Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park, Mountain state park in Unicoi County, United States.
Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park covers 2,076 acres in Unicoi County, East Tennessee, near Flag Pond and the North Carolina line. It forms the state-park part of the 10,000-acre Rocky Fork watershed conservation project, adjoining Cherokee National Forest lands. Much of the forest is second-growth hardwood cove and hemlock stands, crossed by old timber roads and firebreak corridors that now serve as trails.
The tract was long privately owned, most recently by New Forestry, LLC and managed by Timbervest, and was described during acquisition as the largest privately owned inholding in the southern National Forest System. It was leased for decades to Tennessee's wildlife agency and used by the public for hunting, fishing and camping. The land became the state-park component of the 10,000-acre Rocky Fork conservation project, and the park bears the name of Senator Lamar Alexander.
The park is named for Lamar Alexander, Tennessee governor from 1979 to 1987 and later U.S. senator, honored for his role in protecting the tract. The name "Unicoi," the surrounding county's, comes from the Cherokee word unega, meaning white, hazy or fog-draped, after the low clouds of the Southern Appalachians. Before state protection the land was leased for decades to Tennessee's wildlife agency and used by the public for hunting, fishing and camping.
The park lies near Flag Pond at the Tennessee–North Carolina line, where the 2,076-acre tract adjoins Cherokee National Forest and the Appalachian Trail. Old timber roads, grades and firebreak corridors now serve as trail alignments, so expect steep, uneven footing. Much of the forest is second-growth hardwood cove and hemlock stands affected by hemlock woolly adelgid.
The park connects directly to Cherokee National Forest and sits close to the Appalachian Trail, creating an extended wilderness network. This positioning allows visitors to link multiple outdoor experiences without leaving the general area.
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