Hiking in Edgar Evins State Park: 11 Miles of Trails

Welcome to Edgar Evins State Park!  A park with over 6000 acres, 11 miles of hiking trails, multiple cabins and campsites, and of course, easy lake access for boaters and kayakers.  

Edgar Evins State Park is the perfect getaway location for middle Tennesseans.  This state park is peacefully located on the lakeshore of Center Hill Lake with pleasant hiking and an easy-access boat ramp.  And if you want to stay for more than a single day, there are 60 campsites and 34 cabins to provide a weekend escape no matter your budget.  

So whether you spend your time in the woods or on the water, there is something in Edgar Evins State Park for everyone!

Important Links

Edgar Evins State Park website

Edgar Evins Campground – Make Reservations Here

State Park Map

Hiking Backpack Checklist FREEBIE

Location

Edgar Evins State Park is located in middle Tennessee.  It’s just over an hour from Nashville, TN and 1 hour on the dot from Crossville, TN.  

You can simply enter Edgar Evins State Park into your favorite GPS app, or you can use the address below.

1630 Edgar Evins State Park Road Silver Point, TN 38582

History

Edgar Evins State Park was founded in 1968 and encompasses over 6,000 acres running along one small piece of Center Hill Lake.  

The park was named after James Edgar Evins, a thriving businessman who went on to serve 2 terms as a Tennessee state senator.  He was integral in the development of the Center Hill Dam and Reservoir in the 1940’s.    

His son, Joe Evins was also important to the state park development when he began advocating for the park in the 1950’s.  This is why he is the namesake for Joe L. Evins Appalachian Center for Craft that is nearby.    He went on to represent Tennessee in Congress for over 30 years before his death in the 70’s.  

From a very involved family to a thriving park, Edgar Evins State Park is a must-see if you are in middle Tennessee.  

But now that we know about some of the history, let’s get to the question everyone asks.

How Much Time Should I Spend Here?

You might be making plans and wondering how much time you should allot for this state park.  

In my opinion, this is a day-trip or a weekend park.  If you want a whole week on the lake, then yes, you could spend more time here!

But we took 2 day-trips here (one in the summer and one in spring) and both times felt satisfied with a day.  

However, had we wanted to hike another couple trails, or to kayak longer than a few hours, a weekend camping here would be nice.  I guess it all depends on what you want to do.  

If You Are There to Hike:

My suggestion is 1-2 days at most.  There are only 11 miles of trails, and you can either do them all in one day, or hike half one day and the other half the next.  

If You Are There for the Lake:

My suggestion is at least a weekend, a long weekend, or even a week.  Center Hill Lake is HUGE!  And you could easily spend weeks or months exploring the entire lake, but Edgar Evins is located on just a small piece of this lake.  So take that into consideration.  

Below is our itinerary for the 2 days we spent in Edgar Evins State Park.

Our Itinerary

Normally this section is just a list of our movements on Friday, Saturday, Sunday.  However, for this particular state park, we visited twice.  So here are the days we spent here as kayakers and the second time as hikers.   

Kayaking Day

Arrived at the boat ramp, unloaded our kayaks, and hit the water by 9am.  We then kayaked for several hours back into a few coves where the water was less choppy.  Be aware of boats as they can get going pretty fast on Center Hill Lake.  Then we returned to the boat ramp, loaded up and headed home. 

Hiking Day

We arrived at the Park Office and picked up the Highland Rim Trail right behind said office. Then we hiked down to the edge of the lake on the warm spring day and finished the loop back to the car.  We then drove to the Millennium Trailhead and hiked this peaceful trail through the woods and along a stream.  Once we returned to the car we headed home.  

Again, this is just what we did.  You can either copy our itinerary, add to it, or throw it out the window.  It’s up to you to create your own adventure at Edgar Evins State Park.  There are plenty of other trails here or you might just want to sit around the campfire, but either way, I do believe you will enjoy a day or more here.

Edgar Evins Overnight Options 

Ok, so you’ve decided to make the trip to Edgar Evins State Park and want to stay longer than an afternoon.  Maybe you’ve decided on a weekend trip.

