Standing Stone State Forest

Directions and Description

Site Directions: Take exit 288 off I-40, (Livingston/Sparta exit) Hwy. 111 N to Livingston, take Hwy 52 West to the entrance of the park. Hwy. 136 is the main park road.  Headquarters - Lat: 36.2816°N Long: -85.2456°W 

The WMA is open year-round during daylight hours, note hunting seasons.   License fees may apply.  

The area is managed by: Standing Stone State Park — Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com)

TWRA Contact Information: Region 3 Office: 1-931-484-9571, Toll-Free: 1-833-402-4698, E-mail the office

Standing Stone State Park covers nearly 11,000 acres on the Cumberland Plateau of north-central Tennessee. The quaint and rustic park is noted for its outstanding scenery, spring wildflowers, fossils, and other natural diversity.  The park is located in Overton County within a triangle formed by highways connecting Livingston, Gainesboro, and Celina. In the 1930s, Standing Stone was an area plagued with soil erosion and sub-marginal lands. With the assistance of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Work Projects Administration, the Resettlement Administration, and the U.S. Forest Service, the area was made productive again.

The park takes its name from the Standing Stone, an eight-foot-tall rock standing upright on a sandstone ledge, which was supposedly used as a boundary line between two separate Indian nations. When the rock fell, the Indians placed a portion of it upon an improvised monument to preserve it. The stone is still preserved in Monterey.  Visitors can go hiking, camping, birding, wildflower watching, and picnicking on site.

Songbird diversity is high, especially during migration where birders can find Cerulean Warbler, Northern Parula, Baltimore Oriole, and Wood Thrush. Yellow Warbler, Pine Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, and Hooded Warbler nest at the park. Deer and Wild Turkeys are common. Wildflowers are abundant in spring. Ask park personnel about wildflower tours in spring.

Regulations & Dates

Big Game, Small Game, and Trapping - Same as statewide seasons except as noted.

Wild Hogs - may be taken during any deer hunt by legal deer hunters.

Quail - Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 15, 2025.

Dog Training - Sept. 1, 2024 - March 15, 2025.

Camping - State forest regulations apply or state park-managed campground, Standing Stone State Park — Tennessee State Parks (tnstateparks.com)