Benton County, TN

Half Day Beginner Paddle 

Start: Eva Beach Recreation Area Beach or Boat Launch

End: Eva Beach Recreation Area Beach or Boat Launch

Length: 2.75 miles. Actual distance will vary depending on the visitor’s actual route. 

Experience: This Tennessee RiverLine experience explores the historic route of the Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad that once crossed the Tennessee River at this location in Benton County. Embarking from the Eva Beach Recreation Area launch facilities, boaters and paddlers can get up close to the earthen levees and concrete trestle supports that were part of the Tennessee River Railroad Bridge. The bridge was constructed in 1867 and operated until 1945, providing an essential link between major rail hubs east and west of the river, as well as supporting economic development in Eva, Big Sandy, and throughout Benton County. Interpretive signs and reproductions of railroad features at Eva Beach provide visitors with additional insights to this important chapter of Benton County’s history. Chances are you’ll find osprey’s nesting on the trestles, an abundance of muscle shells along the river’s banks, and breathtaking sunrises and sunsets along this remote reach of the river. Visitors without their own gear can rent kayaks and stand up paddleboards from the Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park’s visitor’s center, where you can also learn about the area’s civil war history and its significant freshwater muscleing industry while enjoying commanding views over the river below.

Alternate routes provide longer-distance and longer-duration experiences for more adventurous visitors along the railroad’s historic routes, exploring coves and sloughs that are home to diverse wildlife and fishing hot spots. Use caution if crossing the Tennessee River’s main channel to visit Johnsonville State Historic Park as a part of your experience.

Outfitters:

Restaurants: Day Maker Café, Rocky Ridge Bar-B-Que, Mom & Pop’s Pizza, JAMS

Things to Do: Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum, Tennessee River Folklife Museum, Camden Courthouse Square, Houston-Benton Ferry to Southernaire Motel and Restaurant, Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge

Fun Facts:

  • Home of the State of Tennessee's Official Site of Freshwater Pearl Culturing

  • In April 1919, Mary Cordelia Beasley-Hudson of Benton County cast the first female ballot in Tennessee in the Camden municipal election

  • Camden, TN, is home to the Patsy Cline Memorial which marks the location of the March 5, 1963 plane crash that killed beloved singer Patsy Cline

Land Declaration: This Tennessee RiverLine experiences traverses territory once home to Chickasaw, Eastern Cherokee, Shawnee, and Yuchi peoples (source: https://native-land.ca/)

Ecoregion: INTERIOR PLATEAU. The Interior Plateau is a diverse ecoregion extending from southern Indiana and Ohio to northern Alabama. Rock types are distinctly different from the coastal plain sediments and alluvial deposits of ecoregions to the west, and elevations are lower than the Appalachian ecoregions (66, 67, 68) to the east. Mississippian to Ordovician-age limestone, chert, sandstone, siltstone and shale compose the landforms of open hills, irregular plains, and tablelands. The natural vegetation is primarily oak-hickory forest, with some areas of bluestem prairie and cedar glades. The region has a diverse fish fauna. (source: USEPA)

Physiographic Region: The Interior Low Plateaus is part of the Interior Plains and the elevation of the province ranges from 1000 feet to as low as 500-600 feet. A prominent structural feature of this province is the northeast-southwest anticline that runs through the entire province. The Cincinnati Arch is the axis of the fold and is a structural high for the region. (source: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/physiographic-provinces.htm)