In 2006, the Allardt Land Company and the Estate of Bruno Gernt generously donated nearly 60 acres along Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (NRRA) to TennGreen Land Conservancy. In December 2021, TennGreen transferred the property to the National Park Service, completing its first expansion project at this beloved outdoor destination.
Big South Fork NRRA spans 125,000 acres across Tennessee and Kentucky. Renowned for its steep bluffs, beautiful gorges, unique rock shelters, and one of the highest concentrations of natural bridges in the Eastern United States, Big South Fork NRRA offers hikers, rock climbers, and campers numerous opportunities to get outdoors.
The 58-acre tract provides essential protection for the south side of North White Oak Creek, a popular area in the southwest portion of the park. Hikers and horseback riders on the O&W Trail can now forever enjoy peaceful views across the creek of a lush forest canopy that paints the sky with a mix of magnolia, oak-hickory, northern hardwoods, and hemlocks. The site is on north- and east-facing slopes with a mature second-growth forest and a rhododendron thicket understory. It also includes several rockhouses, small streams, and ephemeral waterfalls.