Hiking, camping and more: How to spend a day at Cedars of Lebanon State Park

LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN) — At Cedars of Lebanon State Park, hiking and camping are two of the more popular things to do, but there’s a whole lot more.

“A lot of our people come during the summer months and in the camping season to our campground, and that’s where they start their experience here at the park,” Jeff Buchanan, Cedars of Lebanon State Park Manager, said. “They often branch out to our hiking trails. We do offer programming from our Nature Center.”

Shauna Bridgers, the park’s interpretive ranger who helps take care of animals that have been injured or donated to the park, introduced News 2 to “Maisey,” a non-venomous corn snake. Maisey had to have her tail amputated.

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Bridgers said she doesn’t want people to be as scared of snakes as they are.

“‘The only good snake’s a dead snake’. Well, that’s not the case because they do go out in nature and take care of our pest control, the mice and things like that,” Bridgers said. “A lot of the uneducated is just not knowing the difference between a venomous and a non-venomous snake.”

There are nine cabins for rental at the park and several very popular hiking trails, including one that is American Disabilities Act-accessible with rubber concrete and several bridges. They also have trails for horseback riding and offer tours of Jackson Cave.

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On a typical day, family picnics are popular in the summer months, and the park has several picnic shelters available.

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How many state parks do you know of with a disc golf course? The one at the Cedars of Lebanon State Park was one of the first courses in the state, and it was constructed in the 1970s.

Many of the classic buildings in the park, like the Cedar Forest Lodge, were built during the Works Progress Administration time period of the 1930s to the early 1940s, when local craftsmen were brought in to do the work. The lodge has served a variety of functions over the years.

“It’s evolved now to where it’s an assembly building where people will rent it to do various things, mostly weddings,” Buchanan said. “We do a lot of weddings in this building, sometimes two or three a weekend.”

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Last but not least, the Splash Pad is a popular place during hot summer days!

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To learn more about Cedars of Lebanon State Park, you can follow this link.

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