The old fort area is pretty low key with the nice cannons but a nice historical area for Knoxville. The real rock star of this place is the quarry area. There are sometimes hundreds of folks floating on our hanging out around the quarry on hot days. Mostly college crowds but a good place for families too. We have ticked the trails and they are pretty good but a lot of ups and downs.

I can not believe how perfect the water temperature was. When I went Labor Day Weekend it seemed to me that most people picked up after themselves. Perfect spot to cool off. Easy hike from the parking lot. Wish we knew it was that close so we could had brought our floats.

Absolutely Beautiful, My Wife and I Really enjoyed this place. A Must See if your ever in the area

Fort Dickerson Park is absolutely beautiful. Breath taking view and plenty of parking. Historical site with signage that tells you the story of its rich heritage. The trails are nice but could use a bit of maintenance. Porta potties and trash cans are located near the base of the trail where the Rock quarry opens up. Here you can swim, raft, or kayak with your family, friends, and even your dogs! There is a park attend there, but no lifeguard, so swim at your own risk. The water is crystal clear and feel spectacular!

I love the view at sunset in the Spring but the overlook smells like pee every time I have been there. In fact, one time, there was even a little boy peeing! when you got to go, you got to go! But, why does it smell like this every time. It’s nauseating

My boys and I chose this stop on a trip up north as a place to picnic and stretch our legs. The lake overlook was beautiful and the Fort was really interesting. However the fact that the scent of urine was pervasive and the grounds were covered with litter really distracted from the moment. Worth stopping by to experience history but we won’t be choosing to return soon.

Great spot with lots to see and do! Be sure to do your homework before visiting so youll know where to park and such.My photos are only of the quarry since the earthen fort and pavilions werent so photographic.

This is a gorgeous park with some really beautiful scenery. My family and I came here for a family photos. We will definitely be back.

Love this place great for all ages and awesome place to swim! Dogs allowed. Fun for the whole family and love to swim here clean water close to downtown.

We recently moved to Knoxville and came across this gem looking for a local swimming spot to go on weekends. We were not disappointed. Hidden away just a block or two from down town. Wasnt overly crowded. There were CLEAN port-a-potties. The entrance to the water is shallow enough for small children to play and swim, but it drops off to an infanite depth for the rest of the lake. People were friendly and the short walk from the parking lot to the water was well kept. We will definitely visit again.

Pretty park and good trail, but dont leave your car parked here. Someone broke the lock to my car. They didnt get into the car, but we were only on the trail for about an hour.

Great place, absolutely beautiful! Friendly people and a great place to swim.

Okay, so... Its been a while since Ive been swimming or hiking and this place really hit the spot. Unfortunately, I do have a couple criticisms. I understand that its difficult to get in the water while wearing a mask. But, when youre lounging on the shore in your hammocks like some Greek royalty, please.... Please wear a mask.

This was a beautiful place. The earthen Ford has spectacular views and is a very relaxing place to eat lunch or picnic. The hiking trails are great for beginners. The water was absolutely breathtaking. Definitely going back. This was a hidden gem in Knoxville you just cannot afford to miss.

Great park to stroll around and check out the old Earthen Fort as well as some pretty amazing views and its always kewl to learn about the history!

A very peaceful thought-provoking place in contrast to its bloody history as a key battle place in the Civil War. Here, Union solidiers successfully protected the back door to Knoxville. The area is currently undergoing restoration processes so hopefully will be even more beautiful in the days to come. I asked had a little fun watching the turkeys roam! Id say this is a must visit, accessible one right turn from Chapman Hwy, heading to South Knoxville.

Tons of college kids and very welcoming. It was a little awkward at first, but once they realized we were there for our own fun and not to crash their party they opened up and stopped staring with defensive faces. The quarry is absolutely beautiful and clean. The water was perfect too Everyone welcomed our children and dog too. It was a peaceful fun time.

Beautiful place to visit. An amazing view and cool ppl there. Just be careful as there is a steep fall.

Beautiful trail! A bit narrow and hazardous for the kiddos, only made it about half way.

Great views and awesome trails.

Went geocaching here! Its a beautiful place!

Awesome view of the quarry. God bless whomever carved out the trails down the cliff to the bottom of the quarry. I appreciate you so much oh my goodness!!!!

Amazing view of quarry especially at dusk

Not too crowded and plenty of shade. Lots of good people.

