SALE CREEK — Tennessee state officials held a public open house on July 16, 2026, at McDonald Farm in Sale Creek to gather citizen input on plans for a new state park. The proposed 1,300-acre Roaring Creek State Park, situated off Coulterville Road, would become Tennessee’s 70th state park if completed.

The park will straddle both Hamilton and Rhea counties and is part of a 30-year master plan that includes a visitors’ center and a campground. Ryan Jenkins, deputy director of park operations for the state of Tennessee, emphasized the importance of public involvement in shaping the park’s development. “We are getting opinions.

All state parks belong to all of Tennessee, so we’re getting opinions from the public. We want to make sure these public places serve not just our needs and the conservation needs, but the needs of the community and the people who are going to be visiting here,” Jenkins said.

Attendees at the open house could provide feedback through multiple methods, including placing tokens into one of six containers to indicate their preferences and scanning a QR code to access an online survey. An additional survey is available on the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation website for those unable to attend in person.

Tennessee State Senator Bo Watson expressed strong support for the project, noting that the park reflects a community-driven approach. “The department that manages our state parks is not trying to force a particular type of state park on the community. They like to hear back from the community and then structure the park around what best fits that community. When people go to each individual state park, they have their own brand about them, and they reflect something about the local community where they are located,” Watson said.

He added, “This is a thing that extends beyond any of our lifetimes. This state park will tell the Sale Creek story far into the future.” Watson also estimated the park’s economic impact would likely exceed $10 million to $15 million and called the combination of outdoor recreation and economic growth “a winning combination.”

Former U.S. Representative Zach Wamp highlighted a significant shift in community priorities over recent years. He recalled that in earlier efforts to improve the area, “there was this great desire to create a bunch of manufacturing jobs.” He noted that priority has changed: “The people don’t want a manufacturing plant. They want greenspace.

They want less traffic. They want their own place to go and hike and have fresh air. People want conservation, and it’s really just listening to the people.” Wamp stated this shift began after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current park proposal follows the abandonment of earlier land swap discussions that would have traded portions of McDonald Farm for protected land at Enterprise South Nature Park to expand manufacturing near Interstate 75. Those plans were dropped after public protest. Roaring Creek State Park would be the 14th established during Governor Bill Lee’s administration and join existing Hamilton County parks such as Harrison Bay and Booker T. Washington.