Perfect!  Let’s talk about your options for staying in the park for easy access to the trails and lake.  

Camping

Edgar Evins State Park has 69 campsites to choose from.  60 of those have water and electrical hookup, and the remaining 9 are primitive sites.  Camping Reservations can be made here.

With 3 modern bathhouses, there is no need to completely rough it while camping at Edgar Evins.  If you know me, I am not very picky about my campground. But, there just has to be a shower for me to get clean at the end of the day.  Edgar Evins is perfect for that!

Each site is built around Center Hill Lake and has a table, a grill and a fire ring.  Dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash and there is even a laundry facility in the campground.

As far price goes, it’s about $30 per night to camp here.  So definitely an affordable option!

One other thing to note, of the 60 campsites with electric and water, only 4 of them can accommodate up to a 40 foot camper.  The rest of the 56 sites can only accommodate up to a 33 foot rig.  So Big Rigs beware as you are unfortunately not welcome.  

But what about if camping is not your jam?  That’s fine!  Edgar Evins has the perfect solution for you too!

Cabins

There are 34 condo-style cabins in Edgar Evins State Park.  Cabin reservations can be made here.

All cabins can accommodate 6 people with 2 double beds, a pull-out couch and 1 full bath.  And while we did not stay in these cabins, they look very nice if you don’t want to camp!

There are 2 downsides about the cabins here.  

1. They are not all dog friendly.  A few of them are, but there is also a $20 per day (yes I said PER DAY!) pet fee added when you check out.  
2. They are anywhere from $95 per night, all the way up to $125 per night.  Still cheaper than most hotels or Airbnb options, but much more expensive than the campsite fee.  

So if you are like us and don’t want to pay for an expensive weekend in a cabin (no judgment if you do, we just usually don’t)  I suggest booking a campsite sooner rather than later and this state park fills up in advance.  

Hiking

There are several trails in Edgar Evins State Park (see list below) and while we did not hike all of them, we definitely could have done so in a day or two at max.  

I have provided a detailed description below of our hikes, but the gist of it is, there are a decent number of hills in this park.  Both of the trails we hiked had several hundred feet of elevation gain and while that isn’t very difficult, it definitely falls into the “Moderate” category.

Some of the other trails are easier, but take your pick and hit the trails!

List of Trails

• Marina/Campground Trail – 0.9mi
• Dunham Cemetery Trail – 0.1mi
• Evins Ridge Trail – 0.6mi Loop
• Highland Rim Trail – 1.35mi Loop
• Millennium Trail – 2.35mi Loop
• Merritt Ridge Trail – 5.35mi Loop
• Storybook Trail – 0.4mi Loop

Our Hike

My husband and I went hiking in Edgar Evins State Park on a warm April Sunday. We hiked the Millennium Trail (2.7miles) and the Highland Rim Trail (1.6miles). While these are both considered “moderate” in AllTrails, they were fairly easy trails to hike. I will say there are a couple steep spots, and each trail has over 300 feet of elevation gain. But our total hike time was shy of 2.5 hours for the 4.3 miles total. So it couldn’t have been that steep, right?

Highland Rim Trail

Anyway, we hiked the Highland Rim Trail first. This trailhead is located right next to the Edgar Evins State Park visitor’s center. This visitor’s center has a giant viewing tower poking out the top of it, so you can’t miss it!

The toughest part about this trail is from the moment you step on it, you are heading down towards the lake. Down and down you hike, giving you false confidence of your pace. But don’t be fooled!

We reached the lake fairly quickly and stood to admire the lapping lake water and take advantage of the slight breeze. (It was one of the first 70-degree days of spring and this lake breeze felt amazing!)

The Highland Rim Trail isn’t very long, so we didn’t need to sit and rest (like we do with some hikes) so after a couple minutes, we continued on the trail. And this is where you will first realize how much of a descent you actually made…because now you have to hike back up!

Back up

As you loop and wind back up towards the visitor’s center, you start to lose your breath, and might even feel some weakness in your legs. It’s steep! Again, it’s not a terribly hard hike because it’s only about 1.6 miles, but those 350+ feet of elevation gain can be a little tough if you aren’t in hiking shape quite yet. (Spoiler alert, we were not in hiking shape yet and we felt it pretty much right away.)

