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Port Royal State Park

Birding Seasons:

Spring A

Summer B

Fall A

Winter C

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Site Description and Habitats

An area rich in history, the 26-acre Port Royal site was one Tennessee's earliest communities and trading centers. Situated along the Red River and Sulphur Fork Creek, it is a great place for fishing, canoeing, hiking and bird watching. The Park contains 3 short hiking trails, including an original, preserved section of the Trail of Tears as well as a preserved Pratt Truss design steel bridge that was built in 1887. This bridge spans the Sulphur Fork creek and presents a very picturesque view of both the Red River and the Sulphur Fork creek. This bridge is available to foot traffic only. The hiking trail on the north end is 0.5 miles long and winds through river bottom forests.

Bird species of interest:

Spring and Fall Migration: Nearly all warblers, vireos, and thrushes can be found, including Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, Prothonotary, Wilson's Nashville, Chestnut-sided and Black-and-white Warblers, Yellow-throated and Philadelphia Vireos, and Acadian Flycatchers.

Summer: Summer Tanager, Eastern Wood-pewee, Northern Parula, Prairie Warbler, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Grosbeak, and Cliff Swallows.

Winter: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hermit Thrush, and Winter Wren.

Year-Round: American Robin, Barred Owl, Red-bellied Woodpecker, among other resident woodland birds.

Species list via eBird Hotspot Explorer

Submit your data to eBird here

Other wildlife opportunities
Sulphur Fork Creek and the Red River provide fishing for bass, bream and catfish. Fishing is productive from the bank and visitors may carry small personal boats through the park to launch at the access area.

Cultural and Historical Interests/Activities
Port Royal is designated as an official site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. The Trail of Tears recognizes the forced removal of Native Americans from their homelands in the Southeastern United States and the paths they traveled westward in 1838 and 1839. Records of the removal mentioned Port Royal, the last stop before leaving Tennessee, as an encampment site where the Cherokee stayed overnight or longer to resupply and rest. Port Royal State Park is the second Tennessee State Park to be named an official site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, joining Red Clay State Historic Park.

Detailed directions for birding Port Royal State Park From Nashville travel west on I-24. Take Exit 11, turn left onto TN-76 E and travel 3.8 miles and take the slight left onto Old Clarksville Rd. Port Royal will be 1.5 miles on your right. Check out the woods and a small trail to the rivers edge.

Lat-Long (GPS) coordinates
Parking lot at north end: 36.557119, -87.14285
Parking lot at the office: 36.553915, -87.14296

Fees and Hours
No fees are required to access these areas. 8 am to sundown, 7 days a week. Open year round.

Facilities
There are restroom facilities.

Contact
Port Royal State Park
3300 Old Clarksville Hwy. 76 Adams, Tennessee 37010
931-645-0622

Info for other sites
Tennessee's Watchable Wildlife web site