Nice little outing for the family. Between the Dam, the hiking trails, and the animals I think theres something for everyone. We were lucky enough to go on a day where the park was visited by a food truck, and the food was fantastic. I hope thats a regular thing!

What a lovely place! First time there and was very pleased. The walking trails through the animal habitats were paved and made for an easy walk. There were many trails, some down to the lake and through the woods. Great fall foliage!

We are on a whirlwind northeast TN tour and this was a recommendation from a local. We are so happy we stopped in and saw the beautiful lake, several of the wild animal rescues and trails. A brautiful, shady and peaceful setting. We will definitely be back when we become TN residents!

I loved this fabulous park!! So much to see and do. We took the trails up to the fire tower and climbed up the tower for SPECTACULAR VIEWS! We visited the animal exhibits, and nature center/gift shop.

Very beautiful place to take pictures. As far as the attractions go I would definitely wait until covid is over because basically nothing is open.

Bays mountain was a godsend during the pandemic while everything around was closed. We ventured up a few times a week to hit the trails and walk/hike around all we could. If you get out early and get out of often it really is a nice place to get out without too much worry. I remember the dam as a child and it hasn’t changed much. Some really cool treats around if you know where to look. 5 stars, recommend.

Before arriving, we called the office to see what was functional since covid-19 is going on all around us. The man who answered our questions said that all exhibits are open but the planetarium and the barge rides will most likely be closed. This was not the case once we paid and walked the park. Many of the exhibits were empty with no information on whether or not that exhibit was closed or anything else. All places that had a structure was closed minus the bathrooms. This meant that we would not be able to see the snakes and frogs and more. We saw more wild deer roaming the property than we did inside of the exhibit. The area was clean and it seemed everything was well maintained. The dam was cool to walk but there was no information about the dam or the history of the dam specifically when it comes to water levels and that sort of thing. We were hoping this would be a really cool educational experience for our kids but it seemed extremely frustrating for them since there was not much information to go on. We felt very misled by the questions that were answered by the person working the phones. It seemed like he was more wanting us to come in to get our $5 then really letting us know the conditions the park is really in. Even though the park was well maintained it did not seem like a very nice professional place where you would actually show off and keep animals. I would not recommend this place unless you are planning on walking the trails for some fresh air or for exercise.

Our experience at Bay Mountain was great. We got there about 4:30 and walkedthe Lakeside Trail. Moderate level that took about an hour. It led to the wolves, raptors, and planetium(which was open yet). We had such a good time, the best $5 we spent to get in lol. We are definitely going back... Just earlier because we only saw a little. If your looking for animals, nature, and water, this place is a must.

Kingsport, TN is so lucky to have such a place as Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium. It is a great place to go and enjoy. Ive been going there most of my life. My children and grandchildren have been going there all of their lives. Look up the website and youll want to go. By the way, be sure to ride the barge.

Very pretty! We love seeing the animals. The hike to the fire tower was worth it.

One of my favorite places to go and hike, walk, or jog trails up/down the mountain.Also fun bringing the kids and doing a shorter hike. Great staff and many things to do outdoors.Next goal is to try out the mountain bike trails.

We visited while the kids were on Fall break and had an enjoyable time. The planetarium was only partially accessible, which was a bit disappointing, but it was good to look through some of the historical information. We visited the deer, wolf, and rescued owl/hawk enclosures, and even got to see an older tiger. Worth the exercise (on a worn trail) and ride out.

Love Bays Mountain! Definitely take barge ride! Amazing staff!

I always love visiting! When its a hot summer day, its the best place to be cuz of the shade. If ur wanting to get the best animal experience, go early before the heat kicks in. I love that the park does not force their animals to be in the open and they r allowed to go into their hides whenever they please. What they do for the animals is amazing. All the staff r wonderful and the trails r well maintained and worth the hike.

I love taking the nature trails with my pups! They are very well maintained and easy to navigate

Great state park with lots to do. Hiking for people looking for a challenge or just a stroll. The wildlife exhibits are neat, too.

Gorgeous views and the animals are stunning. They also have food trucks sometimes. I love visiting ️

Tons of trails. Nice concrete wall alongside the top is the lake. Trails for hiking and biking. Better grab a map

The Firetower views were phenomenal! We loved Bays Mountain Park!

Probably one of the best city parks in the nation. Bays mountain offers everything from hiking, animal exhibits, planetarium, and much more. It costs five bucks per car to get in and is well worth it. You can fish the lake provided you are under 16 or above 55 and you have to stay on the dam. This is a bummer as you can see some great fish around the lake when hiking the lake side trail.

Lots of trails. Wild animal habitat with wolves, and deer. Herpetarium. Raptors. Zip lines. Good visitor center.

It was pretty but not many animals to see....some things are closed due to the virus...

