Big Hill Pond State Park is located in the southwestern part of McNairy County and encompasses 4,138 acres of timberland and hard wood bottomland. Cypress Creek and Tuscumbia River border the property. The flood plain, adjacent to the river and creek contains small oxbows and swampy areas which are desirable habitat for waterfowl, wildlife and fish.
Park highlights include the 70 foot observation tower that offers panoramic views of Travis McNatt Lake, and the boardwalk that wends through Dismal Swamp. Guests visiting Big Hill Pond State Park enjoy camping, hiking, mountain biking, fishing and paddling in the summer. The park is home to thirty miles of overnight and day use trails with four backpack trail shelters.
Visitors with a passion for horses can bring them along for the Big Hill Pond experience. The park has approximately 14 miles of horse trails and is shared with mountain bikers. The horses must stay on the red trail and fire roads and are not allowed on hiking trails or on the back or the front of the Lake Dam.
The park derives its name from the 35-acre Big Hill Pond which was created in 1853 when soil was scooped from a borrow pit to build a levee across the Tuscumbia and Cypress Creek bottoms for the Memphis to Charleston Railroad. Over the years, a great stand of Cypress trees has grown in and around the 35-acre pond. The territory was designated a State Park by the Department of Conservation for reassessing the need for recreational opportunities in 1977.