The Lakeside Trail, a 0.7 mile loop, offers level walking through a mature forest to a rest shelter overlooking Norris Lake. At the shelter, the trail meets the Christmas Fern Trail, a 0.5 mile loop.
The Christmas Fern Trail can also be accessed between the Tea Room and the adjacent parking lot. This steep trail is named for the large leathery fern with stocking-shaped leaflets that decorate the hillside. The lower section of the trail offers an abundance of wildflowers in the spring.
The Tall Timbers Trail, a 0.8 mile trail, connects with the Christmas Fern Trail, exits the woods behind rustic cabin number ten and continues to the rustic cabin area back to the Tea Room parking lot. The tallest timbers on this trail are the Yellow Poplar trees, a species that can live for 400 years and grow to 130 feet high. Large Red Oaks and Smooth Bark Beech trees are also plentiful on the east end of this trail.
The High Point Trail begins beside rustic cabin eight and provides access to the extensive roads and trail system of the Norris Watershed. The park’s most impressive grove of old growth trees are found on the north side of this trail. The south side of the trail is the property of the City of Norris. It is a 0.7 mile hike up the hillside to the high point junction and an elevation of 1,460 feet. If you turn right, you can hike 1.7 miles down to Lower Clear Creek Road at the Norris water pumping station. If you turn left after high point junction, you will continue in a northeastern direction along the roadway ridgeline of the state park boundary for 2.5 miles to the Upper Clear Creek Roadway.
The Lakeside Loop Trail is a 2 mile loop that begins at a metal gate 2 miles along the High Point Trail and 0.5 miles before reaching Upper Clear Creek Road. This trail is mainly used by mountain bikers because of the exhilarating downhill ride coupled with the challenging uphill treks and the scenic view of Norris Lake in between. The entry point for bikers is the Lower Clear Creek Road at the Norris water pumping station or the Camp Sam Trail located at the white gate along Highway 441 south 0.6 miles below Norris Dam.
The Camp Sam Trail is a 0.7 mile section that gets its name from a scout leader of years ago who often used the area. This area was once the original site of the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp #45.
