Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium

853 Bays Mountain Rd, Kingsport, TN 37660, USA

Address:	853 Bays Mountain Rd, Kingsport, TN 37660, USA
Phone:	+1 423-229-9447
Site:	baysmountain.com
Rating:	4.7
Working:	8:30AM–5PM 8:30AM–5PM 8:30AM–5PM 8:30AM–5PM 8:30AM–5PM 8:30AM–5PM 11AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 20

Sophia Webb

This is the largest city-owned park in Tennessee and the only city-owned nature preserve in the United States. The park has so much to see and do that one day is not enough. Ranger programs vary daily and are lots of fun while being educational. The planetarium shows are fascinating. Theres almost 40 miles of hiking and biking trails, including a lakeside trail (our favorite), a longer hike to the fire tower, and a more challenging hike to the peak. The visitors center has displays about local plants, animals, geology, and upcoming natural events. There are daily barge rides on the lake. More adventurous people can ride the zip line. A more advanced zip line and a ropes course are available by reservation for groups of 8 or more. For those who want to stay closer to the ground, the adventure course, which is a small obstacle course. You could visit with Tennessees most charming wolf pack or, like we did this week, hang up your backpacking hammock and chill out for a couple of hours for stories and a good book.

Jason Baker

Beautiful scenery, great place for a picnic and a walk...only $5 per vehicle to get in, barge ride and ropes course and planetarium are extra...they have a small aquarium ( nothing special ) a small herpetarium with an excellent selection of snakes, some amphibians and the most turtles Ive ever seen in one place on the outside, some museum type displays, a small raptor aviary ( nothing special ) and a wild animals reserve ( very cool ) with raccoons, bobcats, wolves and more...Ive been to wolf encounters and had the opportunity to feed wolves pieces of meat but this was the best Ive seen in this country, they have several wolves and if you stick around for a feeding you get to see pure animal instinct and the pack order as you observe from close distance as the tear into and fight over a deer, very exciting.

Jaclyn Bowen

Ive been going to this park since I was a small child and I have been a volunteer for over a decade. It has a ton of hiking and biking trails. The animals: while they arent always out for viewing are well taken care of. The planetarium is state of the art and provides an awesome and educational show that rotates seasonally. The barge is currently being updated and the barge rides are always fun. I love the animal programs and the adventure/ropes course too. That with the price only being $5 a car you cant beat it for a day of fun.

Gage Robinson

Great trails to hike and bike on. Good place to take your family and offers several opportunities to learn about nature and the universe we live in. If you are planning on going often the season pass they offer is a great value. Im thankful I have such a beautiful natural place reserved for the public in my immediate area. The only thing that I would complain about is some of the animal enclosures are small especially for the birds but I believe they all have something wrong with them and would not survive in nature.

M Cornell

I have been visiting this area since I was a little kid. There are animal exhibits, planetarium shows, barge rides, nature walks, and just about everything else that a true Nature Preserve has. It is also a city park! Bays Mountain park rangers are educators for our youth and adults that want to know more about some of the little things that we all take for granted- trees, plants (including how to recognize poison ivy), snakes, and various forms of insects, and bugs. Well-worth the trip any time of year.

Jay Huron

Best place to get outdoors in Kingsport! Miles of hiking trials and hidden treasures depending on how far you want to hike. Great place to learn about the local flora and fauna plus they have a pack of wolves (which used to be local years and years ago). They also have a observatory with a large telescope and state of the art planetarium. You can also tour the lake on the educational barge ride.

Bobby Lucas

Its a place of pristine beauty that I go to often. I havent had any bad experiences here. They have numerous trails and types of trails that will suit every type of person. They have animal exhibits and much more. Definitely a place to visit for the peace, beauty and spending time with family and friends.

J. Song

Great for the whole family, hiking trails, boat rides and even take a look at a bunch of wolves and wildlife. The planetarium is wonderful place to cool down on a summer afternoon. Astronomy night viewing event is so cool, under the clear night sky, watch the stars, nebulae, and milky way in the sky.

Brad Moser

When we went to Bays Mountain Park we were able to check out the animal habitats including the wolves. And we walked up on the wolves they were all sleeping, and then in the distance they heard something and perked up and began to howl. It was impressive and incredible to hear.

Bethany Harrell

This park is beautiful, with many trails as well as barge rides on the lake, planetarium shows, a pioneer museum, wildlife enclosures, wildlife educational programs, and an adventure course. You can also rent different parts of the park for events at very reasonable rates.

Julie Grubbs

Its like a more natural zoo. We walked, took the barge ride, and attended the program about the gray wolves. Wed love to return and do more next time. We had a great time. The rangers are personable, knowledgeable, and fun; especially ranger Bob and ranger Fred.

Jesse hartman

Excited to go and was turned down at the gate because parking was all full. Ridiculous. Attendant told us we could try again in 30 min and see if there was any room for us. Dont waste your time trying to go here. Nasty town of Kingsport is just that, nasty.

Walt Sams

Bays Mountain has a small zoo, a ropes course, a fire tower, and many acres to explore. I enjoy the mountain biking trails the most, they are some and fast, no huge climbs or downhills, which is rare for this area. The gate fee is kinda stupid.

Erika Wynn

Drove 2 hours with 2 carloads of kids and adults to see the last show at the planetarium and went through a little bad weather and we were 4 minutes late for the show. They refused to let us in. Very rude! Broke all the kids hearts.

Matt Smigal

Most of the features were closed for the day. The website provided no indication of planetarium show times which ended up being once, much later in day. The animal enclosures were worth seeing though. Huge wolf pen.

Kat Burchfiel

Love the family atmosphere, and theres a ton of fun stuff to do, especially for the excellent prices! The animal enclosures are nice and open and the animals werent shy at all. We will definitely be going back!

Kyle Pope ll

I really like Bays Mountain very nice place . Ive noticed they could be making some improvements as to what that is I dont know . I like to see some more animals or paddle boats to ride the lake.

Liz Downa

I love the trails and the beautiful views. So glad I got a pass I go every weekend. Im trying out new trails every weekend. I try to stay on the shorter trails on Sunday due to the park hours.

Matthew Robinson

Great park for walking and hiking. Nature center is nice and planetarium great. You can see several animals fairly close. Ive been coming here since i was a child and Ive enjoyed every trip.

Karen Cordova

If you like to hike , the trails at this park are very nice . Nothing challenging. They have beautiful animals here such as wolves, otters, deer, birds , snakes. Very well maintained