But the best part about hiking, is that it’s not a race. Go slow, go fast, take breaks, or sit and rest, the only thing that matters is that you make it back to the car! So don’t be too hard on yourself (no matter where you’re hiking).

We got back to the car, stopped our smart watches, and then drove to the next trail.

The Millennium Trail

This wooded trail is a beautiful and peaceful hike and if you hike in the spring, there are wildflowers all along the trail. So, while this trail doesn’t have any jaw-dropping vistas or waterfalls, it is still a peaceful trail to hike if you are hiking Edgar Evins State Park.

This trail is 2.7 miles long and has 350+ feet of elevation gain. However, we both felt this trail was easier because the elevation gain wasn’t all at once like it was on the Highland Rim Trail.

Anyway, there isn’t much parking at this trailhead, so either get their early, or later in the day if you want to park close.

As we started on this trail, we again noticed the overwhelming descent that we would in fact need to hike back up. But I will say this descent isn’t nearly as steep, but still.

After about a half mile, the trail sort of splits. What do I mean by “sort of”? Simple, there is a “high water” section of the trail in case of a lot of rain. Regardless if you take the high road or the low road, these two sections converge again after just a few hundred yards. Another short distance later, the trail splits again. But this time, this is the loop section of the trail.

The Loop

As you can see from the photo below (a screen shot of my hike) this small loop will take you around a few hills and streams before leading you back to the main trail you just hiked.

Long story short, you can go either way. We chose to go to the left but if you want to go right, go for it. Either way has a decent amount of elevation gain with steep spots. This part of the trail is narrower, so if you run into other hikers, be sure to be courteous and allow people to pass.

Up and down the trail goes, leading you through wildflowers, over streams, and in a beautifully wooded section. The shade feels amazing as you are under hundreds of thick trees to shade you from the brutal Tennessee sun on a hot day.

We passed a few rickety bridges, and a couple muddy sections but overall, this is a peaceful trail perfect for an hour and a half hike. When the loop leads you back to where you started, you begin the straight shot back to the parking area. You do have to hike back up that part of the trail that you hiked down,but again, it’s not as steep as the end of the Highland Rim.

After about 2.5 hours of hiking, we decided to get back home and call it a day since we had a bit of a drive home. But we enjoyed these short and steep trails.

The previous spring, Brian and I went kayaking at Edgar Evins State Park and enjoyed that time kayaking on Center Hill Lake.

Kayaking and Boating

As I already mentioned, in the spring of 2022, my husband and I kayaked around Edgar Evins State Park and truly enjoyed the alcoves that are a part of this giant lake. If you aren’t familiar with Center Hill Lake, this lake is huge! So yes, Edgar Evins State Park is along Center Hill Lake, but it is only along a very small section.

Once you enter Edgar Evins State Park, just keep following the signs towards the boat ramp. 

Kayakers will need to drop their gear near the ramp and then go park. It isn’t the easiest access if your kayaks are very heavy, but my husband and I worked together to get the kayaks in the water.

As you can see from the kayak map, the red line is where we went. We paddled back into one of the coves and relaxed in this calm part of the lake. You can also see from the second part of the image, that we barely covered any surface area when you consider how large Center Hill Lake is!

I will say, because of how large this lake is, there are some very large boats that can get motoring along. If you are kayaking, please make sure that you are staying near the edge of the lake. We were out there on a beautiful May Saturday and there were 2 boats that got a little close for comfort. So keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings.

Conclusion

Whether it’s hiking or kayaking or camping, Edgar Evins has something for just about everyone!  This large state park provides great views of Center Hill Lake as well as boat ramp access if getting out on the water is your thing. 

There are also cabins and campsites to choose from.  And while we didn’t camp here because this state park is within driving distance of us, we can confidently say that Tennessee campground are great places to camp!

With just over 11 miles of hiking trails, Edgar Evins State Park isn’t one you’ll want to miss if you are in middle Tennessee.  

As always, feel free to reach out to averagewildexperience@gmail.com with any questions!

Happy Hiking!