Photo by Saul Young

Randy Connor is the president of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club. He and other members of the Club are building a system of trails for bicyclist, runners, and hikers at the Hastie Natural Area in South Knoxville.

Photo by Don Wood

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The ground has been slick and muddy, and more often than not, the weather has been rainy and cold.

Not that these are undesirable conditions for mountain bikers. This winter members of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club have been building trails at a new Knoxville city park with the same abandon that they pedal single track or jump large objects in a single bound.

Located in South Knoxville, Hastie Natural Area covers about 75 acres. The city of Knoxville purchased the property in 2003 for $232,750, but it wasn't until last year, when the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club got involved, that the area began to take shape as an urban getaway for hikers, mountain bikers, and trail runners.

So far the club has completed about four miles of trail on Hastie Natural Area, which is named in honor of William Henry Hastie, the first African-American to serve as a federal trial judge. Born in Knoxville in 1904, Hastie was a key advisor and litigation strategist for the civil rights movement. He died in 1976 after serving 22 years on the federal bench.

Hastie Natural Area is managed by the Knoxville Parks and Recreation Department. The area is located just a few miles south of Ijams Nature Center, adjacent to the Lake Forest neighborhood. Like Ijams Nature Center, the terrain at Hastie Natural Area is densely wooded, with an abundance of sinkholes and caves.

The mountain bike trails at Hastie Natural Area are designed for beginner to intermediate riders. Compared to Haw Ridge or I.C. King Park, the riding is less technical and demanding.

Working on weekends, and often in cold, nasty weather, the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club has logged a little over 1,000 man hours at Hastie. Based on the U.S. Forest Service's pay scale of $20 per hour for volunteer help, the club already has contributed more than $20,000 in free labor to the project.

Randy Conner, president of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, said the club hopes to finish the work in May with a total of 4.5 trail miles.

"Winter is our work season," Conner said. "We like to grub in the dirt when the ground is soft, and there's no poison ivy or yellow jackets."

Last May the International Mountain Bicycling Association came to Knoxville to present a trail building workshop to members of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club. The club has received a $708 grant from the Southeast Off-Road Bicycle Association, a $992 grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation, and a $2,000 matching grant from the city of Knoxville that the club is sharing with the Lake Forest Neighborhood Association.

The trail building tools used by club members are similar to those used by firefighters to dig wildfire breaks.

"It's all about where the water goes," Conner said. "These trails don't just happen. You have to dig them so they don't erode."

The Hastie property was slated for development following the Knoxville World's Fair, but construction never advanced beyond basic infrastructure. The bulk of the land lies in a bowl surrounded by steep ridges. It's a lovely setting for getting outdoors, and just minutes from downtown Knoxville.

A few years ago a task force consisting of the Lake Forest Neighborhood Association and the city of Knoxville decided that the best course of action for the property would be to turn it into a public natural area with minimal development.

According to Ann Strange, president of the Lake Forest Neighborhood Association, the turning point came when the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club got involved.

"They showed up at the meeting and showed a lot of enthusiasm," Strange said. "When it came to getting work done, they put their muscle where their mouth is."

The trail system consists of an old jeep road that serves as the main artery, with three loop trails attached. The trails are open to foot traffic and mountain bikers.

Last November volunteers with the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club were building a new section of trail when two families came hiking along, followed by a trail runner. Instead of stopping at the end of the freshly-dug section, they kept going, following the trail flagging through the woods.

Participation in mountain biking has plateaued since it peaked in the 1990s, but according to the Outdoor Industry Association, the sport still counts about 39 million participants nationwide.

Joe Walsh, director of Knoxville Parks and Recreation, said Hastie Natural Area is the city's first attempt to offer trails specifically for mountain biking.

"The city has not taken the lead in developing mountain biking trails, but we're trying to catch up," Walsh said.

Morgan Simmons may be reached at 865-342-6321.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
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