Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area
Managed by Tennessee State Parks
44 acres1 mi of trail
Patriot's Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Sycamore Shoals · Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Elizabethton
Elizabethton has 199 acres of parks, 14 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area (1 mi). 74% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.0 miles of mapped trail cross Elizabethton, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns · #30 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
188 acres · of 9.6 sq mi of land
Trails
4.0 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
199 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.7 mi
9.7 mi paths
Highest peak
2,080 ft
Lynn Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Elizabethton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elizabethton is ahead of 58% of U.S. towns, #30 of 177 in Tennessee. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Elizabethton’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical TN town 1% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · TN 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (199 acres) · TN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home74% of residents within a half mile of a park · TN 42% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 58%
LessMore
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 84%
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Elizabethton’s 3% is ahead of 66% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 77% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cat Island Park
Managed by City of Elizabethton
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lyons Field Park
Managed by City of Elizabethton
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
David McQueen Riverside Park
Managed by City of Elizabethton
9 acres
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area44 acres · 1 mi of trail · Tennessee State Parks
DirectionsCat Island Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Elizabethton
DirectionsHarmon Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Elizabethton
DirectionsLyons Field Park10 acres · City of Elizabethton
DirectionsDavid McQueen Riverside Park9 acres · City of Elizabethton
DirectionsCovered Bridge Park3 acres · City of Elizabethton
DirectionsKiwani's Park3 acres · City of Elizabethton
Edwards Island Park3 acres · City of Elizabethton
DirectionsDouglas Community Park2 acres · City of Elizabethton
DirectionsDixon Street Park1 acres · City of Elizabethton
DirectionsWho protects it
188 conserved acres
3% of Elizabethton’s land. Who manages Elizabethton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city114 ac
Other state land73 ac
State parks2 ac
Local Park · 114 acState Park · 67 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 8 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sycamore Shoals State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 70 | Open |
| Tweetsie Trail Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Elizabethton City Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Lions Field Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Joe Laporte Recreation Area Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Edward'S Island Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Joe O'Brien Field Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| John And Landon Carter House State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 4 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Elizabethton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Elizabethton
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Elizabethton
Lynn Mountain2,080 ft elevation
DirectionsSabine Hill1,699 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.5 mi
Longhunter Loop Trail0.8 mi
Patriot's Path0.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Baseball
5Softball
5Tennis
2Soccer
2Basketball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Elizabethton: April, June and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 52 | 60 | 70 | 77 | 84 | 86 | 86 | 81 | 71 | 59 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.8 |
October is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.3 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Elizabethton →
Next door
Elizabethton and its neighbors
Elizabethton has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabethton | 3% | 0.4 | 14 | 74% | B |
| Hunter | 60% | 0.5 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
| Valley Forge | 12% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 27% | C− |
| Johnson City | 4% | 0.7 | 11 | 43% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Elizabethton
Where can I hike in Elizabethton?
The longest trail networks: Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area, 1 miles; Cat Island Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elizabethton is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 1% for a Tennessee town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Elizabethton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at David McQueen Riverside Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Elizabethton?
9.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Elizabethton?
4,303 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elizabethton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 199 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Elizabethton have?
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #30 of 177 in Tennessee. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Elizabethton neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →