Meads Quarry Park
Managed by City of Knoxville
228 acres10.8 mi of trail
Burnett RidgeHickoryRoss MarbleTharp Trace Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Knoxville
Knoxville has 91 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Meads Quarry Park (10.8 mi), Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park (7.8 mi), I.C. King Park (6.1 mi). 8% of Knoxville’s land is conserved, about 4,926 acres. 73% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #10 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
4,926 acres · of 98.7 sq mi of land
Trails
91 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,977 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
94 mi
28 mi lanes · 53 mi paths
Highest peak
1,181 ft
Wise Hill
Lakes & rivers
9
9 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Knoxville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Knoxville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Knoxville is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #10 of 177 in Tennessee. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Knoxville’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical TN town 1% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (91 mi) · TN 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,977 acres) · TN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home73% of residents within a half mile of a park · TN 42% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 95%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Knoxville ranks #230 on Outdoors.
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Knoxville’s 8% is ahead of 86% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 95% of them.
Water is 5% of Knoxville’s area (6 of 104 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Meads Quarry Park, with 10.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park
Managed by City of Knoxville
174 acres7.8 mi of trail
LincolnSharp ShinFirebreakIndependence+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
I.C. King Park
Managed by City of Knoxville
137 acres6.1 mi of trail
Everest HighExpertLower BeginnerUpper Beginner+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Baker Creek Preserve
Managed by City of Knoxville
98 acres5.3 mi of trail
Floyd FoxRed Bud CrestBest MedicineSycamore Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
William Hastie Natural Area
Managed by City of Knoxville
83 acres5 mi of trail
Hard LaborMargaretSink HoleYellow Jacket+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Forks Of The River Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
614 acres4.2 mi of trail
West PerimeterWhaley
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fort Dickerson Park
Managed by City of Knoxville
92 acres4.1 mi of trail
BoogerTrial & ErrorBreastworksFort Dickerson Quarry Greenway+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ijams Nature Center
Managed by Ijams Nature Center
72 acres3 mi of trail
Discovery TailsRiver TrailTower TrailUniversal Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 93 parks & preserves
Meads Quarry Park228 acres · 10.8 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsSharp's Ridge Memorial Park174 acres · 7.8 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsI.C. King Park137 acres · 6.1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsBaker Creek Preserve98 acres · 5.3 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
William Hastie Natural Area83 acres · 5 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsForks Of The River Wildlife Management Area614 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
DirectionsFort Dickerson Park92 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsIjams Nature Center72 acres · 3 mi of trail · Ijams Nature Center
DirectionsCherokee Farm Shoreline Park67 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · University of Tennessee, Knoxville
DirectionsMarie Myers Park41 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
Holston River Park43 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
Sequoyah Park & Greenway66 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsStanley Lippencott Park25 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsUniversity of Tennessee Recreation Sports Complex39 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · University of Tennessee, Knoxville
DirectionsLakeshore Park205 acres · 1 mi of trail · Lakeshore Park Conservancy
DirectionsRiver Bluff Wildlife Area129 acres · 1 mi of trail
West Hills Park55 acres · 1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsHolston-Chilhowee Volunteer Park18 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsWorld's Fair Park64 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsJohn Tarleton Park63 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsMorningside Park33 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsBurnett Creek Easement14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSarah Moore Greene Greenway Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
All Saints Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCircle Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · University of Tennessee, Knoxville
DirectionsChilhowee Park74 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
Badger Field27 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsSpring Place Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsFirst Creek Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsHarriet Tubman Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Racheff Park and Garden3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Boright Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Danny Mayfield Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVictor Ashe Park116 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsThird Creek Greenway Park75 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsCaswell Park29 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
Malcolm Martin Park18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCharter E. Doyle Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
Sequoyah Ball Fields8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
High Ground Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Suttree Landing Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
DirectionsWestwood Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Knoxville
William Powell Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Fraternity Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · University of Tennessee
DirectionsPaul Hogue Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
North Hills Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Turkey Creek Reserve43 acres · County of Knox
DirectionsHistoric Middlebrook Farm38 acres · HISTORIC MIDDLEBROOK PRESERVATION TRUST INC.
