The National Parks in the State of Tennessee

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site: The Greeneville site honors the life of the 17th President who served from 1865-1869. Pictured is Johnson's home in Greeneville in 1999.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail: Built in 1937 by private citizens, the trail runs more than 2,180 miles through the scenic beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. Here, Laurel Creech and Warren Harden, back left, and Jay Crosson, right, take a lunch break near Charlies Bunyon on the Appalachian Trail on the Tennessee/North Carolina border in 2002.

Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area: The 125,000-acre recreational area features scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs, and protects the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries.

Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park: In 1863, Union and Confederate forces fought battles at these two locations. The Confederates won Chickamauga in September; the Union won control of Chattanooga, referred to as the "Gateway to the Deep South," two months later. Here, a 12-pound Napoleon cannon, a standard weapon used by both sides in the Civil War, stands guard over downtown Chattanooga and the Tennessee River Valley from the top of Lookout Mountain in 2005.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park: Cumberland Gap is considered to be the first gateway to the west. Here, a hiker is dwarfed by the opening at the Sand Cave at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in 2007.

Fort Donelson National Battlefield: A Union victory on February 16, 1862 stunned the South and was soon followed by the fall of Clarksville and Nashville. Here, cannons overlook the Cumberland River at Fort Donelson National Battlefield in 2005.

Manhattan Project National Historical Park: The park in Oak RIdge, is one of three sites across the country that commemorate the Manhattan Project which led to the creation of the atomic bomb. The park, which also includes Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash., are run by the National Park Service and the Department of Energy.

Natchez Trace Parkway: The 444-mile route features scenery and thousands of years of history. Here, cyclists ride on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Williamson County in 2011.

Shiloh National MIlitary Park: Shiloh is the site of one of the bloodiest battles in the Western Theater of the Civil War; 23,746 casulties resulted in the battle between almost 110,000 American military personnel. Here, spectators watch from behind the Confederate Army cannon line during the 150th Anniversary Battle of Shiloh Re-enactment March 30, 2012.

Stones River National Battlefield: The battle, one of the bloodiest of the Civil War, began on Dec. 31, 1862, and produced big gains for the Union. Here, Civil War re-enactors stand in the smoke of cannon fire as it streams through the trees after firing a shot at Stones River National Battlefield in 2007 in Murfreesboro.

Overmountain Trail National Historic Trail: Overmountain moves 330 miles through Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The trail mirrors the route used by patriot militia during the key Kings Mountain campaign of 1780. Here, members of the Overmountain Victory Trail Association stop along the route in Bluff City, Tenn. in 2008.

Obed Wild & Scenic River: Stretching along the Cumberland Plateau, the river looks much as it did when the first white settlers arrived in the late 1700s. The soil was not too conducive to farming, but the river area was ideal for fishing and hunting. Here, volunteer trail builders, work their way across Hatfield Mountain in the Obed River section of the Cumblerand Trail in this 1996 file photo.

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail: The trail commemorates the Cherokee people who were removed in 1838-1839 from their homelands in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama to live in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. Here, an historical marker commemorates the passing of the Trail of Tears through Woodbury in 2003.