🌤 Weather at Campbell Bend Barrens State Natural Area by season
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37–78 °F | 64–88 °F | 37–82 °F | 28–51 °F |
Each range runs from the coldest monthly average low to the warmest monthly average high in that season (1991-2020 climate normals), measured at Kingston, 8 mi away, elevation 814 ft. Conditions at the park can differ from the station, especially where elevation differs — check a forecast before you go.
🏆 Clinch River Barrens — a 35-acre remnant grassland above the Clinch River in Roane County, protected by a state conservation easement
Campbell Bend Barrens State Natural Area is a 35-acre natural area in the Ridge and Valley province of East Tennessee, about a mile northeast of Crowder Cemetery in Roane County. Its heart is a small barrens of four to six acres on extremely thin, cherty silt loam over dolomitic limestone, stretched along a ridge and the upper south- and west-facing slopes. Little bluestem and side-oats grama dominate, with big bluestem near a bluff that looks over the Clinch River, where the state-listed spreading false foxglove and naked-stem sunflower grow. Around the grassland stands a mature white pine-hardwood forest of sugar maple, tulip poplar, shagbark hickory and white pine, with a prominent sinkhole at the north end. Before you plan a visit, know this: the land is privately owned, the state holds only a conservation easement, and no parking, trails or other access have been developed.
Visitor Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Roane County, East Tennessee — Ridge and Valley province, above the Clinch River |
| Size | 35 acres (the barrens themselves cover about 4 to 6 acres) |
| Ownership | Privately owned; the State of Tennessee holds a conservation easement |
| Designation | Class II Natural-Scientific State Natural Area, designated 2006 |
| Access | Open to the public, limited access — no parking, no trails, no directions provided |
| Dogs | Not allowed |
| Hunting / Fishing / Camping | Not permitted |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I actually visit Campbell Bend Barrens?
Technically it is open to the public, but the Division of Natural Areas has developed no access: there is no parking area, no trail and no published directions, and the property remains in private hands under an easement. Treat it as a conservation site rather than a destination. If you want to see or study the barrens, contact the Division of Natural Areas East Tennessee office in Knoxville (865-594-5601) first.
What are barrens?
Barrens are open, prairie-like grasslands on soil too thin to carry a closed forest. At Campbell Bend the soil is a shallow, cherty silt loam over dolomitic limestone, and drought stress on the rock, combined with the sunny south and west aspect, keeps the grassland open. Scattered eastern red cedar, white pine, post oak and other hardwoods grow where the soil allows. These East Tennessee barrens are a different community from the cedar glades of Middle Tennessee’s Central Basin.
How did the site come to be protected?
Campbell Bend and nearby Crowder Cemetery were once part of a 1,200-acre natural-area complex inside the Oak Ridge Reservation, registered as the Campbell Bend/Crowder Cemetery Registered State Natural Area. The reservation sold the land to Boeing in the mid-1980s, Boeing kept the registry agreement and then sold the acreage to a developer in the late 1990s, and the developer donated conservation easements to the state — which led to the designation of both natural areas in 2006.
Keep exploring: For East Tennessee parks you can actually walk, Frozen Head State Park lies in neighboring Morgan County and Norris Dam State Park in neighboring Anderson County.
🌾 Campbell Bend Barrens SNA
A remnant Clinch River barrens under conservation easement — privately owned, no developed access.
Things to Do
With no trails or parking, activities are limited to what the Division of Natural Areas arranges: botanical study of the warm-season grasses, legumes and composites of the barrens, and observation of the rare plants near the bluff. Photography and birdwatching are possible only with the landowner’s and the division’s cooperation.
Wildlife & Nature
The grassland is dominated by little bluestem and side-oats grama, with big bluestem becoming more common toward the Clinch River bluff. Legumes and composites fill in between the grasses, and the two state-listed plants — spreading false foxglove (Aureolaria patula) and naked-stem sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis) — grow on the bluff section. Eastern red cedar, white pine and post oak dot the opening; the surrounding mesic forest is sugar maple, tulip poplar, shagbark hickory and white pine, and the hardwoods extend into the sinkhole at the north end.
Editorial note: The America’s State Parks Editorial Team checked this page against the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas site description on September 5, 2026. Access conditions can change — confirm with the East Tennessee office before you go.
