Pickett CCC Memorial State Park — Attraction in Monticello

I visited for an August weekend with my boyfriend and our two dogs. We specifically chose this park (and drove from Indiana) due to its status as an international dark park. As a quick note from an out of state visitor: I appreciate the value that is offered at TN state parks. Here in Indiana we pay an entry fee and higher camping rates. Thank you TN for making your parks so accessible! I've broken my review into 2 sections.

Campground We arrived after the park office closed but the ranger was outside and kindly pointed us in the right direction. The campground is pretty small and rather hilly. There are a lot of sloped and poorly laid out sites. Our site (A8) was on such an incline that we ended up putting our tent at the bottom of the hill (which gave us some seclusion but certainly added a challenge). If you are camping in an RV, I'd call or visit ahead to choose a site. . The sites had a stone picnic table, a grill and a fire pit. It was also nice to have water and electric right at our site. We didn't explore the campground much but there are accessible trail heads, a play ground, a shelter and a nature center (we must've missed their open times). My only complaint is the restroom/shower house. I could tell an effort was made to clean it but it is rundown (even more than a typical state park in my opinion). There were 2 toilet stalls and 3 shower stalls. The showers were pretty bad (hair in the drain, dirt caked around the edges, no bench in one and messed up shower curtains) but most egregiously: NO HOT WATER.

Hiking and Stargazing: This area's best activity is hiking. I was disappointed that I couldn't find any brochure that described what you can find on each trail. (Maybe I missed it.) We did the Pogue Overlook loop trail (right down the road) which provided an incredible view. However, be warned: the loop is up hill quite a bit BOTH ways. Hazard Cave is also worth the hike (but Indian Rockhouse who's trail head is right across the street is not so impressive --particularly after Hazard). The trails are pretty well maintained and quite scenic. But most of all we came for the stargazing. The astronomy field is located just down the road (at Pogue). We had the whole field to ourselves at 2am (trying to catch the Perseids peak). It's a rather large flat space on a hill. However, you do see the cars coming around the corner from that vantage point. It's probably not enough to ruin your night vision but we were quick to shield our eyes each time we heard a car coming which was a bit of a pain. All in all it is a beautifully dark sky (rated a 3 on the Bortle Scale) and we were glad to be able to see so many stars (when the weather cooperated).

Overall, it was well worth the trip to visit and I may even make it a...

We stayed at the campsite here over the weekend. It was a pleasant experience overall. I do wish there was more level areas for tent camping as we ended up on an incline but it wasn't horrible. I did confirm with the park office that you can bring hammocks and hammock camp if you want. There's plenty of trees around to tie up to. It really depends on which site you end up on though so don't rely on that exclusively.

The bathrooms were clean and had two stalls and three showers. We never really had to wait for anything. The state park also does ranger-led programs. For instance this past weekend they had a snake exhibit and also a rock exhibition. For the evening they also had square dancing class which sadly we didn't attend because we were too tired. We did however sign up for a ranger-led hike at Hazard Cave to see the glow worms. They are only really visible in May and June. It's truly a treat. Make note that all of the trails in this state park close at sundown. The only way to see the glow worms is to do it with the ranger. You do have to sign up for it and spots fill up quickly especially on the weekends. Hazard cave also has salamanders along the sandstone. You may get a treat and get to see one if it's not too shy.

The state park office also has kayak rentals available as well as canoes and stand up paddle boards. Just beware that there is only a handful that you can rent and they may already be rented out. The SUP was $8 per hour. You can rent them and then paddle to the natural Bridge. It's almost like a lazy river. They also have swimming available.

There is also a CCC Memorial museum on site. It talks a little bit about the history of the area and the CCC.

Pickett is also a certified international dark sky place. You can see more constellations and stars here because of the steps they took to limit light pollution. If you travel about three miles up the road from the campground you will see Pogue Creek Canyon which has an astronomy field attached to it. Occasionally they will do programs there as well where you can look through a telescope with a ranger.

All in all two thumbs up...

We visited here over the weekend. 9/15/21-9/17/21. Overall, a good trip. We rented Cabin 9. The good: the staff were very nice. The park was clean and well kept. The trails were fairly well marked and easy to follow, and well maintained. A good hiking stick would be advisable to cut down on tripping. We hiked to the Natural Bridge first. An easy hike from our cabin and it was an impressive geological feature. We then rented a canoe and paddled around the lake. The price was reasonable $7 per hour and we had no trouble seeing everything in that hour. We hiked to the Hazard Cave next. The Cave was very impressive. We looked at Indian Rock next, also very impressive. Our cabin was comfortable and had AC/ Heat and a full kitchen with dish washer. No problem with bugs. didn't need the bug spray the entire time on any trails. The park was also almost deserted. We had the place pretty much to ourselves. The bad: The cabin had mice. One was caught in a trap in our bedroom and we had to dispose of it. The cabin was also very damp/ dank. It would have helped to have a porch or something to sit on and let some air in. The swimming area was fine, but there were a lot of aquatic weeds encroaching into the swimming area. It was fine, but it seemed a bit messy. The geological features were really interesting, but it would also have been helpful to have some explanations of the geologic features: how exactly were they formed? how long did it take, etc. The only information about the formations was a sign about sand wort, a kind of endangered plant that was growing nearby. OK, nice to know, but what about the giant cave? The CCC museum was nice, but very, very small. Probably 600 sq ft. Glad they had it, but it was small. Overall, we had a nice time. If you go, make sure you pack all the food you need, there is nowhere within 30 minutes to shop. There is also no internet/ cell coverage, so make sure you bring something to do after the sun goes down. A nice place to visit with kids and disconnect...