SALE CREEK, Tenn. — Tennessee’s newest state park, the 70th in the system, now has a name. Gov. Bill Lee and the state’s environment and conservation department said Tuesday that the park on the Hamilton and Rhea county line will be called Angel’s Hollow State Park.
The governor and First Lady Maria Lee picked the name themselves, saying it reflects the quiet, peaceful valley the park will open to visitors. The state plans to dedicate the park on Nov. 6, the same day the Hamilton County Fair opens next door.
The land comes largely from McDonald Farm. Hamilton County handed roughly 1,305 acres of the farm to the state, and when those acres are joined with parcels Tennessee already owned, the park will cover about 2,500 acres.
The General Assembly put $45.3 million for the park into the budget for fiscal year 2027. Its visitor center will sit in Sale Creek, beside the 300-plus acres of the farm that stay in county hands, including the historic homestead and the fairgrounds.
State park planners say Angel’s Hollow is meant to serve a wide range of visitors, from families taking their first steps outdoors to hikers looking for longer trail links and backcountry trips. Plans call for hiking, biking and camping, and supporters expect the park to bring tourism and economic development to the north end of the county.
Senate Finance Committee chairman Bo Watson, a Hixson Republican, said in the state announcement that the park should make Hamilton County a top destination for outdoor recreation and improve quality of life there.
The park is also a milestone for the Lee administration. It will be the 14th state park created while Lee has been in office and the last one of his tenure, the most ever opened under a single Tennessee governor.
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