Featured Ride: Knoxville Urban Wilderness—South Loop, Tennessee

Photos and information from MTBProject.com.

This 12.5 mile loop offers a choice selection of the 30-plus miles of trails in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness Loop trail network. All trails are only 2-4 miles from downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.

The trails offer something for everyone: rock gardens, buff singletrack, paved greenways and gravel doubletrack. There are several trailheads that access this loop, and trail maps are posted at each of the them.

The trails pass by old marble quarries, failed housing developments from the 1982 World’s Fair, a wildlife management area managed for hunting and private properties. The junction of the Holston and French Broad Rivers form the Tennessee River next to the greenway. Much of the land was purchased by the Legacy Parks Foundation explicitly to complete the Urban Wilderness Loop.

Some of the trails were old hiking, motorcycle, hunters or access roads. Most of the trails were built by The Appalachian Mountain Bike Club starting in 2007. Be mindful of weather. Rain makes sloppy conditions in the clay soil for a couple of days.

After riding the trails, head downtown for craft brews and great food.

Check out the MTB Project article “Epicenter: Why Knoxville Is The South’s New MTB King” for more information on the great riding that Knoxville has to offer.

Local Club: SORBA – Appalachian Mountain Bike Club.