With warmer weather just around the corner, more and more people are planning to take on the outdoors. So, pack up your sunscreen and fill up your water bottle because here are three hiking trails less than 30 minutes away from campus that are available to explore.
Tharp Trace at Meade’s Quarry
Tharp Trace at Meade’s Quarry is a little over a mile all the way around and takes roughly 45 minutes to complete. The trail is open year-round, so it’s a perfect place to start out on your journey back outside.
This trail is found within the Ijams Nature Center. There are a number of other trails within the same area, so it’s not the only option you will have at the park. If you search “Tharp Overlook” in Maps, you will find parking nearby and be able to trace the trail from start to finish. The overlook is about a 10-minute drive from campus, so if you don’t have a ton of time, but you still want to go outside, Tharp Trace is a great place to explore.
Sharps Ridge Loop Trail
Sharps Ridge’s trail is over 3.5 miles long in Sharp’s Ridge Veterans Memorial Park in North Knoxville. The trails in the park were built for mountain bikers, so they are a bit more difficult to complete for hikers, but still manageable. At the trail’s highest elevation, you will be able to see the mountains in the distance and the very interesting infrastructure of the nearby highways. It is truly a blend of the ancient Earth and recent man-made feats.
Additionally, if you have a bus pass with KAT, you are able to ride the bus to these trails from campus. Once you get on the bus on Cumberland Ave, you will be taken to the KAT center downtown and take Route 22 to Broadway at Powers St. From there, you will walk less than a mile before entering the park and embarking on your hiking journey. If you have a car, the drive to the park will take about 15 minutes. Either option is worthwhile.
Concord Park Trail
Concord Park’s trail is a little longer than Sharps Ridge, a little over four miles in length. It usually takes just under two hours to complete. It’s a loop, just like Tharp Trace and Sharps Ridge’s trails, so you will end up in the same place where you began, roughly eliminating your ability to get lost.
Though for the trails you will need a leash, there is a dog park near the trail if you want to bring your dog with you to enjoy the outdoors. Not only that, if you like skateboarding, there is also a skatepark nearby.
Additionally, if you’re famished after your hike, skateboarding or dog park excursions, the Lakeside Tavern is an American restaurant inside of Concord Park, where you can eat burgers, sandwiches or any of their signature dishes to satisfy your hunger. They also make slushies, so on a particularly hot day, those might be especially enjoyable. The only downside is if you’re not over 21, you will have to ask if they can make the slushies without alcohol, so you’re not breaking the law.
Concord Park is roughly a 20-minute drive from campus, but it is well worth the drive if you want a longer hike.
