State parks install more colorblind viewfinders

5:43 p.m. Sept. 4, 2025

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

For most people, fall in Tennessee’s state parks means a burst of vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. But for those with red-green colorblindness – the most common form of color vision deficiency – that dazzling display can appear muted, or even invisible.

Now, thanks to a growing program by Tennessee State Parks, more visitors will be able to see those colors in all their brilliance.

This week, the system announced it has expanded the number of parks offering colorblind viewfinders to 12, with new installations at T.O. Fuller State Park in Memphis and Roan Mountain State Park in Northeast Tennessee. The timing coincides with International Colorblindness Awareness Month.

“These devices create a dramatic moment for visitors who might be experiencing true fall color for the first time,” said Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner for Conservation at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. “As the most accessible state park system in the nation, we’re thrilled we can provide that experience.”

The viewfinders utilize special lenses that enable individuals with color blindness to perceive a broader range of hues. At T.O. Fuller, visitors can now look out over native grasslands and floodplains in full color. At Roan Mountain, the device opens up sweeping views of the rugged ridge and surrounding landscapes.

The devices are part of a broader push to make Tennessee parks more accessible. At T.O. Fuller, visitors also have access to all-terrain wheelchairs, an adult-sized changing table, an accessible half-mile trail, and wheelchair-friendly campsites and bathhouses. Roan Mountain offers ADA-accessible cabins and campsites, along with wheelchair-friendly picnic areas and parking.

A 13th colorblind viewfinder will be added later this month at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park, with installation help from volunteers through First Lady Maria Lee’s Tennessee Serves program.

The initiative has been supported both by park purchases and contributions from the Tennessee State Parks Conservancy.

Other Tennessee parks that already feature the devices include:
• Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park (West Tennessee)
• Chickasaw State Park (West Tennessee)
• Paris Landing State Park (West Tennessee)
• Fort Pillow State Historic Park (West Tennessee)
• Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park (West Tennessee)
• Montgomery Bell State Park (Middle Tennessee)
• Radnor Lake State Park (Middle Tennessee)
• Standing Stone State Park (Middle Tennessee)
• Savage Gulf State Park (Middle Tennessee)
• Fall Creek Falls State Park (Middle Tennessee)

For the state’s colorblind visitors – an estimated 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women – these viewfinders offer more than just a clearer picture. They offer a chance to finally see Tennessee’s landscapes the way others have always seen them.