed for bathhouse and campground renovations. Check park alerts before you go.
What is the bridge?
An open hardwood forest leads to a natural sandstone bridge 86 feet long and 35 feet high. Island Trail, 0.30 mi and easy, crosses a different sandstone bridge on Arch Lake.
Where is the park?
4605 Pickett Park Highway, Jamestown, TN 38556. Phone 931-879-5821. Visitor center 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Published location 36.551266, -84.796691. These sources do not name a trailhead. The park map places the trail near Hazard Cave Trail and Thompson Overlook.