State Park · Kentucky
Cherokee State Park
- Location
- Marshall County, Kentucky
- Nearest town
- 13.5 miles southeast of Benton
- Type
- State Park
About Cherokee State Park
Built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, this site operated as a blacks-only state park, created to pair with the whites-only Kentucky Lake State Park under the segregation-era "separate but equal" policy. The TVA leased the land to Kentucky for nineteen years, with a promise to transfer it outright once the park proved it could sustain itself. At the time it was promoted as the finest colored vacation site in the South, a claim repeated on a 1952 Kentucky state map.
Hours, fees, camping, reservations and closures are set by the park and change often. Check the official park site before you go.
Getting there
Cherokee State Park is in Marshall County, Kentucky, 13.5 miles southeast of Benton. The Directions button takes you to the park's mapped location; the entrance may be elsewhere, so check the official site for the address to use.
State parks near Cherokee State Park
Within 60 miles, closest first, straight-line. All 30 in Kentucky →
- Mineral Mound State ParkState Park · Lyon County, KY21 miN
- Paris Landing State ParkState Park · Henry County, TN23 miS
Fort Massac State ParkState Park · Massac County, IL40 miNW
Jefferson Davis State Historic SiteState Historic Site · Christian County, KY47 miE- Sielbeck Forest State Natural AreaState Natural Area · Massac County, IL47 miNW
Nathan Bedford Forrest State ParkState Park · Benton County, TN47 miS
Dunbar Cave State ParkState Park · Montgomery County, TN48 miE
Cave-in-Rock State ParkState Park · Hardin County, IL49 miN- Johnsonville State Historic ParkState Historic Site · Humphreys County, TN49 miS
Towns near Cherokee State Park
State parks near Murray, State parks near Mayfield, State parks near Paris, State parks near Paducah, State parks near Hopkinsville, State parks near Clarksville
Facts from Wikidata, checked September 25, 2026. Distances are straight-line.