Lost Creek Forest (Scott’s Gulf Wilderness State Park)

Just beyond the towering sandstone bluffs, hidden waterfalls, and winding streams that make nearby Lost Creek State Natural Area a treasured destination, expansive hardwood forests blanket the landscape. They shelter headwater streams, expansive cave systems, and diverse wildlife. By adding this additional acreage to Scott’s Gulf Wilderness State Park, conservation partners have ensured that one of Tennessee’s most ecologically rich landscapes will remain intact, preserving sensitive habitats for generations to come.

The acquired property encompasses a diverse mosaic of mature forest, farmland, and critical waterways abutting Lost Creek and Dry Creek. These waterways contribute to the broader hydrological system of the Cumberland Plateau while flowing through one of Tennessee’s most remarkable karst landscapes, where water disappears underground into an intricate network of caves while resurfacing through springs and waterfalls. The forests above these cave systems play a vital role in protecting groundwater quality and supporting the unique plants and animals that depend on these fragile subterranean ecosystems.

The property also lies within the Scotts Gulf Area of Interest, as identified by the Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust Fund Act and is also part of the Middle Cumberland Plateau Conservation Opportunity Area designated in Tennessee’s 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). These designations recognize the property’s importance as a conservation priority at both the state and regional levels. According to TN’s SWAP, the eastern half of the property ranks as highest-priority terrestrial habitat, while the entire 413-acre tract is recognized as high-priority habitat for subterranean ecosystems.

White County—home to one of the highest densities of caves in the United States—contains an extraordinary network of underground streams, sinkholes, springs, and caves that support rare aquatic species found nowhere else. Conserving forests overlying these cave systems is essential. Through this completed acquisition, TennGreen and partners have safeguarded delicate ecosystems above and below, ensuring clean groundwater, stable cave environments, and the long-term health of Tennessee’s globally significant karst landscape.

The full 413-acre property is now owned by the State of Tennessee and will be managed as part of Scott’s Gulf Wilderness State Park. The park expansion strengthens one of Tennessee’s premier wilderness destinations and enhances opportunities for both conservation and outdoor recreation. It also adds to TennGreen’s legacy of protection that includes Virgin Falls and other beloved, vital keystones of the region as development pressures continue to reshape our state’s rural landscapes.