Check out other pics from the trip here!
Base Camp: The sites here are VERY spacious. I normally despise all caps, but sites on the outer loop are possibly some of the largest sites I have ever seen. The park calls the front country camping area "Big Cove", and it lives up to its name. Most of the sites are reasonably flat with large enough driveways for multiple vehicles and a camper. All sites have well drained tent boxes and picnic table areas with an abundance of tree cover. We prefer sites 1-5 as they are on the water and on the outer loop. The only detractor to these sites is the drop off behind the campsite to the water. An adult can walk up it, but a child could roll down quite a ways by accident. There is no electricity or water hook ups at the campsites, but there are numerous community water spigots throughout the campground. Campground Rules: The only "strict" rule at Frozen Head is the closing time of the park. The park closes to outside guest AT DARK. This is figurative in most parks, but they actually post sunset times for the entire 365 calendar year. These are also the times the gates will close. The Wartburg nightlife is not that alluring, so being by your campfire by 7:36p EST should not be difficult. The lack of petty rules has to be one of Tennessee State Parks strongest assets. Our dog can hang out on her leash, and we can walk her on any trail, road, path, etc...
The Hood: If you front country camp at all you will notice that electricity is a crucial factor for RVs. Since we pop up or tent camp the lack of electricity does not bother us. This also leads to a great deal of other tents and pop ups. There were a handful of travel trailers in the park, but most everyone was tent camping. Also, when you see tents, you often see young families. This was definitely the case at Frozen Head where the average camper was still ok with sleeping on the ground or air mattress.
Sawyer Factor: The Tennessee State Park system seems to view campers as their preferred customers. Frozen Head is no exception. The playground is a stones throw from the camping area complete with easy creek access for the warm days. The sites themselves are plenty spacious enough to keep from waking the neighbors if your little one is having a rough night, and the trails in the lower elevations of the park are easily walkable with children. The Flat Fork trail is also semi stroller friendly with a mainly gravel path.
Woof: I mention a little about the dog policy in the rules section, but this is a very dog friendly park. Tennessee State Parks now limits each site to 2 dogs, but they do allow dogs on all trails so long they are on a leash. The posted limit is 6', but the rangers didn't say anything about Laurel being on a 20' lead at the campsite. The large sites are great for our husky as she likes to play the "how many trees can I wrap my lead around" game.
Bath Facilities: My family and I would argue that the Frozen Head bath facilities are the nicest around. They are fairly modern, but most of all are VERY clean and well kept. Unlike TVA and many private campgrounds there is soap in the bathroom with a hand dryer. The showers have plenty of hot water and the lighting is really good for a rustic bath house in the woods. Its evident that the guy with the worst job in the park takes pride in his work!
No Car Attractions: Frozen Head is known for its rough terrain. A bird walk to history tells that James Earl Ray while being held at Brushy Mountain State Prison once escaped and made his way in to the Flat Fork Gorge of Frozen Head Mountain. He ran for well over a day before collapsing in exhaustion. He later was found what he thought were miles into the forest... he was 2 miles away. This also greatly limits the roads in the Park. From the campground there are numerous trails that lead to various places. I strongly recommend a map from the welcome center. To be quick however from the campground you can walk to the play ground in 5-7 mins, amphitheater 5-7 minutes, picnic area 6-8 mins, flat fork walking trail 5-7 mins, Panther Branch Trail head 10-15 mins, Emory Branch Falls 30-45 mins, Debord Falls 1h-1.5h. It should be noted that walking to the Panther Branch Trail head will require walking on the road. Most drivers are very considerate and the speed limit is very low. I have recommended the flat fork walking trail be extended to the trail head for safety.
Area Attractions: Immediately after entering the camping area you will likely see canoes and kayaks and wonder how they are running such a shallow creek. Well, they aren't. A few miles down the road is the Obed National Scenic River. The Obed is a awesome gorge with various rapids and unspoiled river, however Frozen Head is the closest campground. The Cumberland Mountains although lower than the Smokies have some large water ways that after a rain can become torrents. One example is Potter Falls just outside downtown Wartburg. There are 4 waterfalls on a small trail. These are low falls, but have massive amounts of water. After some rainfall this is a must see. Here is how to get there.
Wartburg and the surround area is very small, but if you wish for more activities Oak Ridge is the History/Science headquarters of Tennessee.
Fees: Since there is no electricity camping here is relatively cheap at $13/ night. There are no other fees unless you wish to purchase items from the welcome center.
Ownership: As mentioned a few times previously Frozen Head is owned by Tennessee State Parks.
Website: http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/FrozenHead/
Address: 964 Flat Fork Road; Wartburg, TN
Phone: 423-346-3318
Accommodations/Reservations: At this time there are no available reservations for the standard front country campsites, but a group site can be reserved by calling the park. The regulations for the group sites are listed on the website, but in a nutshell you need at least 8 people. Besides camping there are no other overnight accommodations in the park.
If you have made it this far, Thank you for reading! I hope this has been a help to your trip planning. Please feel free to reach out to me with any additional questions. Thanks again!
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