Montgomery Bell State Park is located seven miles east of Dickson in Dickson County. The park was once the center of the iron industry in Middle Tennessee. The park’s namesake, Montgomery Bell, formed one of the largest iron industries in Tennessee. Iron was once thought to be more valuable than gold and was a very lucrative industry at the time.
Montgomery Bell State Park is equipped with a conference center that can host up to 500 people. The onsite restaurant is open every day and available to cater events. Within the center, the inn offers 120 rooms and five suites. The park also has eight environmentally-friendly modern cabins available for rent.
The park’s campground can accommodate 60 ft. campers on most electrical sites. The campground has on-site sewer at 40 sites and can accommodate small pop-up campers and large RVs. There are 94 campsites available at the park.
Group Camp One was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The camp is in a rustic setting and is considered a historic landmark. The buildings are constructed of hand-hewn stone. The 47 rustic cabins, which do not have air conditioning or heating, sleep 120 people.
The site of the first Cumberland Presbyterian Church is also located at Montgomery Bell State Park. The church was founded in 1810 in the log cabin home of Reverend Samuel McAdow. A replica of the cabin and a church are located within the park.
There are many activities to try at the park. Most notably, are hiking, biking, golf, and fishing. There are nearly 19 miles of trails throughout the park with one that follows the circumference of the park. The Par 72, 18-hole golf course is a local treasure. The clubhouse, with a snack bar and pro shop, also has a furnished patio that can be reserved for events. There are three lakes within Montgomery Bell State Park for fishing and boating. Paddle boats, jon boats, canoes and kayaks are available for rent at the park.
Activities
BIRDING
The primary habitat is open forest with small field openings and roadway edges. The lakes attract small numbers of waterfowl such as mallard and wood duck, and bald eagle primarily in winter. Twenty miles of trails wind through woods or adjacent to roadways or fields, allowing observation of such residents as Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, barred owl, and many more. During migration, a variety of warblers can be seen along with breeding red-eyed and yellow-throated vireos. Northern parula can be heard or seen in summer at the creek next to the visitor center. Montgomery Bell has had 139 species identified.
PADDLING
Kayaks and pedal boats are rented for use on Acorn Lake through PaddleEZ.com. The cost is $18 an hour. Private boats are allowed on Lake Acorn.
BIKING
The park has approximately 23.5 miles of dirt mountain bike trail. The mountain bike trails are not in the main section of the park. The various trails differ in difficulty from easy to difficult.
BOATING
Boating is allowed on all three lakes at Montgomery Bell State Park. Outboard motors are not allowed on boats at any time on any of the lakes. The Lake Woodhaven boat ramp is at the boat access entrance.
SWIMMING
The swim beach on Lake Acorn is free and available to the public, Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend.
GOLFING
The course was built in 1973 and then redesigned by designer Gary Roger Baird in 1988. The entire course is heavily wooded and features an abundance of wildlife such as deer, geese and wild turkey.
HIKING
Montgomery Bell has several hiking trails ranging from easy to moderate, including a 10 mile overnight trail.
FISHING
Lake Woodhaven (50-acre) provides fishing for bass, bream and catfish.
Campground
TENT & RV CAMPSITES
Open year-round, the campground provides 20, 30 and 50 amp electric service and can accommodate 60 ft. campers on most electrical sites. There are 47 sites equipped with water and electric, 40 sites with onsite sewer and can accommodate pop-up campers to the largest RVs and 22 tent only campsites. There are two pull-through campsites accessible to persons with a disability. There are three bathhouses located in the campground. Two sites are accessible to persons with a disability. Picnic tables, trash cans and grills are available at campsites.
Please note, campsites may contain only one of the following combinations:
one motorhome, (fifth-wheel, travel trailer or pop-up, etc.) plus one tent, or
two tents only
Dogs, cats and other pets are welcome at the campground but are to be controlled and on a leash at all times. They may not be tied and left unattended outside. Pets are not allowed inside any buildings, rental units, pavilions, beach area or playground areas.
Some sites are available along the bank of the creek running beside the campground.
BACKCOUNTRY CAMPING
Back country camping is allowed on the overnight trail with a back country camping permit. Tent camping is not allowed on the overnight trail.
