Cypress Grove's Boardwalk Rebuild Is Only Phase One. Here's What Comes Back First, and Where to Walk Until Then

Cypress Grove Nature Park has been fully closed since Monday, Sept. 14. The first crews are working on a stretch of boardwalk that hasn't seen a visitor in about ten years.

That stretch is the Jewel Weed Trail section. It's the main reason the whole park is closed this fall, and when the gates reopen it will be the biggest difference between the old Cypress Grove and the new one. "We are starting the demolition of the dilapidated closed boardwalk and that section is Jewel Weed Trail," Parks and Recreation Director Christi David told WBBJ. "That section has been closed for about a decade and so we're excited to have the opportunity to leverage grant funds and build that trail again."

In other words, the park is closed so it can get back a section that regular walkers have been doing without for years. The city has also said this project is the first of several.

The section coming back has been roped off since the mid-2010s

Cypress Grove has drawn locals and visitors since 1985. Over the years, weather and steady foot traffic made parts of the wooden boardwalk unsafe, and the city closed some of it. In September 2024, the Jackson Sun reported that Jackson Recreation and Parks had won a $392,000 Recreational Trails Program grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to restore it. The city has to put in a 20% match and pay any costs beyond that. Jackson was the only city in West Tennessee to receive one of those grants that round.

The grant covers 1,300 linear feet of walkway that is currently closed. That stretch was first built across what used to be a meadow, and water now collects underneath it. The replacement will be raised higher over the water. Once it's finished, visitors will be able to reach the pond the old route led to, which has been off-limits because the walkway was too unstable to use.

The city's trail brochure lists a three-quarter-mile short walk to Killdeer Pond. It's one of four standard routes, along with a 3/8-mile round trip to the raptor center, a 1 3/8-mile long walk to Wood Duck Lake and the observation tower, and a two-mile walk covering the full boardwalk.

Bid documents posted through the Mid-South Planroom describe the new structure as a 9-foot-wide elevated boardwalk with ADA improvements. A pre-bid meeting was held Aug. 13, 2026, and bids were due Aug. 27. Three weeks later the park closed.

Why the whole park closed for one section

The City lists the full boardwalk at 7,136 feet, or 1.35 miles, across 164.8 acres. The 1,300 feet being rebuilt is about 18% of that, yet WBBJ reported the entire park would close to the public during construction for safety reasons. A crew tearing out old decking and putting up elevated framing over standing water doesn't fit well alongside a stroller or a group of scouts on the same boardwalk system.

According to WBBJ, staff stay on site for upkeep and to care for the birds at the Aerie Trail Raptor Center. The City describes the center's residents as non-releasable birds of prey, red-tailed hawks and barred owls among them, that work as educational animal ambassadors. The center has six enclosures and one building.

The reopening estimate, counted out

Officials gave WBBJ an estimate of 90 to 120 days of work, depending on weather, and said the park could stay closed until spring. Counting from the Sept. 14 closure:

Treat the table as an estimate. The weather caveat matters a lot here, because the project sits in a wetland where water under the old boardwalk is the reason for rebuilding it. A wet December could easily push the work toward that spring estimate. The Parks and Recreation Department told WBBJ it would post progress updates and photos on its social media accounts while construction continues. Those posts are the place to watch for a reopening date.

"Phase one" means this won't be the last rebuild

Back in 2024, the Jackson Sun quoted David, then the park operations manager, calling the grant "our phase one." She said, "every year the grant's available, we'll start applying for more funding to eventually do the entire boardwalk."

That changes how to think about this closure. The plan is to replace the boardwalk one grant at a time. This round puts back roughly a fifth of the system, the section that had already been closed. The other 5,800-plus feet, including the routes to Wood Duck Lake and the 36-foot, four-tier Rockwell Observation Tower, are the long-term goal. They depend on future funding rounds, and each round will likely need its own construction period.

The park turned 40 last year, with a celebration on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, that included live music and naturalist-led tours. The boardwalk is about that old too. Rebuilding it in phases is how a four-decade-old wooden walkway over swamp ground gets replaced on a city budget.

Where the cypress trees are open this winter

If you're used to a weekend walk at Cypress Grove, the nearest similar setting is Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park at 460 Ozier Road in Pinson. Tennessee State Parks says the trails pass through cypress swamp and oak-hickory woodland. The park's hiking page also describes a boardwalk for viewing swamp and river plants and wildlife.

Here's how the nearby options compare, based on the state park system's trail listings:

Pinson's paved Outer Loop is the best fit for anyone who used Cypress Grove's level boardwalk for strollers, steady walking or easy footing. At 2.45 miles, it's a little longer than Cypress Grove's full two-mile route. The Nature Trail is closer to the feel of a swamp walk. Its surface is a mix of soil, gravel and wood decking, and it's rated moderate, so plan on muddy shoes after rain.

At Chickasaw State Park, the Friends Trail runs through wetland with beaver habitat, aquatic plants and animals. The shorter Fern Creek Trail goes through lowland and upland forest. Both are listed open, and both are natural surface with no boardwalk.

Big Hill Pond's Dismal Swamp Boardwalk sounds like the obvious substitute, but its hiking page lists it as closed for construction. The same page says Travis McNatt Lake is closed for infrastructure work. Check that page before driving out for a boardwalk walk.

Pinson Mounds is on winter hours now, open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Nov. 1 through March 15. If you're used to an after-work walk at Cypress Grove, that means getting to Pinson early. The gates close around the time many people get off work.

Two Pinson dates left in November

Pinson Mounds has a couple of guided events coming up before the month ends, and either one could replace a canceled Cypress Grove outing:

1. Historical Hayride, Saturday, Nov. 21. Two runs, 10 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. Details are on the 10 a.m. listing and the 3 p.m. listing.
2. Day After Thanksgiving Hike, Friday, Nov. 27. 10 to 11 a.m., a good fit if you have family in town and want to get everyone outside after the holiday meal. See the event listing.

Both fall well before even the earliest reopening estimate for Cypress Grove, Dec. 13. If the rebuild runs long, Pinson's paved loop is still a winter walking option through March 15 on the same 7-to-5 schedule.

When Cypress Grove reopens, start with the short walk toward Killdeer Pond. It's the route that has been unreachable for about ten years, and this phase of the rebuild is what brings it back.

Stellar Realty Group keeps up with local projects like this boardwalk rebuild year-round. If you're thinking about buying or selling near Jackson's parks and want a neighbor who knows what's being built on the trails, call or message Destiny today for a free consultation and home valuation.