Great place to visit.

Super fun place to spend a day.

Beautiful breathe taking quarry. Great place to relax on float and enjoy the sun.

There is a gorgeous water body that is in a former quarry. So its surrounded by steep rocky faces and canopy trees in the spring and summer time. The water is carribean clear. It is a like a giant pool and so it great for floats.

Did a few mtb trails here nice single track.

Pack a picnic and enjoy the city view.

This is a great place to get out and hike any time of year or go swimming in the warmer months. It is easy access, so it is also perfect for an afternoon lunch break.

Good, but limited information. Could use a couple more signs about the history. Beautiful view of the quarry lake, though people have thrown trash on the ground which is sad.

Nice place like that theres park ranger on duty too!

Nice walk. Great piece of history.

Took my breath away! Beautiful!

Beautiful place but lots of trash

Tricky parking but the quarry is beautiful

Beautiful Quarry and great dirt trails for mountain biking

Enjoy the hills with some historical battle ground of 1863 in knoxville

Its,peaceful, historic, has natures finest to offer and has a super large swimming hole as well as trails to hike along w/ wild Turkey both young and old

Beautiful view and nice place to walk. Also some good spots to play Pokemon Go. I visit a couple times a month.

The trails themselves were fun to run, but the overall area seems sketchy. I went down a deadend trail and found a homeless camp that was full of trash and smelled awful. Trash is a prevailing theme along the trails and for some reason underwear seems to be discarded in random areas. The quarry area was pretty, but there were alot of people. The parking lot outside the gate had some pretty shady lookin characters just sitting in their cars. Its worth checking out but take it with a grain of salt.

A super beautiful secret on Chapman highway. Locals swim here regularly. This is not for folks who cannot swim. The quarry is hundreds of feet deep. Take caution, bring sandals and enjoy the view. An officer visits the area regular in the summer for safety. Parking might be the only pain

Its a great place to swim (as long as you can swim)

A fairly small but pretty park hiding away in southern Knoxville. This park has remnants of old earthworks fort at the top, and several old cannons, along with several plaques and information boards that tell the story of the fort in its functional days. It also contains several stops and gyms for pokemon hunters.

Good place to swim! But not much parking and a lot of garbage.

Great for a good time in the family and friends. The entrance and parking have been under construction lately so a entrance is a available through Churchill Rd or through the trails. If youre a swimmer you can get a good exercise being some 1500yds swim if you swim through all the edge of the quarry.

Tried to go for a nice Sunday morning walk but the amount of drug addicts loitering and doing drugs was not really written in the reviews.

Neat civil war site of a union fort on top of a hill. There is parking available at the top and several hiking trails in the area.

It was fine, just not what I expected.

A must see

Let me start by saying we did not enter the park or spend more than 5 minutes there. We made a wrong turn on the way to something and decided to take a quick look around. We went to the overlook where you could see the quarry- amazing find so close to town. Downside - from the overlook all the way down was covered in trash. Humans don’t deserve beautiful places. So sad to see nature ruined because of jerks.

Excellent place to bike Run and swim close to down town

Great place beatiful!! Water warm family friendly

Glad we stumbled across this awesome place

Very pretty and relaxing . Cant find the closer parking

Great views and Bike trails, sometimes you get some trashy people at the water but its not a dealbreaker to me.

Good park but not for swimming

Currently reconstruction on the quarry parking lot. Fort is an earthen place with a couple cannons, but ample parking and a lovely picnic pavilion.

Love the remodel. Family been going here for a few years now.

Great cliff diving and deep water soloing!

Would give no stars if had the option. . Place is sketchy. Looks like it is used for squatters. Trail is overgrown and full of trash.

Small park, historical fort during civil war. Not for hiking too much but there is a really nice view of a small lake. Nice place to visit if youre into history and war. Some trash if you walk thru trees on trail though :(.

Awesome place to go!

4stars because its fun little hideaway. They are working on building a parking lot for easier access for the time being its a issue to get in and out. People bring their dogs which is cool just wish who ever they have Watching the area needs to do a better job because someone brought two aggressive dogs down to the shallow area where the kids play..

