This recreation area is part of Center Hill Lake

Rock Island State Park Campground

This is our first trip (it won’t be our last) to Rock Island State Park. 
We are very fortunate to have a campsite with full shade. From what I can tell most of the sites are partial shade. It’s 90• and muggy but we haven’t needed our AC at all. We’ve actually gotten a little cool during the night. 
The park is very quiet. I love that the sites have a good amount of space between them. They all appear to be fairly level too. Some of the sites have a step down to get to the grill, fire pit &amp; picnic table. Because of that it limits the space you have to sit under your awning. So I would look @ the pictures of the individual sites carefully before picking one, if that’s important to you. 
The bathhouse is very clean &amp; the showers have plenty of hot water. 
McMinnvile is only a 15 drive if you want groceries or If you’d like to go out to eat. Although there is a nice store with a good little restaurant just outside the park. My husband &amp; I ate there once &amp; it was very good. They have a menu with the usual stuff on it as well as a meat &amp; 3. 
There is a lot to see here. And old textile mill, waterfalls &amp; an old pump house that was used for the small town of Rock Island as well as for the textile mill in case of fire. 
My husband &amp; I highly recommend this park.....just don’t get our spot ;)

Beautiful setting 

We had a great time at this campground. It was me and my 2 year old son in our pop up camper. The site we had had a nice square picnic table and fire ring. We also had some friends tent camp on our site and there was plenty of space. Our friends that camped in the tent section wished they had picked the RV section since there was no playground by them. We were very close to the playground and bathhouse which was great. There was also a volleyball court full of sand.  The site and bathhouse were great the only bad thing IMO is that you have to drive to get almost anywhere. If you are in a motor home and don't tow a car this could be annoying. Also the roads to the hiking are very narrow. 

Rock Island State Park RV Camping

This park is one our families favorite places to do a Day Hike at. The falls and river are always amazing! (Could do with less snakes though!) We enjoy climbing to the top of the upper falls where the kids can jump off the cliff. The breezy mist from the Twin Falls makes for a great way yo cool off quickly. Also, the trails are well marked

The camp site has always been neat and clean as well as the bathrooms and showers.

It's always a great drive as well.


Hiking/Camping at Rock Island

Rock Island has some great spots. There's a few waterfalls, a swimming area, and some picnic areas. However, the camping is just ok, especially the tent camping. It's small, right off the road and not super close to the trails. The RV camping parts looked a little better when I drove by. There's a pavilion, a better bathhouse, and it just looked nicer. I'm all for rustic camping, but it felt like it was trying to be a better campground. 

Anyways, Rock Island has a few hiking trails and a pretty awesome swimming hole beneath Twin Falls. I hiked the Blue Hole trial, which basically descends to the river via a waterfall. It's pretty difficult and you are ensured to get wet feet, but it's great!

In my opinion, there are better places to camp in the area and I would just make a day trip here to see some of the waterfalls and the huge dam that creates Center Hill Lake.

Rock Island: Come for the scenery, not the camping.

I loved the hiking there. The campsite has a good website, letting you know exactly what you get. Have the option to go tent or RV. Beautiful surroundings. 

Fun time!

BEAUTIFUL to see the falls and the vastness of the natural area!!!

Beautiful

Just got back from an AWESOME, WET, weekend at Rock Island State Park. I stayed at the RV camping area and participated in the Tennessee State Park Rock and Row Triathlon. (Which ended up being a duathlon due to the rain) The campgrounds were recently (w/i a few years) renovated, are well landscaped and easyisly accessed. The bathrooms are in good shape, and clean. The falls are the thing to see and depending on the season you go you can get reasonably close or see them from above. Several moderate trails , water sports and cycling. The town of Rock Island sports several antique shops with good deals if that's your thing and other local small businesses which keep it interesting .

Floating away :)

Stayed overnight two nights to participate in a mini-triathalon. Rained most all weekend, but breaks in the weather proved timely and had a fantastic experience! Park personnel are very friendly, check in was a breeze, everyone I spoke with had a lot of knowledge of the area, things to do in the area and best times for hiking, kayaking, or just camping. Campsites were easily backed into, and although somewhat close to one another, they are staggard to afford some privacy. On site campground hosts were always available, without being in everyone's business! Good hiking trails, very dog friendly. Shower and toilets were clean and well kept.