Cost $5 to get in. Some thinga were closed due to Covid. The animals were sparce but we enjoyed the ones we could see. The walk across the dam was pretty.

It was way less than what I was expecting. Very few animals most of everything is closed due to Covid. The animals hide in their pins so you cant see them. One bright spot; the BBQ food truck was suprisingly very very good.

Love looking at the animals. Very peaceful place to go enjoy the day and have a picnic with the family

We spent a couple of hours walking around and taking pics. We liked that we could see wild animals but the enclosures are just too small! Poor fox didnt have much room to move around at all. One wolf enclosure was larger, but the others seemed too small. The lake was nice. Overall its a nice, clean, good place to spend an afternoon.Like these photos? See more of my photos on Instagram: @end.of.a.lens

Great place to mountain bike. I only rode about a third of the trails about 14 miles. I will try some others next chance I have. Shame I live far away

Bays Mountain Park is wonderful in virtually every way. It is exceptionally well conceived and maintained.....it has incredible vistas, well marked trails and is loaded with old growth forest...we go 2-3 times a week and love it...!!!

A fantastic city park with animal habitats, a nature center, awesome planetarium and some great hiking. If you are a local the $30 yearly membership is more than worth it for the benefits. If not then the $5 is a super value per vehicle. Plenty of wild deer roaming the open park along with tons of other wildlife. The lesser-used western trails are a bit tough deep in the summertime, but well worth the trips. Many abandoned structures from the parks old days. Kingsports best asset.

Amazing views! Have a picnic, hike, walk, run, or check out the animals. Great for the whole family

Virus shut down inside stuff but the outside was all God made it out to be. Walked to the towers on narrow trail for about 90 minutes. We saw the towers. We walked back on the ridge. 2 deer cit us off and just stood there and looked at us for a long time. Then the just wan straight down the bluff. Incredible.

Great hikes for all levels. Hiked along the dam to the floating bridge an then over to the nature center. There are wolves and deer but the the other animal exhibits were empty. Still a nice ~2 mile walk and people were were wearing masks when distancing not possible. Good mexican food truck and ice cream truck present.

Beautiful place to rest and walk. Animals were a plus. Howling wolves were spectacular.

Love it here. Its gotten so much better since I was 6 and came here on a field trip! Love the wolf sanctuary and the fox habitat.

I love seeing the animals walking the trails and dont forget to take the boat ride

Great place to go hike. Family friendly. A must see if in the area.

Needs a lot of upkeep. Otter pen was empty with no explanation. Viewing platforms were overgrown blocking the nice view. Spend some tax dollars asap.

Well-kept and worth the $5 per car admission. Informative employees in the habitats section, and a good large trails system. The fire tower has wonderful views

The lady that works in the main office helped us with our tickets.. She was so kind in knowing we missed the show the first day ️️ cant wait to go back.. This place is hands down the best

Nice trails. Liked the raptor and wolf exhibits and glad they provide a learning experience as well.

Nice day at bays mountain park. Enjoying the walk and looking at the animals.

I sweat so much hiking through the trails, I had to take off my eyelashes! Well, it was also lightly raining. Anyway, nice firetower.

Love seeing all the animals, go on Tues or Thurs 2pm to see the wolves feed!

Great place for family or alone..nice trails and lots to do.

This is a nice place for kids. We were there in the wintertime so not everything was open. There are a lot of hiking trails to explore as well. Only 5$ per car for admission. Some of the activities cost extra though. We will definitely go back again.

Loved it, spent all day there. Beautiful lake and had a nice hike with my kids and grandkids..

Love taking kids hiking

Had a great time hiking, got off trail somehow, but met an amazingly sweet couple....

This has been my absolute favorite place since I first went...in kindergarten! 33 years later my kids have grown to love it and I’m even more in love with it than ever! The animals are well taken care of and the hiking trails are always peaceful! I was engaged here and we were married here. The beauty of this mountain never ceases to amaze me. I am so blessed to have so many incredible memories here and look forward to making many more!

Beautiful scenery and animals!! My family loves it! Perfect way to spend the day!

