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City dwellers take note: July is National Parks Month, and Tennessee boasts a baker’s dozen – thanks to President Woodrow Wilson signing the “Organic Act” in 1916 to ensure America’s natural and historic phenomena remain “unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Keen on hitting the trail? About 75 miles of the Appalachian Trail (stretching from Georgia to Maine) lie in Tennessee. However, crossing state lines might be the quickest way to get to a National Park site.
Arkansas’ Hot Springs National Park is just 184 miles from Memphis; Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park is a bit further at 258 miles.
– Hannah Van Sickle, The Memphis 100