Rock Island SP Rocks!

Off I24 near Murfreesboro, Tn and a leisurely drive through the Tennessee countryside. Small towns, pickups and cows. Watch for stop signs, I almost missed one while looking at the scenery.

I camped in the tent/not so primitive campsite this time. Paved parking spots with electric ( don’t know if it was on, had nothing to plug in;) boxes and large areas with picnic tables, fire rings and gravel squares for your tent. You could easily fit a group in each site. That being said the sites are very open to each other.

Small shower house with a shower and two latrines. Clean and maintained. I would avoid the very first site next to the shower house, noisy and foot traffic would be constant. I decided to sleep in the truck due to inclement weather, threw a tarp over the top and left the windows down.

Something to be aware of is the park is split by the river , dam and falls so make sure you get a map, there are good trails on both sides.

The falls are the main attraction at the park and are pretty awesome to hike down around and through. Pay attention to the weather and warnings. The Trails are technical and rocky on the far side of the dam but worth the trip. On the Park office side is the historical stuff and another long walk down to the foot of the falls.

There is kayaking too but I haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet. Things in the area to check out are the antique stores and “Foglight Foodhouse”.

You like waterfalls?

Rock Island State Park is situated in the middle of Tennessee. The park itself is surrounded by beautiful forest and some pretty great and easy hiking trails. The falls themselves are a sight to see. The main waterfall is beautiful and looks dramatic against the rocks and fauna.

When we went, the trail to the falls was closed. So I advise being ready to do other activities - the park offers a lot of sights to see other than the falls. There is a great sandy beach which you could spend time skipping stones into the water.

All around, the staff is nice and helpful!

A Beautiful Shady Get Away

I stayed in the tent-only loop - a small group of 10 sites. It was quiet and had many trees for hammocks. Thus site offers level tent pads, a grill, fire ring, and picnic table. Clean bathrooms and hot showers available. The nearby swimming beach was great for the kids. Many short hiking options available. Make sure to visit the ranger station for a map and safety rules during water releases.

Beautiful area with many activities 

Great hikes and random places to jump into the water.  

Fun place!

This campground was a great place to explore the gorge and twin falls was a great trail to explore. It is a bit of a more experience hike through the gorge

Adventurous fun 

Excellent campground for campers, pop ups, tent and cabins. Water and electricity on each site. Well maintained, camp steward on site. Clean restroom and bathhouse w/hot water. Plenty of pavement for kids to ride bikes as well as playgrounds and volleyball court. Swimming and fishing area minutes away. Pavillion and playground with multiple picnic areas. Several hiking biking trails. Excellent roads for biking also. A definite go back to.

Multiple use area.

Very quiet and small state park with so-so level pads.  The sites are very close together.  Very.  Great for families with multiple campers.  

Super quiet but close sites

This is a small State Park and campground area in the lower part of middle Tennessee, but if you like to see some great waterfalls and a some history on this part of Tennessee you will not be disappointed. 

  

Just make sure you have all your supplies before you get there, it is a remote area with no big cities with 50 miles.

Great Falls

We visited this state park in our 40 foot motorhome.  While there are only a few spots that will accommodate a rig this large, it’s worth the time to haunt the reservation system and snag one.  The road to the park is winding but we had no issues.  Nice big sites with picnic area and fire ring.  Onsite camp hosts that are accommodating and friendly.  The hike to the water falls was gorgeous and just sitting outside was worth the trip.  Close to Cumberland Caverns where we enjoyed a concert in the cavern.  We will definitely go back!!

Great state park

I love the water falls and hiking in the area.  Beautiful landscape makes this a great place to spend the weekend.

Lots of Fun!