This park has everything you need to spend time outdoors. Do some hiking and check out the animals and visit the waterfall. Jeff Mullins Photography Adventures. Happy Hiking! From the early 1800’s through the early-to-mid 1900’s, Bays Mountain provided for those families who settled on the mountain. The mountain provided settlers with land to farm, wood for building houses, a church and even a school. Obviously life was much different then, but relying on Bays Mountain to provide the resources, wildlife and harvest needed to survive and thrive was a given. It surely wasn’t easy, as there are challenges provided by any mountainous terrain, but those families who did make the mountain their home, proudly did so. Many of their stories are wonderfully told in our Farmstead Museum.In 1907, one of Kingsport’s founders, J. Fred Johnson, began buying up land on Bays Mountain to create a lake to be used as a water source for fledgling Kingsport. By 1914, Johnson had purchased the roughly 1,200 acres that surrounded the watershed and sold it to Kingsport Waterworks Corporation who promptly began work in 1915 preparing to build the now iconic dam seen as visitors enter the common area atop Bays Mountain Park. Bays Mountain’s dam was built by approximately 35-40 men who worked 10 hour days to complete the project. Many of those who assisted were family members of those living on and around the mountain. For example, mountain landowner Jerome Pierce provided a wagon and team of mules to haul the rock and steel needed to build the dam. Much of the rock was quarried from the mountain itself.In 1916, water began flowing to the city and in 1917 the dam was raised six more feet creating a 44-acre lake, the same size the lake is today. Bays Mountain’s lake served the city until 1944, when the city had finally outgrown the lake’s capacity to provide. But in some ways, this is where the modern day Bays Mountain story begins. From 1944 through 1964, Bays Mountain served locals in different ways: timber was selectively harvested, hikers enjoyed the early trails and views, while fisherman and hunters challenged their skills. As this usage grew, so too did the public’s interest in preserving the mountain for usage. Thus, in 1965, Mayor Hugh Rule appointed a committee to study ways to possibly develop the mountain into a park. Following the committee’s report, which included hiring a naturalist, the City of Kingsport hired the National Audubon Society to help design a park. Among those representing the Audubon Society was the park’s first director, Robert Holmes. The National Audubon Society’s recommendations were to designate the area as a nature preserve to also allow hiking, naturalist-led activities, natural history studies, research and leisure activities such as photography, painting, wildlife observation and school day-use. They also recommended building a maintenance shed, a residence for a caretaker and an interpretive nature center. In short, the park was to be of great service to the public, including schools, while also serving to preserve the natural habitat it featured. As development began in 1968, so did visitation on a very limited basis. Work was still being completed on the service/entrance road and the parking lot remained unfinished, meaning a strict 100 car limit was enforced. In 1969, the park’s first naturalists were hired, one part-time and one full-time, to accommodate visitors and park users.

We need to get a volunteer program up and running to remove all of the down timber, provide better trail markers and bring some beauty to this place by planting some native flowers, blooming shrubs and such. The trails arent very pretty to walk, and a few areas could use small crossings in low-lying, muddy areas.The dam has been under repair for forever and you cant make a complete loop of some of the trails since they have the dam surfaced blocked off. This also prevents many from easily fishing the lake. I have always loved escaping to this place. But it seems to get worse than better each time I visit.

Absolutely a wonderful walk around the lake. Beautiful!

I have ben coming here for 30 years my mom and here mom have be here sence they first openedIts an amazing spot on the mape and my children will have there children here as soon as they have them lol

Nice place to walk around and enjoy the outdoors. We had not been there in 6 years seem like it has deteriorated.

Easy, accessable way to learn about and experience nature and our natural surroundings.

I absolutely love Bays Mountain and will definitely be back

Great place, neat animal habitats, great hiking trails, excellent mountain bike trails and very well maintained. Only $5 per car to enter. Sundays there are food trucks!

This place his a hidden wonder in Kingsport, TN. They have a little bit of everything. With an exhibit on deer, Fox, otters, predator cats, birds, and a one of a kind wolf exhibit you are sure to find something you will love. On top of all of that they have a reptile/amphibian house you can walk through. Great trails. Oh yeah, they also have a planetarium! So much packed into one spot. Part zoo, part planetarium, boat rides, and fun this place will not disappoint. $5 a car load gets you entry. Most everything is free once inside, you will have to pay for planetarium shows. You can watch them feed the wolves on certain days. Neat experience! Cannot wait to go back!

Dont miss the boat ride. Best and funniest 5$ bucks you can spend

Great park, friendly staff and lots to do and see. Barge ride was fun and very cool animal enclosures.

Such a very beautiful place. Being a lover of nature, ive never seen such a beautiful place. This park has so much of beauty, all in one place!

We had a wonderful day! I was a little confused when coming into the park for the first time knowing where everyting was, but quickly was able to navigate around. The barge ride was my favorite thing of the whole day. It was neat getting to see the animals, go through the gift shop and the informational areas they had, and visit the planetarium. It was totally worth the trip! Will definitely be going back. I look forward to doing some hiking next time!

Awesome! Will be back. We had a wonderful time tireing out our toddler

Such a beautiful place to visit and the people are wonderful.

Its a nice park with several animals to see a planetarium and the $5 gate fee is an excellent value for a nice outdoor afternoon.

We have been visiting here for years with our kids. We started bringing them here in their strollers and now one is in high school and the other in college. It is still a real nice place to homie and be outside. The planetarium show is still a nice show to visit even though the kids dont want to go in there since they are older. I wont say my age but I always loved going there when I was a kid too.

