Short Springs Natural Area
Nature preserve
367 acres4.3 mi of trail
Machine Falls Loop Trail WhiteLaurel Bluff TrailAdams Falls TrailBobo Creek Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Tullahoma
Tullahoma has 326 acres of parks, 15 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Short Springs Natural Area (4.3 mi). 42% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Tullahoma’s land is conserved, about 658 acres.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #48 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
658 acres · of 23.4 sq mi of land
Trails
5.8 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
326 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
42%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.6 mi
0.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Tullahoma have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Tullahoma is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #48 of 177 in Tennessee. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Tullahoma’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical TN town 1% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · TN 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (326 acres) · TN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home42% 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 48%
LessMore
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 73%
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Tullahoma’s 4% is ahead of 76% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 60% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Short Springs Natural Area, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Southside Park
Park
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Waggoner Memorial Park
Park
42 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Short Springs Natural Area367 acres · 4.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSouthside Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Waggoner Memorial Park42 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Springs Park19 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJohnson Lane Park37 acres
DirectionsRock Creek Park14 acres
DirectionsTullahoma Rec Center4 acres
Who protects it
658 conserved acres
4% of Tullahoma’s land. Who manages Tullahoma’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits358 ac
Town or city300 ac
State Conservation Area · 358 acLocal Other or Unknown · 190 acLocal Park · 71 acLocal Recreation Area · 38 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Springs Designated State Natural Area State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 358 | Restricted |
| City Of Tullahoma Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 190 | Open |
| Waggoner Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Johnson Lane Softball Fields & Soccer Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Rock Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Jefferson Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Frazier Mcewen Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Imagination Station Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in Tullahoma
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Tullahoma
Imagination Station
DirectionsRocket Park PlaygroundIn Big Springs Park
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Tullahoma
Machine FallsIn Short Springs Natural Area
DirectionsCampgrounds in Tullahoma
Beech Park
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Machine Falls Loop Trail White1.2 mi
Laurel Bluff Trail1.1 mi
Adams Falls Trail0.8 mi
Bobo Creek Trail0.7 mi
Machine Falls Connector0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Baseball
8Tennis
4Soccer
4Softball
3Basketball
1Volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
North Atlantic Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itL. D. Hickerson HouseDistrict · listed 1993
About itNorth Washington Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1993
About itWilson-Crouch HouseBuilding · listed 2017
About itSmotherman HouseBuilding · listed 2018
About itTullahoma Municipal BuildingBuilding · listed 2018
About itT-201 Aircraft HangarBuilding · listed 2021
About itFox HouseBuilding · listed 2023
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Tullahoma: April to June
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) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 48 | 53 | 62 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 82 | 72 | 61 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 6.2 |
October is the driest month (3.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 6.2 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Tullahoma →
Next door
Tullahoma and its neighbors
Tullahoma 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tullahoma | 4% | 0.2 | 15 | 42% | B− |
| Lynchburg | 2% | under 0.1 | 21 | 14% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Tullahoma
Where can I hike in Tullahoma?
The longest trail networks: Short Springs Natural Area, 4.3 miles; Southside Park, 0.3 miles; Waggoner Memorial Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Tullahoma is conserved land?
4% 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 Tullahoma’s trails?
Short Springs Natural Area and Southside Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Tullahoma?
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Tullahoma?
3,610 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Tullahoma or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 326 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Tullahoma have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #48 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 Tullahoma 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 →