Want text alerts on nightlife events?CLICK HERE
Hike of the month: Colditz Cove State Natural Area

Hike of the month: Colditz Cove State Natural Area

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

ALLARDT, Tenn. - Some of East Tennessee's finest - and most often overlooked - hiking destinations can be found among the state's natural areas. Full story »


Hike of the month: Laurel-Snow State Natural Area

Hike of the month: Laurel-Snow State Natural Area

Friday, July 3, 2009

DAYTON, Tenn. - Hiking on a hot summer day is a lot more inviting when there's a mountain stream next to the trail. The Laurel-Snow State Natural Area gets its name from two waterfalls, Laurel Falls and Snow Falls. Laurel Falls is 80 feet tall, and Snow Falls plunges about 30 feet. It's a 5 1/2-mile hike out and back to Laurel Falls, and about a mile farther out and back to Snow Falls. Hiking to both is an 8 1/2-mile round trip. Access to this 2,259-acre Laurel-Snow Natural Area in Rhea County begins at a spacious parking lot just three miles from downtown Dayton, site of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925.
Full story »


Hike of the month: Brushy Mountain

Hike of the month: Brushy Mountain

Friday, June 5, 2009

GATLINBURG - Brushy Mountain may not be the tallest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but it offers some of the best views. At an elevation of 4,900 feet, Brushy Mountain is overshadowed by its neighbor to the south, Mount LeConte, which rises to 6,593 feet. Porter Creek Valley is to the east, and off in the distance toward the Tennessee-North Carolina divide are Porters Mountain, Woolly Tops Mountain, the rocky face of Greenbrier Pinnacle and Mount Guyot.
Full story »


The East Tennessee Whitewater Club begins another season

The East Tennessee Whitewater Club begins another season

Friday, May 15, 2009

The East Tennessee Whitewater Club is almost as old as the sport of whitewater paddling itself. The club dates back to the early 1960s, making it the oldest whitewater paddling club in Tennessee. Early members explored the river gorges of the Cumberland Plateau in aluminum canoes. A few paddled fiberglass kayaks, and only a handful knew how to execute an Eskimo roll. The club has come a long way since then.
Full story »


Hike of the Month: White Rocks, Sand Cave are impressive markers on Cumberland Gap's Ewing Trail

Hike of the Month: White Rocks, Sand Cave are impressive markers on Cumberland Gap's Ewing Trail

Friday, May 1, 2009

EWING, Va. - Mention Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and most people think of, well, Cumberland Gap, the gateway to the West for hundreds of thousands of settlers between 1780 and 1810. Full story »


Big South Fork to offer wildflower programs

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is fast gaining a reputation as a park that knows how to celebrate spring.
Full story »


Hike of the month: Alum Cave route a popular hike to Mount LeConte's peak

Hike of the month: Alum Cave route a popular hike to Mount LeConte's peak

Friday, April 3, 2009

Located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Alum Cave Trail - also called Alum Cave Bluff Trail - is one of five trails that lead up Mount LeConte, the third-highest peak in the park behind Clingman's Dome and Mount Guyot. Of all the footpaths leading to LeConte, Alum Cave is the most popular, and for good reason. At 5.5 miles, it's the shortest route to the top, with a net climb of 2,560 feet, and arguably the most scenic. Full story »


Visits to Smokies park down in 2008, but still tops other parks

Sunday, March 29, 2009

A tough economy and high fuel prices in 2008 may have caused a drop in the number of visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but the park still drew more people than any other in the U.S.
Full story »


Hike of the month: River view is point of Obed hike

Hike of the month: River view is point of Obed hike

Friday, March 6, 2009

WARTBURG, Tenn. - The Obed Wild and Scenic River is more of a paddling and climbing park than a hiking park, but that's not to say it doesn't have some exceptional trails.
Full story »


Hike of the month: Cold weather needn't cancel winter hikes in the Smokies

Hike of the month: Cold weather needn't cancel winter hikes in the Smokies

Friday, Feb. 6, 2009

Sometimes, the biggest obstacle to winter hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is simply getting to the trail head. Certain roads in the park are more likely to remain passable in winter than others. On the Tennessee side of the Smokies, the Gatlinburg Spur is one of the first roads to be cleared of ice and snow.
Full story »


Appalachian Mountain Bike Club uses winter to develop trails at Hastie Natural Area in South Knox

Appalachian Mountain Bike Club uses winter to develop trails at Hastie Natural Area in South Knox

Friday, Jan. 23, 2009

T he 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.
Full story »


Hike of the Month: River bottom to highest peak

Hike of the Month: River bottom to highest peak

Monday, Dec. 29, 2008

Just about all the parks in Knox County are fine for walking, but if real hiking is what you're after, the options narrow considerably. Full story »


Hike of the month: Ijams’ trails offer variety of views and distances

Hike of the month: Ijams’ trails offer variety of views and distances

Friday, Dec. 5, 2008

Good things sometimes come in small packages. Such is the case with the hiking trails at Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville's premier urban getaway located just two miles from downtown. Full story »


State park stays for less

Friday, Dec. 5, 2008

Tennessee state parks are now offering special winter rates for 360 villas and cabins and all six inns. Full story »


Five great Smokies fall hikes

Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008

Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion along the Appalachian Trail, 8 miles roundtrip: One of the most scenic hikes in the Smokies, and especially nice in cold weather when the humidity drops and visibility improves. Charlies Bunion is a rock outcropping with panoramic views. From the Newfound Gap parking lot, head north on the A.T.
Full story »


« newer stories | older stories »

Attractions
Attractions

Places to go and things to do in Knoxville.
Explore »

Knoxville Guide
Traffic Conditions

Find out traffic in Knoxville and the surrounding areas.
View Traffic »

What is the I-40 Smart fix, and will it affect my traveling in Knoxville?

Great Schools
Great Schools

Information and test scores on Knoxville schools.
Visit Now »