Pickett CCC Memorial State Park Honored for Excellence in Amenities

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has honored Pickett CCC Memorial State Park in Pickett County with the Excellence in Amenities Award as part of the Tennessee State Parks annual Awards of Excellence.

"The team at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park put in a lot of thoughtful work this past year to improve the amenities at the park and make it even more enjoyable for park guests," said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. "Their efforts reflect the volunteer spirit that built this park in the early 1940s and are truly deserving of this special recognition."

"I'm really proud of the Pickett CCC Memorial team for establishing partnerships that led to an extraordinary amount of volunteer work. It was truly a collective effort to enhance the park's features," said Brian Clifford, deputy commissioner of Conservation. "The plan to target both maintenance of existing features and adding new park features has enhanced the park's natural beauty while keeping its historical significance."

By taking a targeted approach to making improvements, the team at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park enhanced visitor safety, accessibility, recreation, interpretation and historic preservation across the park. Through a special program that contributed 2,250 hours of volunteer work, the team accomplished a significant amount over the past 12 months. In that time, they replaced bridges, stairs and boardwalks; repaired storm-damaged and eroded trails; improved access to overlooks, waterfalls, cabins and recreation areas; protected glow-worm habitat - a unique feature of Pickett CCC Memorial; and completed major repairs to Civilian Conservation Corps-era facilities. Tennessee State Parks maintenance teams added electrical upgrades, stonework improvements, suspension bridge work, hazardous tree removal and historically accurate restoration of the CCC Boathouse, along with storm recovery work, the planting of 1,000 shortleaf pines, and HVAC and LED upgrades.

The park benefited from philanthropic partnerships as well, including grant funding that supported a new color-blind viewfinder and a 14-panel Early Reader Nature Trail installed during First Lady Maria Lee's Tennessee Serves event. These projects reflect a deep commitment to accessible, high-quality amenities rooted in the park's CCC heritage.

The Excellence in Amenities Award recognizes a park for distinguished achievement in strengthening the quality and performance of facilities and amenities - assets intended to delight visitors and reflect statewide pride. The evaluation considers how substantial maintenance and enhancement demands are met, how the condition of trails and buildings is advanced and how new or restored features align with the mission and long-term vision of Tennessee State Parks.

TDEC announced the following awards for parks in other categories:

• State Park of the Year: Roan Mountain State Park
• Excellence in Resource Stewardship Award: Johnsonville State Historic Park
• Excellence in Visitor Experience Award: Pickwick Landing State Park
• Excellence in Operations Award: Panther Creek State Park