Martha Sundquist State Forest
Temporary Changes to Forest Access
Access to Martha Sundquist State Forest in Cocke County via Gulf Road will be temporarily altered to facilitate the first two phases of a bridge replacement project on the forest.
The project will occur in three phases. Workers will replace the wooden bridges with more permanent structures to avoid potential safety concerns, reduce mounting repair costs, and handle the heavy equipment required for state forest management.
What to expect:
- Phase one will begin August 26 with construction on Bridge 2. During this phase, the public can access the forest via Gulf Road over Bridge 1, turning left immediately onto the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS) Road #225101 (also known as Chestnut Ridge Road).
- Phase two is expected to begin in mid-September with construction on Bridge 1. While construction on Bridge 1 occurs, the north access to the forest via Gulf Road will be temporarily closed. A map of the area can be found here.
Forest access from the south will not be impacted during phases one and two. The public may continue entering the forest via USFS Roads #2250, #2251, and #225101. These roads can be reached via Exit 7 on I-40 just over the state line in North Carolina.
The third phase of the bridge replacement project is planned for spring 2025. Additional details for that phase will be released early next year.
Locations of the bridges impacted by this project can be found on this map.
More information about this project can be found in this press release.
About Martha Sundquist State Forest
Size: 2,001 acres / 810 ha.
This tract of land was purchased in 2001 from International Paper Company (formerly Champion International Corporation), who owned the property since the 1930s. Prior to that, it belonged to the Lambs Gulf Company and that is why the property has long been known as "the Gulf."
It is the only State Forest in the Blue Ridge province. It is located in eastern Tennessee, in Cocke County near the North Carolina-Tennessee border. It is 70 miles east of Knoxville.
Martha Sundquist State Forest is surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest on three sides and has one drainage system.
The forest is composed of mature mountain and cove hardwoods. A harvest rotation schedule was developed and followed closely by the previous owners and significant streamside management zones, some as large as 80 acres, have been established.
This forest has special provisions for bear hunting and is popular for hiking, hunting, fishing, timber production, and demonstration of forest practices.
Martha Sundquist State Forest Road Use Map
Martha Sundquist State Forest Recreation Map
Martha Sundquist State Forest Firewood Collection Map
Cherokee National Forest / Martha Sundquist State Forest Topographic Map
Contact
John Henderson, Area Forester
1250 Hwy 73, Newport, TN 37821
(423) 625-4092