Jackie Steffan On a busy weekend, we often only have a few hours to do a hike. When we’re pressed for time, we like to go to Warriors’ Path State Park. Warriors’ Path is located on the South Fork Holston River in east Kingsport. It’s very accessible, only a 5 minute drive from 81. There’s a large variety of activities for everyone in the family: hiking, mountain biking, golfing, horseback riding, disc golf, boating, fishing, soccer, camping, and the list goes on! I’m including a list below of our favorite hikes at Warriors’.
Getting there
From I-81:
- Take exit 59 towards Kingsport
- Option 1: Going to the marina, soccer fields, disc golf, playground
- After 1 mile, turn right on Colonial Heights Rd.
- In 0.8 miles, turn right on Warrior Dr. this road will take you right into the park
- Option 2: Going to the campground, golf course, mountain bike trails
- After 1.4 miles, turn right onto Hemlock Rd, this road will take you to the park entrance after 1.6 miles.
- Option 3: Going to Sinking Waters Trailhead
- After 1.4 miles, turn right onto Hemlock Rd, this road will take you to the park entrance after 1.6 miles.
- At the hairpin turn/intersection, continue on the road as it turns left towards the bridge/water, changing to Fall Creek Rd.
- Continue 1.7 miles, past the golf course, then turn left onto Moody Lane
- In 0.2 miles, turn left on Cedar Branch Rd.
- In 0.3 miles, turn left into the gravel parking area
https://tnstateparks.com/assets/pdf/additional-content/park-maps/41-warriors-path.jpg
Lakeshore Trail to Connector Trail to Lake Hollow Trail
— 1.25 miles — 1 hour — Easy —
Embarrassingly enough, we looked for this trail multiple times before a friend showed it to us. I would take option 2 of the driving instructions, take the right road at the fork, and park in the old swimming pool parking lot (on your left just before the campground). Walk through the eno/ hammock campground and continue on the paved road down to the lake. Turn right onto the trail and continue around the peninsula. The trail will eventually lead you to a set of stairs which will end at the road leading to the campground. An easy, family friendly flat loop with views of the lake the entire time! We also often see deer, ducks, and herons. These trails are in black, brown, and yellow on the park map above.
Overlook Trail
— 0.8 miles — 45 minutes — Easy —
I call this trail a lollipop trail, even though Andy tells me its not a real term (it is, https://www.advnture.com/features/types-of-hiking-trails). It’s also super easy and family friendly! Take Option 1 in the directions. At the marina turn right and drive past the soccer fields. There’s a gravel parking area on the right next to the trailhead. The trail is marked by red blazes. I recommend going counter-clockwise on the loop, which passes by part of the disc golf course (watch out for a errant disc!). There are a lot of trails that seem to intersect, but keep looking for red blazes. It then turns back towards the water and to an overlook of the lake. Enjoy the view, and then make your way back to finish the loop with several more obscured views along the way back. Trail marked in red on the park map above.
Sinking Waters Trails
— 2.1 miles — 1 hour — Easy —
These trails are a bit off the normal beaten path of Warriors’ Path Park, but definitely deserves a visit. We think this is probably the most underrated trail in the park and unique for our region. You’re likely to have the entire area to yourself. Take Option 3 in the directions. Three loops make up this combined trail, first is green, next is yellow, last is blue. It’s pretty hard to lose the trail though. Loops can be done in any order, or some parts skipped, but our recommendation is to stick to the left side of all the loops to start, go around the boardwalk (which starts and ends at the same point), and take the other side of the loops back. We’ve often seen deer, rabbits, and other wildlife in the forest sections. The marsh area under the boardwalk is really unique, and make sure not to miss the sinkhole! The way back will have a pretty steady ~300′ climb to a ridge in one section, and in the winter, the ridge has some decent views.
Stay tuned for more park hikes to be added later!