Very nice historical site right in the middle of the city but a great place to get away and forget yourself for a moment and lose yourself in the woods also a historical site with cannons and the dug trenches multiple historical markers and buildings what a perfect place to go eat lunch to get away from the office and the hustle bustle of the city or just to spend a nice weekend day highly suggested not a lot of activities for children but a very educational place to visit as a family

The pictures on the website are so deceiving. This place looks nothing like them. Overgrown trees, pillows and needles from people hanging out there.

Amazing views! Beatiful.

Its BEAUTIFUL

I love this park! If you play wizards unite there are several inns and a fortress....if you like small parks this place has a few great hiking trails an awesome quarry and beautiful views of the city! Its a small local gem!

Dirty, trash everywhere, some folks had set up a permanent camp and were marching around instructing visitors to keep their camp clean.

Nice quarry. Lots of people.

Sure has changed since the 70s

Breathtaking. A little bit of a walk but worth it

It is a great place to go hang out, swim, most water sports. It was a bit over crowded and trashy.

Enjoy the ever-changing way seasons change the water and the whole experience of the area .

Great space!

Beautiful park, lovely walking trails

Very fun and informative!

Nice place for a short (or longer) hike. Looks like most of the trails are also used by mountain bikers. In fact, the most complete map Ive seen was on the Knox MTB Racing Facebook page (see attached photo for map). The quarry itself is also pretty neat. There is ongoing construction in the park.

The Fort itself is not much to see unless you’re a civil war buff, it’s an “earthen” fort, so really just a trench and some gun emplacements dug into a hill top. Was cool to read the enrichment signs, learn the history and see how these series of hill top rudimentary fort network successfully repulsed a major confederate cavalry attack and protected Knoxville after that for the rest of the war. Some signs of recent vagrant inhabitation/camping at the fort. The real gem is the flooded Quarry. Beautiful view from the overlook, and the “Pit Viper” trail down to the quarry’s edge was fun and mildly challenging, this trail could really benefit from some beautification: add some trail markers and clear a couple vantage point views on the way down, has potential to be a great hiking trail. Down in the quarry there were some rowdy college kids being college kids (on a Thursday) but nothing out of hand. The real disappointment to me was trying to find a decent hike around the quarry to complete our loop. We took a trail with a single sign marked “Goober Trail”, but quickly got turned around as there was no signage and seemed to double back on itself in several places and split into unmarked trails. Under brush was waste deep and the trail very narrow, at one point we were passed by a mountain biker, so maybe this was an off-road bike trail rather than a hiking trail? Unclear; Knoxville parks and rec has a beautiful spot here, but just need to invest in the trail system a little more, make a clearly marked loop around the quarry, a trail head, a sign or two...we never made it all the way around like we wanted and turned around and hiked out on Pit Viper the same way we hiked in. Beautiful spot, needs some trail investment.

Great new additions to the Park. Great for walking, hiking, running and water sports A hidden jewel in Knoxville with in view of downtown and Univ of Tennessee

Tons of room to float and enjoy the sun!

I love exploring here year round. Nature Trails, the quarry is a local favorite for swimming on hot summer days. The nature trails that weave through it are really nice break from the city, while still being within the city.

A good time every summer

This place is terrific and Ive went here since I was a child with my father. Go here to get a peace of mind

Beautiful nature setting

Alot of litter everywhere. The parks dept makes the approach to the park look clean and taken care of. The park itself not so much.

A good place to learn some history

Was an awesome holiday weekend down there. Dont forget to watch out for broken glass with your kids and pups. If ya can, help and pick up trash of the ungrateful and ifn you see you see a litter bug, smash. Have a great fall Knoxville!

Wow.. beautiful place

Amazing to soak off the heat of the summer

Very easy to find and park. It had great views of the quarry from the overlook. The walking trail was dirt but smooth with plenty to take in. The fort area was very interesting and Informative. A great place to visit.

Beautiful place to cool off, there are portapotties and teach cans. The water is so clean you can see to the bottom.

Beautiful area!!

This played a key role in the history of the region. This historical plaques help explain so much to people new to the area. To fully enjoy the scenic views from the forested high hill, come here in late fall or early spring.

They did a wonderful job opening this space up for everyone to see

This park has improved over the years. Its going under some new developments and its great that a place with such history can be displayed in a great environment with trails and views right near downtown.

Great swimming hole with warm waters and a small beach and some jumping off spots. Nice forest trails all around.

Should seriously be considered one of the wonders of the world!!!