Outdoor Adventures In and Around Knoxville

Helping Tennessee visitors and residents enjoy our wonderful scenery and sights

Knoxville has many wonderful outdoor attractions. Within the city, there are walking trails, parks, and waterways to enjoy. Just a short distance away are the Smoky Mountains and Cumberland Plateau. There are adventures for people who want to walk, bicycle, swim, hike, and sail. There are mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, creeks, and beautiful, luscious landscapes. At Banks & Jones, our staff loves the outdoors. We’re happy to share our experiences with you and recommend tour guides and people who can help you enjoy the local scenery.

What types of outdoor activities can I engage in while staying in Knoxville?

On a nice day in Knoxville, many people can be seen walking and hiking along our trails and in our parks. Many people enjoy riding their bicycles and swimming in the local pools, lakes, and waterways. Some of the many other activities residents and visitors enjoy, according to Visit Knoxville, are:

  • Birding
  • Canopy & Zipline
  • Cycling
  • Disc Golf
  • Hiking
  • Paddling
  • Rock Climbing
  • Skateparks

Other activities, according to Easttnfamilyfun.com include fruit picking, kayaking and canoeing, boating,  enjoying playgrounds with children, regular golf, disc golf, mini-golf, and picnicking. There’s also horseback riding, camping, rafting, garden tours, and fishing.

Many motorcyclists love to enjoy a sunny day riding solo or with friends on the open roads.

What natural attractions should I visit while in Knoxville?

Knoxville has several city parks and a 600-acre wildlife area. The outdoor venues include:

  • Fort Dickerson Park
  • High Ground Park
  • Marie Myers Park
  • Helix Trails
  • Baker Creek Preserve
  • Forks of the River WMA
  • Ijams Nature Centers & Quarries
  • River Bluff Wildlife Area
  • William Hastie Natural Area

Visit Knoxville provides these inviting descriptions of just a few locations:

High Ground Park commemorates the historic site of Fort Higley. The park features a peaceful walking trail that winds through hardwood forests, wildflowers and native flowering bushes and past the remnants of defensive emplacements such as rifle trenches and a cannon redoubt.

Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area is an active hunting ground that allows trail access for recreational activities,

Boasting two paved pump tracks and a paved jump line the Baker Creek Bike Park, Baker Creek Preserve is a favorite for riders of all ages, and can be ridden when other trails are too wet. This park has 3 Downhill Mountain Bike trails along with 5 multiuse trails. The park hosts 8 miles of trails and connects to the other 52 miles of trails in the network.

What outdoor sights near Knoxville should I visit?

One popular place to visit near Nashville is Smoky Mountain National Park located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World-renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian Mountain culture, this is America’s most visited national park.

You can hike in the Smoky Mountains year-round.

During winter, the absence of deciduous leaves opens new vistas along trails and reveals stone walls, chimneys, foundations, and other reminders of past residents.

Spring provides a weekly parade of wildflowers and flowering trees.

In summer, walkers can seek out cool retreats among the spruce-fir forests and balds or follow splashy mountain streams to roaring falls and cascades.

Autumn hikers have crisp, dry air to sharpen their senses and a varied palette of fall colors to enjoy.

Please be especially careful of the bears.

Some of the most popular places to hike in the park include:

  • Alum Cave Bluffs
  • Andrews Bald
  • Charlies Bunion
  • Chimney Tops
  • Rainbow Falls

Another splendid outdoor location near Knoxville is the Cumberland Plateau. According to Tennessee Vacation:

The Cumberland Plateau is a comparatively shorter range – it rises roughly 1,000 feet above the surrounding countryside, as opposed to 4,000-6,000 feet, more common in the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge – but no less beautiful.

This plateau range consists of gorges, waterfalls, arches, sandstone outcroppings, natural bridges, and deep-cut valleys, many of which are called gulfs and/or coves and contains much of the eastern U.S.’s forestland, filled with pines, hickory and oak trees.

What water venues can I enjoy while living in or visiting Knoxville, Tennessee?

Residents and visitors to Knoxville have access to many lakes, rivers, mountain streams, and quarries. A few of these refreshing sites include:

  • Chilhowee Lake
  • Clinch River
  • Fort Loudon Lake
  • French Broad River
  • Holston River
  • Meads Quarry
  • Norris Lake
  • 7Obed Wild and Scenic River Trails
  • Tellico Lake
  • The Tennessee River

Fort Loudoun Lake is located at the “headwaters of the Tennessee River near Knoxville and extends 55 miles upstream from the dam to the confluence of the Holston and French Broad Rivers.” The lake is popular for catching bass and catfish. Harvested fish include white bass, largemouth, bluegill, crappie, and sauger.

Visit Knoxville offers this description of the Tennessee River:

  • With its start in east Knoxville, created by the confluence of the Holston and French Broad Rivers, this 652-mile long major waterway is the 5th largest river system and the largest tributary of the Ohio River. From its headwaters in Knoxville, the Tennessee River flows through downtown and southwest towards Chattanooga before turning westward through the Cumberland Plateau into northern Alabama, where it continues eventually joining the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky.

Do you have a Knoxville trial lawyer near me?

Banks & Jones meets anyone who is injured or charged with a criminal offense while enjoying outdoor activities at our Knoxville office located at 2125 Middlebrook Pike. If you’re in hospital or too ill to come to our office, we do make alternate arrangements so we can consult with you. Our lawyers also conduct consultations by phone and through video conferences.

We’ll answer all your questions about personal injury claims and criminal defense claims. We’re skilled trial lawyers.

Please contact our Knoxville trial lawyers today

Whether you’re a resident of Knoxville or just visiting our great outdoors, we’re ready to explain your rights and defend your interests. At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville personal injury lawyers work with investigators, product safety experts, and others to show how your accident happened and who is responsible. We fight aggressively to suppress illegally obtained evidence and assert all your defenses if you’re charged with a DUI or any other crime.

Call Banks & Jones today or fill out our contact form to schedule a consultation.

Knoxville Resources:

  1. Knoxville’s Top-Rated Hospitals: A guide to the city’s leading medical facilities.
  2. Navigating Knoxville: Transportation options and tips for getting around with ease.
  3. Knoxville Attractions: Must-see destinations and activities for all interests.
  4. Legal Guidance for Visitors Injured in Knoxville: Important information and resources for those facing unexpected medical situations during their stay.