A great place to take your kids in for the whole entire family they got you can take a hike for trails, beautiful Lake if you can walk around takes about 2 hours to walk around my pace. but anyway its beautiful and I would highly recommend you to take a whole carload only cost $5

This is the best park in the area! Plenty of animals to observe and great trails for hiking. The lake is nice. Sometimes during the summer they have a pontoon boat that you can buy a ticket for and the park ranger gives a water tour that is very informative. The planetarium is top notch. If you only have time for one thing, I highly recommend the planetarium! This is a great place to stop in, but I would recommend having several hours to fully enjoy your experience.

Nice zoo but, not many exhibits with active/visible animals. Second time around with same results for each visit.

Bays Mountain has and always will be a favorite for my family. The park is clean the workers are friendly and helpful. If you want a nice pretty short walk its perfect. But if you want a beautiful long walk its even better!! I always tell family or friends not from here that its a must see!

Great place to take the family! Lots to see

We got a membership to go here and love coming here fairly frequently. All the animal workers seem to know what they are doing and love talking about the different animals and telling fun stories. The wolves are definitely something to go see along with the raptors. All the hiking paths I have been on so far are pretty and clean with great views. The planetarium is really cool but a little expensive unless you already have the membership. Overall would highly recommend stopping and visiting here.

40 miles of trails.lots to see in the park. Good for the kids

Park is still as well maintained as it was as when I was a kid. New attractions have been added in the last few years such as the barge rides.

Take a car full of adventures. Entrance fee is only five dollars per vehicle. My Grandjoys love it here. We live to explore the different wild animal habitats and take in a planetarium show. Give the park a call before you go to find out if anything off the schedule is happening. Like the wolves having a treat of fresh roadkill.

Beautiful with fall colors reflected on the water.

Great place if you need silence....

Beautiful place and a lot to do. Loved the animal habitats! Great for families and everyone else as well!

Great. Just wished more of it was opened.

This is a great place to take the family for a day out. They have several planetarium show during they day. There is a boat ride that takes you around the lake which is pretty interesting. Several different animals to see. The wolves are a must, and hopefully your lucky enough to see them feed. They also have a rope course and a zip line. The kids really loved that. The staff is always friendly and helpful.

So peaceful and beautiful! Loved the wolves!!

My family had a great time! The animals were fun & the special spider program for kids was engaging! Bring a picnic lunch and plan to stay for a few hours. Paths are wide enough for a single stroller but probably not a double.

Beautiful park. Lots of trails!

Perfect outing for the active family. Loved the live animals. The volunteer who did a presentation on the birds was AMAZING and answered lots of questions afterward. The planetarium looked like it would be fun, too. But our timing wasnt right to go.

Hike to the fire tower was amazing...

Very convenient and close. Well maintained.

Staff is very personable and friendly.

This is a wonderful place to go and take the kids. They have so much to do and see that I believe you would have to do more than one day.Its very beautiful and breathtaking going through the places and seeing all the amazing stuff and animals that are there. Its a very attractive place to be around and you will have a wonderful and exciting time when you are there. I recommend it to everyone.

Very nice spot, great way to spend the day no matter what your into

Fun family day! Beautiful fresh air, animals, and nature did some good.

The park staff is very friendly and well educated. The animals arent very active in the middle of the day so you may want to go earlier or later in the day. My toddlers werent as impressed with the animals and exibits as my older children were but still a nice family outing that is inexpensive.

The hiking is wonderful. Peaceful. Great for kids!!! Love this place.

Great boat tour of dam, nice animal exhibit. Worth the trip.

Love it!!! We went to the animal side. (this time) Pleanty of parking, kids absolutely love seeing the animals. Lots of educational opportunities, lots of all around family fun. Im lucky its just a few miles from my house. Ive been many times and Im sure Ill go Many more times!!

Perfect place for your child to learn about astronomy and animals. Hiking trails are fabulous and we loved the barge ride. The shows are vivid and informational. I had no idea that Pluto was no longer one of our planets. Thank goodness for Bays Mountain.

Always so nice to to go up to Bays Mountain,Even if its hot as can be its always nice and cool up there. Animals always look so taken care of. Planetarium shows and barge ride nice also !!!

Ive been visiting Bays Mountain since I was a small child, and now as an adult, studying to become a wildlife biologist, I still visit actively to hike and observe the animals in their enclosures. Its an incredible place for children, teens, and adults alike. I love the dog-friendly trails, as well! Never a disappointment.

Wonderful place to take the grandkids

Loved this place. Gardens are pretty. Wolf enclosure allowed up close and personal views.The planetarium show was very very good. Anniversary of the Moon Landing show was packed with great images and info. The exhibit was very well laid out. Well worth a visit.