Reelfoot Lake State Park

The 2-hour sunset cruise was so relaxing and informative. It's a bargain at $20. It's a ranger-led pontoon cruise on the lake and through some "cuts" where you see lots of birds including blue herons, bald eagles, and multiple other birds. The jumping Asian carp kept everyone entertained. The season for the sunset cruise ends in early September; however, there are cruises scheduled in October during the White Pelican Festival, which sounds like so much fun! Reelfoot Lake is a very unique and special place in the corner of north west Tennessee.

Really nice state park where you can find walking trails or fishing spots. Very nice place to spend a few hours.

Reelfoot Lake State Park is 3 hours from Nashville, and if that's making you pause- DO NOT PAUSE. GO. It's that amazing. It's the closest to a Louisiana swamp as your going to get in Nashville. It's absolutely gorgeous.The lake was formed as an offshoot from the Mississippi River after a series of earthquakes in the early 1800s. It is a flooded forest with cypress trees reaching out of the water. It has fishing, boating, a museum, a gift shop, a nature center, picnic pavilions, playgrounds, boating, two campgrounds, and seven hiking trails- the Airpark Trail (1.25 miles loop), the Black Bayou Trail (.7 mile), the Boardwalk (.45 mile loop), the Brough Slough Trail (.3 mile), the Deep Swamp Trail (3.6 miles loop), the Keystone Trail (.6 mile), and the Walking Loop Trail (.4 mile). It has a youth ninja course, and an aviary that has AMERICAN BALD EAGLES, which I've never seen before in person. Surrounding the park, there were boat tours of the lake you could sign up for, personal guided tours of the park, and gift shops with recovered cypress bark and roots for sale.

BBeautiful park and the raptor rehab was awesome!! What a great experience to see bald eagles that close up!!! Will bring my wife next time!!!

Great place. Park Rangers are super helpful.Lot of Lakeside support businesses. Plenty of spots to launch boats and watercraft. Piers everywhere to walk out on the lake for the views or fishing.

Beautiful place to vacation! You get your own boat and it really feels like yours. No one breathing down your neck. (Jon the bait guy who basically does everything helped us & made us feel so welcomed) $TIP THAT MAN$ .. No one is Telling you how to do it or what to do. Ask questions and they will help you 100%. They let you do you so don't mess it up! Very relaxing & a total get-away! My girlfriend & I ended up here having to leave Panama City Beach because hurricane Sally was stirring up. We wanted to spend our day on a lake fishing and relaxing. We got 3 nights and a boat all 3 days. They have a restaurant in the BlueBank Resort Marina. Amazing food. Good service. Great whiskey. The only negative is the flies and spiders at night. But that comes with nature and night time so one can't really complain about that. But just a warning. 5/5 for a relaxing get-away!!

Would you get up at 6AM on a chilly Saturday and drive 100+ miles to see some freaking birds on a lake? I say yes if the lake was created by the most powerful earthquakes to hit eastern US in recorded history and the birds are white pelicans (Finding Nemo anyone?) on their annual migration. The 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes were so powerful that the mighty Mississippi flowed backward for 10-24 hours to fill up the area of 20 square miles what is Reelfoot Lake today. I was fascinated by the history, which is why we drove 100 miles north to check out the lake not long after moving to Memphis. Months later, we visited the lake again to partake in a white pelican canoe float, guided by the knowledgeable and hospitable state park naturalists David and Robin. It was a windy day, the water was choppy, and the numerous cypress stumps in the lake added to the challenge, but we were rewarded by the sight of white pelicans, with one of which we literally brushed shoulders. These guys only started to make this lake a stop on their migrating trips in recent years. I wonder why it took them so long. Hello? The lake was formed two hundred years ago! After making it to shore safely, we went for lunch at Boyette's, the oldest restaurant in town. I had never dined in a place that has been in business for 91 years and boy do they know how to fry catfish. Later we took a hike around the lake. The short trail recommended by David has several well-maintained boardwalks, on which I could walk forever. The air was crisp, sky blue, leaves golden, and how I wish the trail would never end. (link to some photos: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/6xTneiihymOQHqwCdV5iLQ?select=sOCgi3qBXOeHucUc86TV1g#sOCgi3qBXOeHucUc86TV1g)We will be back in late January or February for the Bald Eagle and Waterfowl Tours, and I can't wait to try some crappie.

This lake holds some of my cherished memories of the time I spent in Tiptonville. I remember having b-b-que with friends here at the lake during summer or just simply coming here to relax, reflect, or unwind when I was feeling homesick or lonely. Ahhh...memories from my not-so-distant past came flooding when I came here again after so many years. I cannot believe it has been more than 10 years since the last time I set foot in this lake.The lake offers a hauntingly beautiful and serene view that is unlike anything I have seen before. The bald cypress trees that grows on the water lends a surreal and magical feel to the lake. Reelfoot lake is a natural lake that came into being as a result of a series of earthquake a little over 100 years ago.The park is popular for fishing and boating as well as duck hunting. The park also offers easy to moderate hiking trails to the wetlands. The park has a small playground for children as well as picnic areas and is a popular spot for the summer. In addition, there is a bald eagle habitat located close to the lake. There are few restaurants and accommodations along the highway where the state park is located, such as Boyette's and Blue Bank. Some of these places offers packages for whatever is in season, such as duck hunting, fishing, etc. There is a museum located in the area that tells the story about the lake, its history, and the people of the area.

Good Eagle sightings because of a Good GuideMy wife and I recent went to Reelfoot Lake to see the Eagles (no, not a concert - the REAL eagles). Anyway, we had each been there years ago, but we had not had a guided tour on our first visits. Truly, the best way to see the eagles is with a Tour Guide. Jerry was very pleasant, friendly and he knew where to take us - as well as what we could expect to see - he's been doing this since 2001. He even had a telescope/monocular on a tripod so that everyone could see the eagles up close. I was able to get a few good pictures of the eagles. We highly recommend the Tour. It lasts for about 2 hours and you also get an insightful history of Reelfoot Lake and how it was formed by the earthquake in 1811-1812 - the Mississippi River actually flowed Backwards to create the lake.Yes, we did get to see several eagles, and we also got to see a large flock of Snow Geese in flight; we had not seen the Geese before, and not everyone does. We were told that sometimes there can be upwards of 500,000 Snow Geese at Reelfoot - that would an incredible sight to see.For the small fee, you get such a great trip and will most likely get to see eagles if you go in February. There are also a number of eagles that "live there", as well as those that are simply "passing through" either going North or South. It was time well spent - and we saw the Eagles! They have other good educational programs worth seeing at the Visitor Center as well. The lake is known for its good fishing as well. Although not everyone "goes fishing", most people like "eating fish" - and the fish is very good at Boyette's across the street. We went on the 10:00 am Eagle Tour and ate lunch at Boyette's. Great trip!(TIP) Although we forgot ours, you can remember to take your binoculars so you can see the eagles better. If you have one, you may want to take your camera as well.

Trails are all washed out from this year's flooding. Bet luck after they've had time to clear debris and rebuild.