Meadow Creek Park in Monterey, Tennessee

In the late 1980s, the Town of Monterey embarked on a search for a new water source and eventually found a suitable 300-acre tract of land on the Clarkrange Highway, about five miles east on State Route 62. The property, previously a coal mining operation, was located near Meadow Creek and had a terrain that was ideal for a 100-acre lake created by a strategically placed dam on the stream. Despite having 200-plus acres of shoreline, the lake went largely unnoticed until 2015 when the town council realized its potential and authorized the development of a master plan to transform the property into a remarkable park and outdoor enthusiasts' paradise.

Meadow Creek Park is still in its early stages, but it has already garnered attention from professional trail builders and volunteer groups with skills that align with the overall plan's objectives. The support of passionate individuals and influential businesses such as the Perdue Foundation and Signature Health has been crucial to the park's progress. In November 2020, the Upper Cumberland Southern Off Road Bicycle Association opened almost two miles of trail that will eventually encircle the entire lake. Meadow Creek Park's future goals include more hiking and biking trails, designated rock-climbing areas, wilderness camping sites, kayak and boat rentals, and a fishing pier.

Additional Resources:
Driving Directions
Meadow Creek Park Trifold Brochure
Meadow Creek Park - Hi-res Lidar Topographic Map

Meadow Creek Park, Monterey, Putnam County, Tennessee [Map] Meadow Creek Park - Trail, Monterey, Putnam County, Tennessee [Map] Meadow Creek dam, Meadow Creek Park, Putnam County, Tennessee 8 Meadow Creek Lake, Meadow Creek Park, Putnam County, Tennessee 5 Meadow Creek Lake, Meadow Creek Park, Putnam County, Tennessee 3 Meadow Creek dam, Meadow Creek Park, Putnam County, Tennessee 3 Trail, Meadow Creek Park, Putnam County, Tennessee

Comments

R.P.M. said…
Thanks Chuck! Awesome introduction to this asset has me planning a visit.
8/16/2021 11:03:00 AM
Anonymous said…
Have you ever seen any bear out there, by chance? I'm pretty sure I just did.
6/29/2022 12:48:00 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Missing People Map

Image
Sometime around middle to late November of 2019, I started getting tagged in posts on Reddit and Facebook where a map purported to show a correlation between missing person cases and caves. The two maps in question were of terrible quality in both content and image quality (so very much JPG compression). Somehow these maps managed to capture the public's attention for several weeks. In fact, more than two months later I am still being asked questions about the map. What follows is a critical analysis of the maps from both a cartographer's perspective, as well as a caver's. Origin Where did each image come from that comprised the map? The top image is titled " North America Cluster Map " and is produced by the Canam Missing Project / Missing 411. I cannot comment on the methods used to produce the map since they aren't stated. For this reason I am immediately suspect that this is conveying real information. I'll touch on why the form of this ma...
Read more

Sandstone Boxwork

Image
Photo credit: Brian Solomon / @waterfall_hillbilly Photo credit: Bryan Melton Sandstone boxwork is a unusual phenomenon that we see on the margins of the Cumberland Plateau. There are three things that must happen first to produce boxwork. Jointing Mineralization Weathering Jointing Produced in a parent rock of sandstone, this type of boxwork originates as small joints which run in a box shape. The origins of these joints could be from frost wedging - where water in the rock freezes and cracks the rock, or it could unloading pressure from the rock de-watering, or it could be from some other physical process. The origins of the boxwork joints are still a bit of a mystery. If the following steps occur without previous jointing then one gets Liesegang Rings. Mineralization The joints become a place of preferential mineralization. Groundwater loaded with iron minerals moves through the pores of the sandstone. Where it finds a void, like...
Read more

Jungle Book Film (1994) and the Upper Cumberland

Image
Table of Contents The Story David Starnes's Photos April Moore's Photos Watch Guide for Locals THE STORY BEHIND WALT DISNEY'S DECISION TO FILM RUDYARD KIPLING'S JUNGLE BOOK MOVIE AT LOST CREEK CAVE AND WATERFALL A PERSONAL RECOLLECTION BY DAVID STARNES RETIRED PRINCIPAL PLANNER LOCAL PLANNING ASSISTANCE OFFICE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT I was employed by the State of Tennessee as a community planner from October 1990 to August 2011. The Local Planning Assistance Office of the Upper Cumberland region was based in Cookeville. Our agency was in the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, which also included the Tennessee Film Commission. Occasionally, different agencies would meet to explain their role in fostering economic growth in the state, and this was how my love for caving became entwined in the 1994 Walt Disney live-actio...
Read more