News
August 2019
Monday, August 12th, 2019
Gateway swings open to a ‘front door’ to Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness
The city wants to make the Urban Wilderness a regional (or even national) attraction and leaders think it needs a “front door” to make it more attractive.
A “front door” for Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness won’t be long in coming, following the rezoning of 108.66 acres as parkland.
“We’re actually going to be starting work on transforming the end of James White Parkway into a park that connects to the end of Baker Creek Preserve this fall,” said Urban Wilderness Coordinator Rebekah Jane Montgomery.
Knoxville-Knox County Planning commissioners approved the rezoning on Thursday, Aug. 8, of a long, irregularly-shaped tract at the end of James White Parkway, south of Sevierville Pike, on the west side of East Red Bud Road and on the northeast side of Cruze Road. Until now most of it has been marked out in residential lots, planning documents say. The rezoning, which also requires Knoxville City Council approval, will make the site consistent with other parks, Montgomery said.
Years ago a local family donated the land for Baker Creek Preserve, and a few years ago the state handed over right-of-way from James White Parkway, she said.
Now the Urban Wilderness covers more than 1,000 forested acres south of the Tennessee River, most of it in two major areas:
South Loop, which includes a 12.5-mile trail connecting seven recreation areas: Ijams Nature Center, Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area, Anderson School Trails, William Hastie Natural Area, Marie Myers Park, Baker Creek Preserve, and Baker Creek Play Forest; and
Battlefield Loop, 600 acres connecting two Civil War forts, a battlefield site, two natural lakes, a quarry lake and a 200-foot bluff overlooking the river.
What it lacks is a defined main entrance, and strong link between the loops.
Jim Gaines, Knoxville News Sentinel
Published 5:00 a.m. ET Aug. 12, 2019 | Updated 8:13 a.m. ET Aug. 12, 2019