Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area is a National Park Service unit that spans Kentucky and Tennessee: about 83,340 acres of it are in Fentress County, Tennessee. There is no entrance fee. It is open during posted hours; see the visitor center hours below.
Check current closures and fire restrictions for Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area on the managing agency's own page.
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area map
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
This unit's own agency alerts list no fire restriction as of Oct. 5, 2026. We do not check a statewide fire-order feed for TN, so that is not a statement that no order exists, and not a green light for a fire. Check with the land manager and your county before you light anything.
County and local burn bans may also apply on private, state, or county land nearby. On federal land, follow the land manager's order; off it, follow the strictest county or local rule that applies. When both touch your trip, obey both.
Common questions
- Partly. About 83,340 acres of Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area are in Tennessee (measured from the park's boundary map); the rest is in Kentucky. That is 66.7% of the park's 125,000 acres.
- Yes. Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area has no entrance fee.
- Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area is open during posted hours; see the visitor center hours below.
Fees, passes, and hours
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area has no entrance fee.
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area is open during posted hours; see the visitor center hours below.
Sources: nps.gov, checked 2026-09-30; nps.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
Camping in Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
Campgrounds inside the park's Tennessee boundary: Bandy Creek camping and Station Camp Campground , each with its sites, fees, season and reservations on campgroundsdb.com.
Getting there
- Nearest town: Helenwood, 9.7 miles
Source: www2.census.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
What to see
- HighlightNPS unitNPS unit designation
Source: nps.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
Public lands next to Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
- State parkPickett CCC Memorial State Park is 0.3 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- www2.census.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
The sentences on this page are generated by software from the sourced records above, not written by hand. How this content is made.