Cherokee National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
595 acres0.5 mi of trail
Hampton Blueline Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Hampton
24% of Hampton’s land is conserved: 673 acres
7.2 miles of mapped trail cross Hampton, 1.7 per square mile of land. 135 acres are parks and preserves, 71 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Cherokee National Forest (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
673 acres · of 4.4 sq mi of land
Trails
7.2 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
135 ac
71 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,294 ft
Cedar Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Hampton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hampton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hampton is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hampton’s overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical TN town 1% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · TN 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land71 acres of park per 1,000 residents (135 acres) · TN 10 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home53% of residents within a half mile of a park · TN 42% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Hampton’s 24% is ahead of 97% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 98% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. 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 Cherokee National Forest, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
673 conserved acres
24% of Hampton’s land. Who manages Hampton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service539 ac
Town or city135 ac
National Forest · 539 acLocal Other or Unknown · 135 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 539 | Open |
| City Of Elizabethton Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 135 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Hampton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hampton
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Hampton
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Hampton
Cedar Mountain3,294 ft elevation · In Cherokee National Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.1 miUnpaved · 6.3 mi
The Cat's Pajamas1.5 mi
River Loop1.4 mi
Stemwinder1.3 mi
Bee's Knees1.1 mi
Pines Loop0.9 mi
Hampton Blueline Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Simerly-Butler HouseBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Hampton: April to 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) | 46 | 50 | 58 | 69 | 75 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 69 | 58 | 49 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 4.0 |
October is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.3 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Hampton →
Next door
Hampton and its neighbors
Hampton has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton | 24% | 1.7 | 71 | 53% | A |
| Valley Forge | 12% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 27% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hampton
Where can I hike in Hampton?
The longest trail networks: Cherokee National Forest, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hampton is conserved land?
24% 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 Hampton’s trails?
Cherokee National Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hampton?
5,639 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hampton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 149 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hampton have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Hampton 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 →