Nickajack Cave
Nickajack Cave is a large, partially flooded cave in Marion County, Tennessee.
A park & preserve, 5 mi south of Jasper
Kimball is the nearest base
Kimball is 5 miles northwest, with 8 places to stay. Where to stay ↓
Best months: Apr, May, Sep and Oct
April, May, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 73–84°. When to go ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures and Wikipedia.
Weather, month by month
Typical highs and lows in Jasper. Green months are the mild ones.
Nickajack Cave
Nickajack Cave is a large, partially flooded cave in Marion County, Tennessee. It was partially flooded by the Tennessee Valley Authority's Nickajack Lake, created by the construction of Nickajack Dam in 1967. The entrance was originally 140 feet wide and 50 feet high. There is now about 25–30 feet of water at the entrance, so the portion of the entrance above water is 140 feet wide and 20–25 feet high. It houses a large colony of gray bats, an endangered species, and the water levels have posed a danger to the bat colony. The cave took its name from the Chickamauga Cherokee town of Nickajack, located between its mouth and the Tennessee River. The town was once attacked and destroyed in 1794 by the Nickajack Expedition.
- Type
- Park & preserve
- Wikipedia readers
- 13K a year
Where to stay near Nickajack Cave
The closest towns with hotels, motels or campgrounds are Chattanooga (157) and Kimball (8).
- 1Lookout Mountain
- 2Ruby Falls
- 3Ellison's Cave
- 4Tennessee Aquarium
- 5Russell Cave
- 6Lake Winnepesaukah
- 7Cloudland Canyon
Chattanooga
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
194,144 people
21 mi east of Nickajack Cave
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Nickajack Cave | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | 21 mi east | 30 min | 157 124 hotels · 12 motels · 7 inns & B&Bs · 6 lodges & cabins · 3 hostels · 3 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 194,144 | $283K | D− |
| Kimball | 5 mi northwest | 10 min | 8 7 hotels · 1 motel | 1,633 | $231K | C |
| Trenton | 10 mi southeast | 15 min | 9 2 hotels · 1 motel · 2 lodges & cabins · 1 campground · 3 RV parks | 2,236 | $166K | — |
| East Ridge | 22 mi east | 30 min | 28 20 hotels · 3 motels · 1 inn or B&B · 2 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 21,921 | $211K | C− |
| New England | 9 mi southeast | 15 min | 5 2 hotels · 2 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 391 | — | — |
| Bridgeport | 7 mi southwest | 10 min | 3 1 motel · 1 campground · 1 RV park | 2,275 | $94K | C |
| Jasper | 5 mi north | 10 min | 2 1 hotel · 1 motel | 3,636 | $209K | B |
| West Brow | 12 mi southeast | 20 min | 4 3 hotels · 1 campground | 1,044 | $279K | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Also near Nickajack Cave
Other well-known places within 63 miles. Numbered ones are on the map above.
115 mi MountainLookout Mountain
215 mi WaterfallRuby Falls326 mi CaveEllison's Cave
418 mi Zoo & aquariumTennessee Aquarium
512 mi National MonumentRussell Cave National Monument8K visitors a year621 mi Theme parkLake Winnepesaukah
62 mi MuseumU.S. Space & Rocket Center1.0M visitors a year
713 mi State parkCloudland Canyon State ParkPhoto credits
Lookout Mountain: Teke, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ruby Falls: Oydman (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tennessee Aquarium: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Russell Cave National Monument: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 · U.S. Space & Rocket Center: formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Cloudland Canyon State Park: Ronmacal at English Wikipedia, Public domain
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Visiting Nickajack Cave
What town is Nickajack Cave near?
Jasper, TN, about 5 miles north.
When is the best time to visit Nickajack Cave?
April, May, September and October, with highs of 73–84°.
What is the closest airport to Nickajack Cave?
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA), about 23 miles away. The nearest big hub is Nashville (BNA), about 99 miles.
Where should I stay near Nickajack Cave?
Chattanooga (21 mi, 157 places to stay), Kimball (5 mi, 8 places to stay) and Trenton (10 mi, 9 places to stay).
Tips from people in Jasper
No tips yet. Ask, or answer, in Jasper’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.