We spent the weekend at the park in our 21’ camper. Site 28 was fairly level, and had water and 30a power.  A few looked like they had sewer at them, but ours didn’t. Fair warning, sites all seemed to be pretty small. My kids loved playing at the playground. The whole park was just really well kept. Bathrooms and showers were clean and in great shape. The staff and rangers were all great, and the gift shop at the park entrance was pretty nice. Small, but had shirts and a couple souvenirs, as well as firewood.  The falls were nice, but be prepared to get your shoes wet if you walk the trail down towards the main falls. There was a cold snap that weekend, so we didn’t feel like getting that wet. We will definitely be back in the spring.

Great family park

I’ll start with the reservations! Easy for sure, and they were great with last minute changes. The site was easy to get into with our 27’ 5th wheel. (Site16) plenty of recreational space on this site. We have two 10 year olds who had a blast riding their bikes. The park staff did a great job keeping the bath house very clean. Plenty of good hiking and views on all the trails. The Eagle trail was a great one! 

Great place for family!

Our family just took a 3 night trip to Rock Island State Park. As a mama, I felt totally safe and comfortable at this park with 10 year old twin girls. The playground and restrooms were a short bike ride so they were never too far from camp. We were also VERY impressed with the cleanliness of the camp. Park rangers could be seen cleaning the restrooms and grounds every hour. With all the craziness going on, it was really comforting to see them going above and beyond to keep everyone safe. We took time to hike a few of the trails in the park. The trail that goes by the bluff was nice and easy. Our favorite was the Eagle trail. The views and trail itself were stunning! We will definitely be back! 

Great family trip!

I would give this place 10 stars if I could!! Probably my favorite state park to date. It's absolutely breathtaking!!! The park features several waterfalls, swimming, rock jumping and plenty of hiking!!! We had the best time!! The campgrounds were very clean and had showers and restrooms! Each site offers a picnic table, fire pit and gravel area for your tent! There are also hookups for RVs. Would also reccomend Fall Creek Falls State Park and Cloudland Canyon State Park!

Chasing Waterfalls 

The campground was well kept, bath house clean. Signs and paths for hiking were very confusing. 

Decent

Gorgeous waterfalls (pictures don’t do it justice) close by and hiking. Campsites are very small and on top of each other. Gravel pad. The trees provide partial shade. Glad we anchored our tents well, as their was a tornado warning on our first night with down limbs. Rangers were friendly and came by to check on everyone just before the storm hit, as well as after. 

Bathhouse was pretty standard, nothing special, but at least it was clean. 

Hiking trails are not well marked, and due to the terrain; I would not recommend taking small children. I mean, it IS named Rock Island after all. 

The swimming area had very stagnant water and it was not appealing whatsoever. 

Nice play area and some really cool things to look at on your way in. Dollar general 10 mins away. 

Beautiful but small 

This is our first experience at a state park, so we really don’t have anything to compare it to. It’s clean and quiet, with wooded sites that are spaced out so it feels very private. The hosts and rangers are friendly and helpful. To get to waterfalls, it’s quite a hike. A tow vehicle or bikes would be ideal to get around because the park is expansive. We did the Bluff trail which was nice and easy. The moonshine trail was very easy. 

Tip!!! If you are coming from Nashville area, you are MUCH better coming in on 70 S through Murfreesboro than the way Rv trip wizard will route you!
We learned the hard way.😐

Nice and quiet

 Rock Island State park is a great place to camp. The campground is large and the campsites are spacious and far enough apart that you feel secluded, even when it’s full. It’s heavily wooded, so you don’t feel like your neighbors on right on top of you. The sites are paved and have water and electric, no septic where I was, however and they have a dump station that was large enough for two people to use at the same time. There are so many things to do at the campground, or the park, you will not be bored. Rock Island has some of the best waterfalls in Tennessee, and you can get right up to some them, if you are brave enough to kayak close to them. They also have a swimming area, and sand volleyball. Great biking in the park also. The area has lots of little shops and antique stores, if you’re into that, and Calf Killer Brewery is a short drive, and I highly recommend visiting there. Overall, this is a great park to visit, and a great place to camp.

