Friends of Harrison Bay State Park: Tennessee’s Oldest State Park and a Dedicated Friends Group
Tennessee’s oldest state park has a strong, vibrant Friends group. Harrison Bay State Park spans 1,200 acres and includes nearly 40 miles of Chickamauga Lake shoreline. TVA originally developed it as a recreation area in the 1930s.
The park’s name comes from a large bay along the Tennessee River’s main channel. That bay covers the old town of Harrison and the last Cherokee Campground. The Cherokee Campground included three villages ruled by one of the last great Cherokee chieftains.
Harrison Bay became Tennessee’s first state park in 1937. Today, it sits in Hamilton County near Chattanooga.