DirectionsAdair Park33 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsMary Vestal Park29 acres · City of Knoxville
Knoxville Racquet Club25 acres
DirectionsTen Mile Creek Greenway Park22 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsFountain City Recreation Complex21 acres · City of Knoxville
Tyson McGhee Park20 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsUrban Wilderness Gateway Park16 acres · City of Knoxville
Rocky Hill Park15 acres · City of Knoxville
Alice Bell Park13 acres
Safety City Park12 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsSansom Sports Complex12 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsDr. Walter Hardy Park12 acres · City of Knoxville
Inskip Park10 acres
Mead Park9 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsSouth Knoxville Optimist Park8 acres · City of Knoxville
Sam Duff Park8 acres · City of Knoxville
Island Home Park7 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsMaynard Glenn Fields6 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsRidgedale Community Park6 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsWest View Park6 acres
DirectionsNew Harvest Park5 acres
Gary Underwood Park5 acres
Fountain City Park4 acres
DirectionsFulton Bicentennial Park4 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsRock City Park4 acres · City of Knoxville
Cal Johnson Park4 acres
DirectionsClaude Walker Park4 acres
Whitlow Park4 acres
Governor Ned McWherter Riverside Park3 acres · City of Knoxville
Marine Park3 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsAsheville Highway River Access3 acres · City of Knoxville
Mary James Park2 acres · City of Knoxville
Scottish Pike River Park2 acres · City of Knoxville
4th and Gill Park2 acres
Mountcastle Park2 acres · University of Tennessee
DirectionsTalahi Park2 acres
Parkridge Park1 acres
DirectionsEdgewood Park1 acres
Lonsdale Park1 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsKrutch Park1 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsHighland Neighborhood Park1 acres
River Mountain Park1 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsDowntown Dog Park1 acres
DirectionsCradle of Country Music Park1 acres
DirectionsBicentennial Park1 acres · City of Knoxville
DirectionsWho protects it
4,926 conserved acres
8% of Knoxville’s land. Water is left out: Knoxville has 98.7 square miles of land and 5.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Knoxville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,912 ac
State fish & wildlife1,905 ac
Tennessee Valley Authority781 ac
County468 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits411 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land57 ac
Private owners33 ac
Local Park · 1,923 acState Conservation Area · 1,790 acNot Designated · 781 acUnknown Easement · 411 acLocal Conservation Area · 359 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 113 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Loudoun Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,186 | Restricted |
| Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Not Designated | Tennessee Valley Authority | 781 | Unknown |
| Forks Of The River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 604 | Restricted |
| Ijams Nature Center Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 262 | Open |
| Lakeshore Park Local Park | Town or city | 205 | Open |
| I C King Park Local Park | County | 186 | Open |
| John Sevier Hunter Education Center State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 116 | Unknown |
| Sharps Ridge Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 115 | Open |
| Victor Ashe Park Local Park | Town or city | 113 | Open |
| Baker Creek Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 100 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
118 places to go in Knoxville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Knoxville
Cumberland Estates Recreation
DirectionsTRECS Pool
DirectionsWest Side YMCA poolIn West Hills Park
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Knoxville
Adair Park PlaygroundIn Adair Park
DirectionsAshley Nicole Dream PlaygroundIn Caswell Park
DirectionsCentral PlaygroundIn Lakeshore Park
DirectionsFort Kid
DirectionsFountain City Park PlaygroundIn Fountain City Park
DirectionsHank Rappe PlayroundIn Lakeshore Park
DirectionsTower PlaygroundIn Lakeshore Park
Directions80 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Knoxville
Fountain City Dog Park
DirectionsThe Bark Knoxville
DirectionsVictor Ashe Dog ParkIn Victor Ashe Park
Directionsuniversity walk and society 865 dog park
DirectionsPlus 5 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Knoxville
Abandon Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Knoxville
River Bluff OverlookIn River Bluff Wildlife Area
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Knoxville
Wise Hill1,181 ft elevation
DirectionsRichmond Hill1,129 ft elevation
DirectionsMabrys Hill1,063 ft elevation
DirectionsTemperance Hill1,024 ft elevation
DirectionsMarble Hill1,020 ft elevation
DirectionsSummit Hill971 ft elevation
DirectionsFlint Hill945 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Knoxville
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Knoxville
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Knoxville
Grow LabUniversity of Tennessee
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 55.9 miUnpaved · 63.7 mi
SoKno Rail Trail3.4 mi
Lincoln3.2 mi
Sequoyah Hills Greenway2.6 mi
Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course2.4 mi
West Perimeter2.2 mi
Burnett Ridge1.7 mi
Whaley1.7 mi
Sharp Shin1.5 mi
Red Bud Crest1.4 mi
Hickory1.4 mi
15 more trails
Floyd Fox
1.4 miFirebreak
1.3 miRoss Marble
1.1 miTharp Trace Trail
1.1 miScott Cleland Trail
1.1 miFlow
1.1 miVictor Ashe
1.0 miImerys
1.0 miBest Medicine
0.9 miLower Lake
0.9 miTurnbuckle
0.9 miBooger
0.9 miSycamore Loop
0.8 miHard Labor
0.8 miTrial & Error
0.8 miBiking & sports
94 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
28 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
53 mi
off-road bike paths
13 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
South LoopBike route
7.6 miCourts & fields
144Tennis
78Baseball
40Soccer
38Golf
37Basketball
15Football
10Pickleball
8Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →102 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 56 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Ramsey HouseBuilding · listed 1969
About itOld Knoxville City HallBuilding · listed 1972
About itJames Park HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itCraighead-Jackson HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itOld Post Office BuildingBuilding · listed 1973
About itJackson Avenue Warehouse DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itCamp HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itKnox County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itStatesviewBuilding · listed 1973
About itMiddlebrookBuilding · listed 1974
About itH. L. Dulin HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About it90 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Knoxville: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 52 | 61 | 71 | 79 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 82 | 72 | 60 | 51 |
| Rain (in) | 4.8 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 5.7 |
October is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.7 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Knoxville →
Next door
Knoxville and its neighbors
Knoxville has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville | 8% | 0.9 | 15 | 73% | A− |
| Powell | under 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 24% | D |
| Alcoa | 2% | 0.3 | 12 | 47% | C+ |
| Farragut | 1% | 0.6 | 7 | 49% | C+ |
| Rockford | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Halls | 1% | 0.6 | 10 | 41% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Knoxville
Where can I hike in Knoxville?
The longest trail networks: Meads Quarry Park, 10.8 miles; Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park, 7.8 miles; I.C. King Park, 6.1 miles; Baker Creek Preserve, 5.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Knoxville is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 1% for a Tennessee town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Knoxville’s trails?
Meads Quarry Park and Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Knoxville?
94 miles of bike routes are on the map: 28 of painted or protected lanes, 53 of off-road paths and 13 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: South Loop.
Is there public land near Knoxville?
8,469 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Knoxville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,034 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Knoxville have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 of 177 in Tennessee. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Knoxville neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →