Tennessee State Parks
Comprehensive Strategic Plan
| Location: | Completed: | Project Type: | Partners: |
| Tennessee | January 2024 | State-wide Parks Strategic Plan | CHM Government Services Barge Design Solutions Kimley-Horn |
Today, the Tennessee State Parks (TSP) system is comprised of 57 individual state parks–with four more parks currently scheduled to open by 2025–that span the most biodiverse inland state in North America. Tennessee State Parks offer distinct and varied natural landscapes, family-friendly recreational activities, numerous lodging accommodations, engaging volunteer opportunities, and hundreds of educational interpretive programs and events. There are over 1,100 miles of trails, 372 cabins, 36 campgrounds, six lodges (hotels) with conference centers, nine golf courses (three of which are signature, Jack Nicklaus-designed, Bear Trace golf courses), access to numerous lakes and rivers, and over 80 waterfalls. Notably, TSP is one of only a handful of state park systems in the nation that is free for everyone – offering outdoor and cultural experiences with no entry fees.
As one of the most celebrated state park systems in the nation, TSP is a previous winner of the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Gold Medal Award and was the first state park system to receive accreditation by the Commission for the Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). Despite this tradition of excellence, TSP had not completed a system-wide strategic plan since the early 1970s. In August 2022, Tennessee State Parks engaged the PROS Consulting Team which included CHM Government Services, Kimley Horn, and Barge Design, to lead the effort to complete the agency’s first strategic plan in over 50 years, as well as to complete individual strategic management plans for each of the 57 state parks as was statutorily mandated.
This was a massive planning effort that involved developing 58 total plans – one systemwide strategic plan and 57 individual state park management plans. PROS and the consultant team engaged with hundreds of employees from leadership to the front line to make this process as inclusive and efficient as possible.
At its completion in January 2024, Commissioner David Salyers of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (parent agency to Tennessee State Parks) noted the following:
“We utilized data, research, and customer inputs to inform our analysis in a more extensive manner than ever before… I’m confident it [plan] is pointing us to an even brighter future for our state parks and the millions of people who enjoy and treasure them.”