Pocket wilderness

Type of nature reserve in Tennessee

Pocket wilderness is a name used by Bowater corporation and the State of Tennessee for any of several tracts of Bowater-owned private land on and near the Cumberland Plateau that the company set aside beginning in 1970 "for preservation in its natural state, with no logging or development other than hiking trails permitted within its boundaries" and registered as Tennessee state natural areas.^[1]^[2] Several areas formerly managed as Bowater pocket wilderness are now incorporated into state-owned natural areas or National Park Service sites.^[2]

The Virgin Falls State Natural Area in White County was the first pocket wilderness established, originally consisting of 317 acres (1.28 km²) along the Caney Fork and including Virgin Falls.^[1] This area was acquired by the state in 1996 and is now part of a 1,157-acre (4.68 km²) state natural area.^[3]

Other Tennessee natural areas established as Bowater pocket wildernesses include:^[1]^[4]

Bacon Ridge in Roane County^[5]
Honey Creek State Natural Area in Scott County, 109 acres (0.44 km²) within the boundaries of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
Laurel-Snow State Natural Area on Walden Ridge in Rhea County, consisting of 710 acres (2.9 km²) and featuring two waterfalls, Laurel Falls and Snow Falls.
North Chickamauga Creek, originally about 1,100 acres (4.5 km²).^[6] The Bowater Pocket Wilderness Area was transferred to the state in 2006 and became a part of the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Natural Area, which consists of 7,073 acres (28.62 km²) in Hamilton and Sequatchie counties.^[7]
Piney Falls State Natural Area in Rhea County^[8] on the east side of the Sequatchie Valley, a 187-acre (0.76 km²) area including two waterfalls ^[2]
Stinging Fork Falls State Natural Area in Rhea County, consisting of 104 acres (0.42 km²) and including the 30 ft (9.1 m) Stinging Fork Falls.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Pocket Wilderness Areas by Carroll Van West, in Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
^ ^a ^b ^c Ross Manning (1993), The Historic Cumberland Plateau: An Explorer's Guide, University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville
^ Virgin Falls Class II Natural-Scientific State Natural Area, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of State Natural Areas
^ Bowater Pocket Wildernesses on East Tennessee Outdoors website (accessed March 23, 2008)
^ Bacon Ridge on East Tennessee Outdoors website (accessed March 23, 2008)
^ North Chickamauga on East Tennessee Outdoors website (accessed March 23, 2008)
^ North Chickamauga Creek Gorge Class II Natural-Scientific State Natural Area, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of State Natural Areas
^ Piney River on East Tennessee Outdoors website (accessed March 23, 2008)

Protected areas of Tennessee

Federal

National parks	Great Smoky Mountains National Park
National historical parks and sites	Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Manhattan Project National Historical Park
National Military Parks	Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Fort Donelson National Battlefield Shiloh National Military Park Stones River National Battlefield
National recreation areas	Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
National Trails System	Appalachian National Scenic Trail Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
National forests	Cherokee National Forest
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Obed River
National Wildlife Refuges	Chickasaw Cross Creeks Hatchie Lake Isom Lower Hatchie Reelfoot Tennessee
Wilderness areas	Bald River Gorge Big Frog Big Laurel Branch Citico Creek Cohutta Gee Creek Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Little Frog Mountain Pond Mountain Sampson Mountain Unaka Mountain
Other protected areas	Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area Foothills Parkway Gatlinburg Bypass Natchez Trace Parkway

State

East Tennessee state parks	Big Ridge Booker T. Washington Cove Lake Cumberland Mountain David Crockett Birthplace Fall Creek Falls Fort Loudoun Frozen Head Harrison Bay Hiwassee/Ocoee Indian Mountain Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork Norris Dam Panther Creek Red Clay Roan Mountain Seven Islands Sycamore Shoals Warriors' Path
Middle Tennessee state parks	Bicentennial Capitol Mall Bledsoe Creek Burgess Falls Cedars Of Lebanon Cordell Hull Birthplace Cummins Falls David Crockett Dunbar Cave Edgar Evins Fall Creek Falls Harpeth River Henry Horton Johnsonville Long Hunter Montgomery Bell Mousetail Landing Old Stone Fort Pickett Port Royal Radnor Lake Rock Island Sgt. Alvin C. York South Cumberland Standing Stone Tims Ford
West Tennessee state parks	Big Cypress Tree Big Hill Pond Chickasaw Fort Pillow Meeman-Shelby Forest Natchez Trace Nathan Bedford Forrest Paris Landing Pickwick Landing Pinson Mounds Reelfoot Lake T. O. Fuller
State forests	Bledsoe Cedars of Lebanon Chickasaw Chuck Swan Franklin John Tully Lewis Lone Mountain Martha Sundquist Natchez Trace Pickett Prentice Cooper Scott Standing Stone Stewart
State natural areas	Auntney Hollow Barnett's Woods Bays Mountain Beaman Park Big Bone Cave Campbell Bend Barrens Carroll Cabin Barrens Glade Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter Chimneys Colditz Cove Couchville Cedar Glade Crowder Cemetery Barrens Devils Backbone Dry Branch Duck River Complex Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade Falling Water Falls Fate Sanders Barrens Flat Rock Cedar Glade & Barrens Gattinger’s Cedar Glade & Barrens Ghost River Grundy Forest Hampton Creek Cove Hawkins Cove Hicks Gap Hill Forest Honey Creek House Mountain Hubbard’s Cave John & Hester Lane Cedar Glades John Noel at Bon Aqua Langford Branch Laurel-Snow Lost Creek Lucius Burch Jr. Forest Manus Road Cedar Glade May Prairie North Chickamauga Creek Gorge Old Forest Overbridge Ozone Falls Piney Falls Pogue Creek Powell River Preserve Radnor Lake Riverwoods Roundtop Mountain Rugby Savage Gulf Sequatchie Cave Short Mountain Short Springs Sneed Road Cedar Glade Stillhouse Hollow Falls Stinging Fork Falls Stones River Cedar Glade & Barrens Sunk Lake Sunnybell Cedar Glade Taylor Hollow Twin Arches Vesta Cedar Glade Vine Cedar Glade Virgin Falls Walker Branch Walls of Jericho Walterhill Floodplain Washmorgan Hollow Watauga River Bluffs William B. Clark William R. Davenport Refuge Wilson School Road Window Cliffs
Other	Buffalo Ridge Refuge Catoosa Wildlife Management Area