| Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium | |
| Location: | Kingsport, Tennessee |
| Coords: | 36.5473°N -82.5618°W |
| Operator: | City of Kingsport |
| Open: | Year Around |
| Area: | 3750acres |
| Created: | 1965 |
Bays Mountain Park is a 3750acres nature park and planetarium located on Bays Mountain in Kingsport, Tennessee. Opened in 1971,[1] it features a 44 acre lake, over 40 miles of hiking trails,[2] a nature center with a planetarium theater, fire tower, and animal habitats.
Its nature center and outdoor native animal displays include bobcats, a raptor center and gray wolves, among other exhibits.[3] There is also a herpetarium housing reptiles and amphibians.
The park also features an educational pontoon boat ride attraction that runs through the Bays Mountain Reservoir, called the Barge Ride.[4]
Other activities include hiking, orienteering, mountain biking, camping, and fishing.[5] There is also the Steadman Heritage Farmstead Museum, a 19th-century period living history farm museum.
In 2017, the Pavilion at Lily Pad Cove was added for events rentals and special events and in 2019, 75 extra parking spots were added to alleviate peak season parking issues.
It is the largest city-owned park in Tennessee.[6]
Since 1992, Bays Mountain has been home to a pack of gray wolves. The current pack consists of eight wolves, four male and four female. Seven of those came to the park in 2014 and 2015 and the eighth has been there since 2007, making her the oldest wolf in park history.
This is one of the few places a visitor can experience an actual wolf pack dynamic and behavior. Most places only have two or three wolves together.