Awesome Waterfalls

We really enjoyed Rock Island State Park. The campgrounds are easily accessible and roomy. We were there only couple days but would love to go back and visit some of the cute shops and ice cream trailer at the entrance later. It is probably lots of fun in the summer with the huge beach. We plan to visit again soon. FYI there are some sites with sewer. I didn’t realize this when I reserved. They have great dump station but prefer to have that taken care of before we pull out. 

Beautiful clean state park 

We were in spot 22 on the cul de sac and you get to know your neighbors really well. One neighbors fire ring was 8ft from our camper. Nice state park with lots to do. Go see twin falls. 

Quiet but tight

I grew up around here. The locals don’t appreciate its beauty like they should. Lots of natural waterfalls and old buildings. 

Beautiful and lots of history 

Camp store is right across from tent area entrance. Easy access to most parts of the park. Best trails are on the other side of the river. It rages after a good rain.

Decent State Park Canpground

Beautiful setting and well maintained park. We had plenty of space on our site and many shade trees. At&amp;T had 1 bar but the WiFi pole was right next to our site so we had exceptional connection and were able to stream movies, etc.  Large beach area and not crowded at all. We had our bikes and rode around the park and even to an ice cream trolley about 2 miles away. We enjoyed the park and surroundings. We didn’t use the bathhouse but we’re told by other campers it was clean and nice. Only negative is lack of sewer hookups on most sites. A few sites do have them. 

Nice park

Joined family at the last minute.  Reservations a must. Some areas very hilly and sites not level. If it says slight incline. Think twice or call. Some sites will not accommodate large rvs. If the site looks like it is close to another,IT IS!  Shower house and toilet facilities were a 3, on a scale of 1 to 5. Have seen better and much worse.  Sis have electric and water which made it a plus.  Wifi was ok. Phone reception for Verizon ok if your site was on the same level as camp store and washroom. NO reception if down the hill. 
We were there in Oct first half. Site near hickory trees.  We felt like we needed hard hats when sitting at sites. When the nuts fell out of the trees it sounded like someone throwing rocks. Or when they hit the camper shells would explode sound like gun fire! Nice hiking trails. Some challenging. Twin falls were very cool. 

Nice but not a favorite 

This a nice, less heard of state park (in my opinion) that offers a lot of options for things to do. The campground is on hilly ground, but the parking pads are fairly level. Many of the sites have multilevel (parking pad on one level and then table and fire pit on another level). Many of the sites also have railings because of the steep terrain on the edges. If you like hiking and waterfalls, there is a lot to experience. There are also kayak outfitters near by to rent equipment from. This park is a little more remote in the respect that if you need supplies there are some local convenient stores with limited supplies about 5 minutes away and a Dollar General about 15 minutes away. If you something more than that you will have to drive about a half hour. 

Waterfalls Everywhere!

We enjoyed our trip to Rock Island St Park Campground.  We stayed on site 50. The park was clean and probably the quietest ewe’ve ever been to. The bath house was nice and clean. We hiked all the trails at the park. The waterfalls are a short drive. We loved getting ice cream at the train cars after leaving the waterfalls. 

Wonderful trip

The campsites are shady, although not very private. Restrooms were average but they did have coin operated laundry machines. The best part was the beautiful setting, plenty of short pretty hikes, swimming and activities for the family. 

Nice campground, lots to do

This is a great state park with great hiking and beautiful waterfalls. This is the third time we have visited and the gorge has been closed every time! Boooo! This was our first time to camp here. 

The campground is nice and well maintained. However, most of the sites are small. This is not a big rig friendly park, but lots of people still crammed their campers that were too big onto the sites leaving no room for them to park their vehicles. 

This campground is full of extra amenities that we usually don’t see at most parks. They even had a ping pond table with paddles and balls! Nice playground, horseshoe pit, tennis, basketball, and a new group fire pit area. 

We had a great stay and will definitely be back. 

Nice State Park

We stayed in spot 50. Very quite campground. Well kept up park. Clean bathrooms. And the hikes are amazing!!!

Amazing stay 

Checking in was easy and fast. The park was clean. The bathrooms were clean. The only issue we had was leveling our camper, there was a 7in difference between the sides and being new to camping we weren’t prepared to have to lift one side that much! 