SALE CREEK, Tenn. — Tennessee opened the books on its 70th state park Friday, dedicating Angel’s Hollow at McDonald Farm in Sale Creek, land in northern Hamilton County that not long ago was being lined up for industrial development.
The park will cover roughly 2,500 acres spread across Hamilton and Rhea counties. Hamilton County handed 1,305 of those acres to the state for the project.
Gov. Bill Lee set aside $45.3 million in this year’s state budget to build out and maintain the property. Angel’s Hollow is the 14th state park created during Lee’s time in office, which is the most under any Tennessee governor, and it is the last one his administration will add.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp spoke at the dedication and tied the park to the region’s economy, saying conservation and economic growth in Tennessee are now working toward the same goal and that outdoor recreation helps draw families and investment to the area.
Most of the park is still closed while work continues. For now, visitors can hike one stretch of the Cumberland Trail, a 2.5-mile out-and-back route that leads to McGill Creek. State park officials ask hikers to stay on the trail that is open, since the rest of the grounds are not yet ready for the public.
Angel’s Hollow sits next to the county’s McDonald Farm and ties straight into the Cumberland Trail state park named for Justin P. Wilson. Future plans call for campsites, a visitor center and more trail connections. The park’s address is 16705 Coulterville Road in Sale Creek.
