Norris Municipal Park and Forest
Managed by City of Norris
2,338 acres24.6 mi of trail
Highpoint TrailReservoir Hill Circle TrailClear Creek TrailForester's Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Norris
Norris has 40 miles of mapped trails, 4.8 for every square mile of land
655 acres are parks and preserves, 441 per 1,000 residents. 11% of Norris’ land is conserved, about 598 acres. The biggest trail networks: Norris Municipal Park and Forest (24.6 mi), Norris Dam State Park (11.6 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
598 acres · of 8.3 sq mi of land
Trails
40 mi
4.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
655 ac
441 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,440 ft
High Point
What kind of outdoors town is Norris?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town4.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, among the top 1% of U.S. towns.Room to roam441 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild11% of the land is conserved; a typical Tennessee town, 1%.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Norris have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Norris is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Norris’ overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical TN town 1% · U.S. 4%A−Trails4.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (40 mi) · TN 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land441 acres of park per 1,000 residents (655 acres) · TN 10 · U.S. 13AParks close to home88% 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 97%
LessMore
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Norris’ 11% is ahead of 90% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 99% 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 Norris Municipal Park and Forest, with 24.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Norris Dam State Park
Managed by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
592 acres11.6 mi of trail
Lakeview TrailHomesteadBackcountry Access Climb TrailHighpoint Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Museum of Appalachia
Park
59 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Norris Commons
Managed by City of Norris
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
598 conserved acres
11% of Norris’ land. Who manages Norris’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land586 ac
Tennessee Valley Authority551 ac
Town or city11 ac
State Park · 1,136 acLocal Park · 11 acNot Designated · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 5 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norris Dam State Park | Other state land | 586 | Open |
| Norris Dam State Park State Park | Tennessee Valley Authority | 551 | Open |
| Norris Square Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Not Designated | Tennessee Valley Authority | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
8 places to go in Norris
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Norris
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Norris
High Point1,440 ft elevation · In Norris Municipal Park and Forest
DirectionsObservation Point1,368 ft elevation · In Norris Municipal Park and Forest
DirectionsReservoir Hill1,355 ft elevation · In Norris Municipal Park and Forest
DirectionsPicnic areas in Norris
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Norris
Backcountry Site 1Fee · In Norris Dam State Park
DirectionsBackcountry Site 2Fee · In Norris Dam State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 14.3 miHorses · 11.4 miUnpaved · 34.5 mi
Lakeview Trail4.8 mi
Highpoint Trail4.0 mi
Songbird Loop2.2 mi
Clear Creek Trail2.0 mi
Reservoir Hill Circle Trail2.0 mi
Forester's Trail1.4 mi
Sequoyah1.3 mi
East Trail1.3 mi
Edge Trail1.2 mi
Belmont Trail1.1 mi
15 more trails
Boundary Trail
1.1 miHomestead
1.0 miBackcountry Access Climb Trail
0.9 miRidgecrest Trail
0.9 miLower White Pine Trail
0.8 miPaw Paw
0.7 miHighpoint Spur Trail
0.7 miRaccoon Run Trail
0.7 miEli Nine Trail
0.7 miMockingbird Trail
0.7 miLongmire Trail
0.6 miReservoir Hill Trail
0.6 miFreeway Trail
0.6 miUpper White Pine Trail
0.6 miGrist Mill Trail
0.6 miBiking & 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
2Tennis
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Norris: 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 | 51 | 60 | 70 | 78 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 81 | 70 | 59 | 49 |
| Rain (in) | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.8 |
October is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Norris →
Questions about parks and trails in Norris
Where can I hike in Norris?
The longest trail networks: Norris Municipal Park and Forest, 24.6 miles; Norris Dam State Park, 11.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Norris is conserved land?
11% 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 Norris’ trails?
Norris Municipal Park and Forest and Norris Dam State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Norris?
8,995 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Norris or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 655 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Norris have?
Ahead of 97% 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 Norris 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 →