Fernweh, An Ache for Distant Places

Seven Islands State Birding Park is located in Kodak, Tennessee between Sevierville and Knoxville. In July of 2013, it became Tennessee’s 56th State Park.

The park spans across 416 acres and is most popular for being a birdwatching paradise where more than 200 different species of birds have been identified. 

Schools and other organisations often take field trips to Seven Islands because the park functions as a research and education facility with programs about land use, habitat management, bird tagging, plant and animal ID walks, guided hikes and paddles, its Honey Project and Pollinator initiatives, and loads of events.

THE BLUEBIRD BARN
The parking lot faces the entrance of the Bluebird Barn, and you can not miss it. Just drive down Kelly Lane past the boat ramp on the left and then turn right into the lot. 

Parking is free, and the barn is surrounded by various sculptures, exhibits, and signs that identify the plants and birds found within it. 

There is a slide and human-sized bird nest that kids often play in, but nobody stopped me. 

I WAS…BUSY… THINKIN’ BOUT BIRDS…BIRDS…BIRDS
Some of the bird species seen here on the regular include Pileated woodpeckers, Northern Bobwhites, Eastern meadowlarks, bald Eagles, wild turkeys, warblers, sparrows, hawks, screech owls, barn owls, martins, and songbirds like chats, tanagers, grosbeaks, and buntings. 

If you are not sure where to start, just read the plaques that identify the most frequently sighted birds. Many of them have information about which plants each particular bird prefers to eat and take shelter in as well. 

Officials have advised that early mornings near dawn and evenings near dusk are the best times for birdwatching, and when you will have the most luck. 

TRAILS
There are about eight miles of paved and natural trails that wind across the beautiful French Broad River and through fields of wildflowers, native plants, trees, and animals.

Among these trails is the ADA compliant Bobwhite Trail that starts at the Bluebird Barn and leads all the way to the Maple Leaf Barn and back.

Access to this wide, paved trail begins on the left side of the Bluebird barn (elevated) instead of the more narrow Kelly Lane Greenway that starts to the right of the barn.

Remember when I said something like “just park by the Bluebird Barn, you can’t miss it” earlier? Well it turns out, you can. 

Years ago, on my very first visit, the park’s signage game was not as strong as it is now.

When my brother and I arrived, there were so many visitors that cars were parked anywhere they could fit, including all the way down the boat access ramp, so we just followed suit and found the first available spot.

Lucky us, we saw a trail sign right away, and got to walking.

At first I was proud of myself for strong-arming my new hiking hobby and just getting out there, boldly putting one foot in front of the other. I did not even know how to read a trail map back then.

After about an hour and a half of circling around a feral meadow, accidentally stepping on a snake den, sweating our tits off, and not knowing where we were going, I realised we had probably taken the wrong trail. Worse, we had started the trail backwards, and missed some of the signs that would have been helpful had we been going the normal way.

So anyways, that was the Seclusion Bend Trail. My brother still has not forgiven me. 

Things are much clearer now, signs are abundant, and I know to park by the barn instead of by the boat access ramp again.

Wheelchairs and bikes are permitted on some trails, and dogs on leads are welcome. My pup used to love going to Seven Islands when he was still kicking. 

THE FRENCH BROAD
I usually hop on the greenway and make a beeline to the enormous pedestrian bridge that looks over the French Broad River. Once you cross the bridge, the Island Loop Trail begins to your right. This one is heavy on flowing water, shade trees, and woodsy vibes instead of big open meadows, so I like it best.

It is peaceful and quiet most of the time, and interesting to watch people when they are out fishing for more than fifty species of blue gill, crappie, bass, and sauger in the French Broad.

Small boats that launch at the boat access ramp usually end up hanging out near the bridge among paddlers and kayaks. 

Swimming, diving, and fishing directly from the bridge is forbidden, but I almost always see people way out in the water casting lines. Below, you can spot a team of two out in waders. 

GREEN HOUSE
The land appears to have belonged to a family with the surname Kelly before it was acquired as a wildlife refugee in the early 2000s, but I was not able to find any confirmation of this.

An abandoned but restored house called the Green House (though painted white) sits idly on the hill alongside the Bobwhite trail.

Its doors have been long removed, so visitors can respectfully go inside for a peek. 

The porch is a great place to sit and rest, chat with friends, have a small picnic, take a nap, or read in the rocking chairs. 

MAPLE LEAF BARN
At the Green House, you will be about halfway through the Bobwhite Trail that ends and loops back around once you reach the Maple Leaf Barn. This is the furthest structure of significance from the starting point, at Bluebird Barn. 

Below is the trail map shared directly from the park’s official website.

On the way back, we narrowly escaped a wild deer charging down the hill toward us. He leapt over us last minute and no one was hurt, but we screamed. I think the deer even made some weird noises. 

In the area for a while? Follow me to Sevierville, Gatlinburg & The Great Smoky Mountains National Park or to Townsend & Wears Valley.

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