Indian Mountain State Park
| Indian Mountain State Park | |
|---|---|
Indian Mountain rising above Indian Mountain Lake
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| Type | Tennessee State Park |
| Location | Jellico, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 36°35′05″N 84°08′31″W / 36.58466°N 84.14184°WCoordinates: 36°35′05″N 84°08′31″W / 36.58466°N 84.14184°W |
| Area | 213 acres (0.86 km2) |
| Created | 1971 |
| Operated by | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation |
Indian Mountain State Park is a state park in Campbell County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Established in 1971, the park consists of 213 acres (0.86 km2) situated at the base of Indian Mountain, a 1,949-foot (594 m) summit that overlooks the Elk Valley in the Cumberland Mountains. The park is located immediately west of the city of Jellico, and the history and development of the two are intertwined to a great extent.
Indian Mountain State Park is unique in that it was developed upon an abandoned strip mine, and serves as an example of how strip-mined land can be reclaimed and used for recreational and other purposes. The park is located amidst the floodplain of Elk Creek, and a small lake and several large ponds flank the park's central area. The Tennessee-Kentucky state line forms the park's northern boundary.
Elk Creek flows northward from its source on the slopes of Braden Mountain to the southwest, slicing a 15-mile (24 km) valley between the Jellico Mountain uplands to the west and Pine Mountain to the east en route to its mouth along Clear Fork just north of the Tennessee-Kentucky border. As the creek descends to the Oswego area south of Jellico, the valley expands into a marshy floodplain approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. Jellico occupies the northeastern part of this plain, and extends up the slopes of the valley's northernmost hills. Indian Mountain State Park occupies the northwestern half of the valley between Jellico and the base of Indian Mountain.
Elk Creek splits Indian Mountain State Park into eastern and western halves. The western half is dominated by the 6-acre (0.024 km2) Indian Mountain Lake, which spans the base of Indian Mountain and forms the southern and western boundary of the park's campground. Ballard Lake, a large pond slightly smaller than Indian Mountain Lake, dominates the park's eastern section. Several smaller ponds are scattered along the park's northern and southern boundaries. Elk Creek, which drains the park, is part of the Cumberland River watershed.
Interstate 75 passes through the Clear Fork Valley just east of the park, connecting the area to Lexington to the north and Knoxville to the south. Tennessee State Route 297, which intersects U.S. Route 25W in Jellico, connects the area with Huntsville, Tennessee to the southwest.
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