National park system offers everything desired within an hour's drive

Let's cut to the chase: Chattanooga and Asheville, N.C., might have been recognized more as outdoor towns, but Knoxville is just as cool.

Just look at a map. Knoxville lies in the Tennessee Valley, a physiographic region sandwiched between the Cumberland Plateau to the west and the Appalachian Mountains to the east.

In terms of topography, the two regions are polar opposites. The Cumberland Plateau features sandstone cliffs and deep river gorges (think Utah, but with trees), while the Appalachian Mountains include some of the highest peaks in the eastern United States.

If you live in Knoxville, you get to choose between remote river canyons and postcard-pretty mountains, both being about an hour's drive from downtown.

Knoxville is surrounded by public lands, most famously, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which covers 520,000 acres along the East Tennessee-western North Carolina border. Also east of Knoxville is the Cherokee National Forest, which covers 640,000 acres and is the largest tract of public land in the state.

The Smokies has 900 miles of maintained trails, including 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail, which follows the spine along the park's Tennessee-North Carolina line.

The Cherokee National Forest has 700 miles of trails, including 150 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

Less than two hours west of Knoxville on the Cumberland Plateau, you'll find the 125,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, as well as the Obed Wild and Scenic River area. The National Park Service manages both areas with an emphasis on river protection.

And don't forget Tennessee's state parks system. Some of the oldest and most scenic of the state's 54 parks are within an hour's drive of Knoxville. For hiking, Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County is hard to beat, especially in the spring when the wildflowers are in bloom.

Another standout state park for hiking is Pickett State Park in Fentress County on the Cumberland Plateau, just west of the Big South Fork. Pickett offers the same scenic features as the Big South Fork - sandstone bluffs, river canyons and rock shelters - but in a smaller package.

The state of Tennessee is partnering with volunteers to build the Cumberland Trail State Park. When completed, the trail will stretch 300 miles along the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau from Cumberland Gap National Historical Park to Signal Mountain, Tenn.

Roughly half of the Cumberland Trail is finished and ready for use. One of the longest - and most rugged - sections of the trail is in the Obed Wild and Scenic River area, near Wartburg, Tenn. The Obed section is 14 miles long, and covers steep terrain as it drops in and out of the park's river gorges.

Officials hope to complete the Cumberland Trail by 2011.

Another newcomer to the hiking scene is the Benton MacKaye Trail, a 300-mile footpath that offers a less-crowded alternative to the Appalachian Trail.

Completed in 2005, the Benton MacKaye Trail winds 92 miles through northern Georgia and 185 miles through Tennessee's Cherokee National Forest before entering the Smokies. All but roughly 10 miles of the trail are on public lands, and most of the trail overlaps pre-existing foot trails, including the Appalachian Trail.

For an outstanding day hike, visit House Mountain State Natural Area, in East Knox County. Rising 2,100 feet above the surrounding valley, it affords gorgeous views. The hike is steep (most people do it in 2-4 hours), but well worth it. Many of the table mountain pines and Virginia pines that grow along the top exhibit black gashes where they have been struck by lightning.

Two of the prettiest and least crowded state parks in Tennessee are Norris Dam State Park and Big Ridge State Park, both on Norris Lake about 30 to 45 minutes from Knoxville.

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