Knoxville's Urban Wilderness South Loop Trail System

KNOXVILLE'S URBAN WILDERNESS COORDINATOR

Wes Soward
wsoward @knoxvilletn.gov
865-215-2141

FACILITIES

Explore the trails on Google Trekker Street View
Trail Length: 50 miles
Used for: varied activities depending on terrain of section of system
Hours: dawn till dusk
Lights: none
Difficulty: varies from easy to difficult depending on trail
Surface: varies between natural path, paved asphalt, crushed gravel, and mulch
Facilities:Restrooms at Ijams Nature Center
Watershed: Tennessee River, Baker Creek
Currently Connects to: TWRA Forks of the River WMA, Ijams Nature Center, Will Skelton Greenway, Island Home Park, Marie Myers Park, William Hastie Park, William Hastie Trails, Mary James Park, Baker Creek Preserve

Urban Wilderness Maps:
Anderson School Trails [PDF]
Baker Creek Preserve [PDF]
Forks of the River WMA [PDF]
Ijams Nature Center, Ross & Mead's Quarry Trails [PDF]
Marie Myers Park & William Hastie Natural Area [PDF]
South Loop Trails & Baker Creek Preserve [PDF]

RIDE THE BUS TO THESE TRAILS

Route 40
Island Home Blvd at Will Skelton Greenway

City Council District: 1

Knoxville's Urban Wilderness South Loop Trail System

Entrances at:
2915 Island Home Ave.
3518 Island Home Pike
1302 Margaret Rd.
3140 McClure Lane
5907 Burnett Creek Road
Knoxville, TN 37920

South Knoxville

Click for MAP HERE

Knoxville's Urban Wilderness Urban Wilderness South Loop Trail System

Knoxville's Urban Wilderness Urban Wilderness South Loop Trail System

Victor Ashe entrance to South Loop of the Knoxville's Urban Wilderness Trail

The Knoxville's Urban Wilderness South Loop Trail is a partnership effort spearheaded by the Legacy Parks Foundation working with the City of Knoxville, Knox County, Ijams Nature Center, TWRA and the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club to connect 1,000 acres of parks and preserved land through an intricate trail system.

Thanks to thousands of hours of volunteer labor from the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club and donations to purchase land from Ambassador Victor Ashe, the Knox Greenways Coalition, and the Knoxville Track Club, the South Loop portion of the Urban Wilderness Trail was opened in 2012. Currently, the Knoxville's Urban Wilderness South Loop Trail connects 60+ miles of varied surface trails.

Signage
There is a comprehensive sign system throughout the Knoxville's Urban Wilderness Trail. There are trailhead signs with maps, levels of difficulty in addition to mile markers along the way.

From Legacy Parks on Knoxville's Urban Wilderness Corridor:
The 1,000-acre Urban Wilderness Corridor paralleling the Knoxville waterfront links the existing parks, trails and cultural assets into an unparalleled historical, recreation, cultural, and environmental experience. The Corridor allows us to protect the scenic vistas that define Knoxville. It ignites heritage tourism, promotes a healthy community and creates an economic boost for neighborhoods and businesses.

Click here to learn more about Knoxville's Urban Wilderness

SPECIAL INFORMATION FOR FORKS OF THE RIVER:

PARK ACCESS: The Perimeter Trail, defined as the Will Skelton Greenway, Whaley Trail, and Western Perimeter Trail, is open year round. All other trails are only open to hunters from September 1 to May 31.

LIMITED ACCESS AREAS: All other trails, including the interior trails, are only open to hunters from September 1 to May 31. TWRA offers a High Impact Habitat Conservation permit. Please contact TWRA directly for more information.

AREA RULES (from the TWRA Hunting Guide):
- No hooved animal riding.
- All animals accompanied by a non-hunting person are required to be leashed.
- No paintball guns or accessories.
- No motorized vehicles.
- Shotguns, muzzleloader, and archery equipment only.
- Park Hours: The area closes one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise, except for raccoon and opossum hunters and scheduled events.

Knoxville's Urban Wilderness South Loop Trail System

Parks and Recreation Director