Reelfoot Lake State Park: Cypress Boardwalk and Keystone Trails (Blog Hike #852)

Trails: Cypress Boardwalk and Keystone Trails

Hike Location: Reelfoot Lake State Park
Geographic Location: Tiptonville, TN (36.36311, -89.43276)
Length: 1.5 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: May 2021
Overview: A pair of short nature trails along the shore of Reelfoot Lake.
Park Information: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/reelfoot-lake
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=873362
Photo Highlight: 

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: The Cypress Boardwalk starts at the Reelfoot Lake State Park Visitor Center, which is located on the north side of SR 21 3 miles east of Tiptonville.  The park's Keystone Trail/Keystone Access is located on the north side of SR 21 2.1 miles east of Tiptonville behind the Sportsman's Resort.

The hike: Tucked in the oft-forgotten northwest corner of Tennessee, Reelfoot Lake State Park is perched on the southwest corner of its 15,000-acre namesake lake.  Reelfoot Lake has a unique history: a series of massive earthquakes on the nearby New Madrid Fault in 1811 and 1812 caused the Mississippi River to flow backward for a short period of time, which created the lake.  The New Madrid Fault is still an active seismic zone today, and in 2009 the United States Geological Survey predicted a 7-10% chance of another 1811-12 size earthquake occurring within the next 50 years.

            The park itself occupies only 280 acres of land, and it is part of a much larger 25,000 acre wildlife refuge, some of which is maintained by the federal government and some of which is maintained by the State of Tennessee.  Hunting and fishing are the area's most popular attractions, but the park offers several short hiking trails that explore the area around the lake.  Two of those trails are described here: the 0.25 mile Cypress Boardwalk loop and the 1.25 mile out-and-back Keystone Trail.

Start of Cypress Boardwalk

            The Cypress Boardwalk forms a loop behind the park's Visitor Center, and even though it is only 0.25 miles long, it might be the park's best trail.  An asphalt approach trail soon reaches the start of the wooden boardwalk, which splits to form its loop.  I turned right and used the left boardwalk as my return route, thus hiking the loop counterclockwise.

Hiking the Cypress Boardwalk

            As you walk the boardwalk, the type of wetland below you changes from swamp meadow to bald cypress forest to Reelfoot Lake itself.  Parts of this boardwalk were fairly old and in need of repair, but it got me across the wetlands safely.  I saw several herons and egrets while walking across this boardwalk, and bird watching would be excellent here during the migration season due to the lake's location in the heart of the Mississippi flyway.  An observation pier carries you a short distance out of the cypress forest and onto the open waters of Reelfoot Lake.  The water was rather choppy with a nice breeze blowing on the warm late May morning when I came here.

Reelfoot Lake

            Too soon the boardwalk curves left and returns you to the rear of the Visitor Center.  You can check out the eagle and raptor flight cages in the nearby aviary, but if you want to do a little more hiking, drive a short distance north to the park's Keystone Access where the 1.25 mile round-trip Keystone Trail begins.  From the signed trailhead at the far end of the parking lot, the dirt Keystone Trail heads north with the lake through the trees a couple hundred feet to the right.  Wooden plank bridges take you over some small waterways that feed the lake.

Hiking the Keystone Trail

            Although the Keystone Trail offers no broad lake views, some large trees live here including sycamore and basswood.  The understory includes a dense carpet of stinging nettle, so you have to make sure you stay on the trail to avoid this irritating shrub.  Because the Keystone Trail is an out-and-back, you can hike as far as you want and then turn around.  When I hiked here, several downed trees impeded my progress, so I hiked until I met a downed tree that was not worth trying to get around before turning around and heading back to the parking lot to complete my hike.