Off-Road Venues
In the Greater Knoxville vicinity we are fortunate to be surrounded by numerous off-road running venues. Ranging from tranquil mulched trails and mown grassy pathways to jeep roads and rugged single-track trails, city, county, and state parks offer varied off-road running experiences, all within a short drive of metropolitan Knoxville.
North Boundary Greenway
Popularly known as the Guard Shack Trail System, the North Boundary trails were once exclusively open to U.S. Department of Energy employees. Now managed by the City of Oak Ridge, these broad, mostly graveled roads traverse a wooded section of Black Oak Ridge. Routes of eight to thirteen miles or more are easily accomplished.
I.C. King Park
A delightful circuit of single-track trails, the system at I.C. King Park south of Knoxville offers up to nine miles of winding, hilly footpaths. Frequented by mountain bikers as well as runners, the area is a hidden gem just five miles south of the University of Tennessee
Haw Ridge
An outdoorsman's paradise, more than twenty-eight miles of rolling, twisting, single-track and double-track trails await the intrepid trail runner at Haw Ridge, situated on a rugged peninsula along the Clinch River between Oak Ridge and Knoxville. So much trail awaits that one can arrive to what appears a full parking lot and complete a run while encountering nary a soul.
Norris Dam State Park
Here, adjacent to the Clinch River above and below Norris Dam, many miles of trails await the avid trail runner. From the nearly level trail paralleling Lower Clear Creek, to the knee-stiffening, quad-busting grades of Ridgecrest and Lakeside, the trails in and around the Norris Municipal Watershed and Norris Dam State Park offer a challenging and rewarding array of single-track and jeep roads.
Concord Park
Home to the annual Trail That Can't Be Concord race, this trail system off Northshore Drive out near Farragut is largely unknown to the tens of thousands who live within minutes of its trailheads. Solely single-track offerings wind and climb up and down through thick undergrowth beneath a dense tree canopy along Fort Loudoun Lake.
Victor Ashe Park
A relatively new park owned by the City of Knoxville, Victor Ashe Park is a wonderful example of intelligent multi-use. Wrapped around several well-built and maintained soccer fields is a mulched pathway that runs through woods and fields alike. While only a mile and a half in length, the mulched trail can be combined with a paved greenway or a bushwhack through undeveloped parkland to create an enjoyable little run.
- Park website & Map
- Connects to Northwest Greenway
Black Oak Ridge
The newest trail system in the region, the Black Oak Ridge trails were recently given over to Oak Ridge Greenways by DOE. Located a bit west of the Guard Shack on Highway 58, the trailhead is on Blair Road. Much like the Guard Shack loop, the trails clamber up and down Black Oak Ridge with significant grades and nice vistas.
Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge
Just twenty minutes west of downtown Knoxville is one of the best kept secrets in the area. The trails at Seven Islands, a relatively new Knox County park, are largely grassy, with a few challenging stretches of wooded single-track. Closed to mountain-bikers, these trails offer a degree of solitude unavailable in many trail running venues, along with grand views of the Smokies and the Cumberland Escarpment.
Melton Hill Park
In the far northwestern reaches of Knox County lies a park astride a scenic bend in the Clinch River. Mown grassy pathways are maintained year-round and connect with a number of stretches of wooded trail, including the infamous Beast. Much of the trail system is easily navigable, with an additional hilly section in the eastern quadrant of the park.
- I-140 take the Hardin Valley Exit, go west, turn onto Steele Rd., right beside Hardin Valley Elementary School. Go left at next intersection, Sam Lee Rd. to Couch Mill to Williams Bend Rd runs right into park
- On Google Maps
Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area
Just east of Ijams Nature Center is an area of more than three hundred acres of grass and woodland. Managed by the State of Tennessee for multi-use, including hunting, part of the area is maintained in food crops for birds, including sunflowers and corn, while additional acreage is wooded. The trails in places are obscure but rewarding and offer visas of the French Broad River.
Ijams Nature Center
A world-class nature center just a few miles from downtown Knoxville, Ijams offers well over 160 acres of pristine woodland for hiking and trail running. Mulched trails careen up and down wooded bluffs and along a wonderful wooden riverfront boardwalk. A newer, more difficult trail circumvents beautiful Meade's Quarry across from the original nature center, and an even newer acquisition will offer more opportunities in the future.
Gallaher Bend
Newly opened to the public by DOE, this restricted gravel road off Bethel Valley Road outside Oak Ridge offers a flat to rolling two mile stretch snaking along a thickly wooded peninsula along Melton Hill Lake. At the far end of the road, the gravel ends and a rather steep rolling hill ascent challenges the trail runner, reaching at the top a grassy trail overlooking a wondrous view of the river, eventually looping back to the original road. Out'n'back, the trail isn't much more than four miles, but is excellent for novices or as a return from a layoff.
Bigfoot Park
One of Knox county's newest offerings, the main part of the park is setup as for mountain bike jumping on built-up red clay berms. However, once at the top a single-track trail winds off to the north and meanders atop and then down the ridge toward Melton Hill Lake. At this time it is not clear how much of this trail is on public land and how much is on private, so be respectful in your wandering.