RV Park & Cabins
About 15–20 minutes from Sasquatch Farm
Nickajack Cave & Lake
A flooded cave that's home to the largest colony of endangered gray bats in Tennessee, a sunset kayak tour, and one of the best bass lakes in the Sequatchie Valley — all just down the road from South Pittsburg.
Nickajack Cave sits on Nickajack Lake, the Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir created when Nickajack Dam was built in 1967. The rising water partially flooded the cave, which had already been mined for saltpeter by Confederate forces during the Civil War — today it's better known as a roosting site for one of the largest gray bat colonies in the country. Between late April and early October, tens of thousands of bats stream out of the cave mouth at dusk to feed over the lake, and it's become one of the Sequatchie Valley's most popular free wildlife shows.
Bat watching
- Best viewed at dusk, late April through early October
- Free public viewing boardwalk at the Maple View Public Use Area
- Guided sunset kayak tours run from the South Pittsburg side, launching from Macedonia Boat Ramp for a roughly 3-mile round-trip paddle to the cave entrance
Fishing & boating
- Good bass & crappie fishing on Nickajack Lake
- Public boat ramps & marinas around the reservoir
- Part of the Tennessee River Gorge, sometimes called the "Grand Canyon of Tennessee"
Swimming
- Nickajack Shellmound Day Use Area has a swim beach off TVA Rd near South Pittsburg
- A relaxed spot to cool off away from the bat-viewing crowds
Getting there
- Maple View Public Use Area is reached via Highway 156 near New Hope / South Pittsburg
- Macedonia Boat Ramp (for kayak tours) is on the South Pittsburg side of the lake
- Both are roughly 15–20 minutes from Sasquatch Farm by car
Bring your own paddle — or borrow ours
Stage your Nickajack trip from Sasquatch Farm
Canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards are free to use on our own lake, so it's an easy way to get comfortable on the water before a sunset paddle out to the cave. Stop by the store for paddles & life jackets, then head down the mountain for the evening bat emergence.
Keep exploring
More local guides
Foster Falls
About 20–25 minutes away
A 60-foot waterfall, swimming hole, and year-round campground in South Cumberland State Park.
Lodge Cast Iron Factory Store & Museum
About 10 minutes away
The home of Lodge cast iron cookware since 1896, with a museum and factory-seconds outlet in downtown South Pittsburg.
Stay minutes from Nickajack Lake
Book an RV site, tent site, or cabin at Sasquatch Farm and make our farm your basecamp for a sunset bat tour or a day of fishing on Nickajack Lake.