Bays Mountain Park

Nature park and planetarium in Kingsport, Tennessee

Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium

Location| Kingsport, Tennessee
Coordinates| 36°32′50″N 82°33′43″W﻿ / ﻿36.547299°N 82.561839°W﻿ / 36.547299; -82.561839
Area| 3,750 acres (15.2 km2)
Created| 1965
Operated by| City of Kingsport
Open| Year Around
Website| www.baysmountain.com
Observatory at night, October 2016

Bays Mountain Park is a 3,750 acres (15.2 km2) nature park and planetarium located on Bays Mountain in Kingsport, Tennessee. Opened in 1971,[1] it features a 44 acre reservoir, over 40 miles of hiking trails,[2] a nature center with a planetarium theater, fire tower, and animal habitats.

The park's reservoir was originally constructed in 1917 as the city's primary water source. The rapidly growing city soon outgrew the reservoir and transitioned to treating the water from the South Fork of Holston River in 1944.[3]

Its nature center and outdoor native animal displays include bobcats, a raptor center and gray wolves, among other exhibits.[4] There is also a herpetarium housing reptiles and amphibians.

The park also features an educational pontoon boat ride attraction that runs through the Bays Mountain Reservoir, called the Barge Ride.[5]

Other activities include hiking, orienteering, mountain biking, camping, and fishing.[6] There is also the Steadman Heritage Farmstead Museum, a 19th-century period living history farm museum.

In 2017, the Pavilion at Lily Pad Cove was added for events rentals and special events and in 2019, 75 extra parking spots were added to alleviate peak season parking issues.

It is the largest city-owned park in Tennessee.[7]

## Wolves of Bays Mountain

[edit]

Since 1992, Bays Mountain has been home to a pack of gray wolves. The current pack consists of eight wolves, four male and four female. Seven of those came to the park in 2014 and 2015 and the eighth has been there since 2007, making her the oldest wolf in park history.

This is one of the few places a visitor can experience an actual wolf pack dynamic and behavior. Most places only have two or three wolves together.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Celebrating 50 Years of Adventure at Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium". Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium. March 26, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
2. ^ "Hiking & Biking". Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
3. ^ "The Dam - Bays Mountain History". www.baysmountainhistory.org. February 17, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
4. ^ "Park Overview". Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
5. ^ "Barge Rides". Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
6. ^ "Camping & Fishing". Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
7. ^ "Park Overview".

## External links

[edit]

* Bays Mountain Park website

* v
* t
* e

Protected areas of Tennessee

Federal|

| National Battlefields and Military Parks|

* Chickamauga and Chattanooga
* Fort Donelson
* Shiloh
* Stones River

|

National Fish Hatcheries|

* Erwin

National Forests|

* Cherokee

National Historic Sites and Historical Parks|

* Andrew Johnson
* Cumberland Gap
* Manhattan Project

National Parks|

* Great Smoky Mountains

National Parkways|

* Foothills
* Natchez Trace

National Recreation Areas|

* Big South Fork
* Land Between the Lakes

National Trails|

* Appalachian
* Butterfield Overland
* Natchez Trace
* Overmountain Victory
* Trail of Tears

National Wild and Scenic Rivers|

* Obed River

National Wildlife Refuges|

* Chickasaw
* Cross Creeks
* Hatchie
* Lake Isom
* Lower Hatchie
* Paint Rock River
* Reelfoot
* Tennessee

Other|

* National Historic Landmarks
* National Natural Landmarks
* National Register of Historic Places
* Wilderness Areas

State|

| East Tennessee
state parks|

* Big Ridge
* Booker T. Washington
* Cove Lake
* Cumberland Mountain
* David Crockett Birthplace
* Fall Creek Falls
* Fort Loudoun
* Frozen Head
* Harrison Bay
* Hiwassee/Ocoee
* Indian Mountain
* Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail
* Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork
* Norris Dam
* Panther Creek
* Red Clay
* Roan Mountain
* Seven Islands
* Sycamore Shoals
* Warriors' Path

|

Middle Tennessee
state parks|

* Bicentennial Capitol Mall
* Bledsoe Creek
* Burgess Falls
* Cedars Of Lebanon
* Cordell Hull Birthplace
* Cummins Falls
* David Crockett
* Dunbar Cave
* Edgar Evins
* Fall Creek Falls
* Harpeth River
* Henry Horton
* Johnsonville
* Long Hunter
* Montgomery Bell
* Mousetail Landing
* Old Stone Fort
* Pickett
* Port Royal
* Radnor Lake
* Rock Island
* Scott's Gulf
* Sgt. Alvin C. York
* South Cumberland
* Standing Stone
* Tims Ford

West Tennessee
state parks|

* Big Cypress Tree
* Big Hill Pond
* Chickasaw
* Fort Pillow
* Meeman-Shelby Forest
* Natchez Trace
* Nathan Bedford Forrest
* Paris Landing
* Pickwick Landing
* Pinson Mounds
* Reelfoot Lake
* T. O. Fuller

State forests|

* Bledsoe
* Cedars of Lebanon
* Chickasaw
* Chuck Swan
* Franklin
* John Tully
* Lewis
* Lone Mountain
* Martha Sundquist
* Natchez Trace
* Pickett
* Prentice Cooper
* Scott
* Standing Stone
* Stewart

State natural areas|

* Auntney Hollow
* Barnett's Woods
* Bays Mountain
* Beaman Park
* Big Bone Cave
* Campbell Bend Barrens
* Carroll Cabin Barrens Glade
* Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter
* Chimneys
* Colditz Cove
* Couchville Cedar Glade
* Crowder Cemetery Barrens
* Devils Backbone
* Dry Branch
* Duck River Complex
* Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade
* Falling Water Falls
* Fate Sanders Barrens
* Flat Rock Cedar Glade & Barrens
* Gattinger’s Cedar Glade & Barrens
* Ghost River
* Grundy Forest
* Hampton Creek Cove
* Hawkins Cove
* Hicks Gap
* Hill Forest
* Honey Creek
* House Mountain
* Hubbard’s Cave
* John & Hester Lane Cedar Glades
* John Noel at Bon Aqua
* Langford Branch
* Laurel-Snow
* Lost Creek
* Lucius Burch Jr. Forest
* Manus Road Cedar Glade
* May Prairie
* North Chickamauga Creek Gorge
* Old Forest
* Overbridge
* Ozone Falls
* Piney Falls
* Pogue Creek
* Powell River Preserve
* Radnor Lake
* Riverwoods
* Roundtop Mountain
* Rugby
* Savage Gulf
* Sequatchie Cave
* Short Mountain
* Short Springs
* Sneed Road Cedar Glade
* Stillhouse Hollow Falls
* Stinging Fork Falls
* Stones River Cedar Glade & Barrens
* Sunk Lake
* Sunnybell Cedar Glade
* Taylor Hollow
* Twin Arches
* Vesta Cedar Glade
* Vine Cedar Glade
* Virgin Falls
* Walker Branch
* Walls of Jericho
* Walterhill Floodplain
* Washmorgan Hollow
* Watauga River Bluffs
* William B. Clark
* William R. Davenport Refuge
* Wilson School Road
* Window Cliffs

Other|

* Buffalo Ridge Refuge
* Catoosa Wildlife Management Area

* Tennessee Department of Agriculture
* Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

This Tennessee geography–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template