Imerys Marble Property
Legacy Parks negotiated the donation of 104 acres of abandoned quarry land that became an addition to Ijams Nature Center and the key trailhead for the South Loop Trails.
Clayton Park in Halls
Legacy Parks raised funds to purchase an old homesite in Halls which became a county park, Clayton Park in Halls. It is a beautiful new gathering place for this north Knox County community.
Harrell Road Stormwater Park
Leveraging over a half million in grant dollars, Legacy Parks transformed a donated, formerly blighted lot into Knox County’s first Stormwater Demonstration Park. It is a model of green infrastructure best management practices and provides a neighborhood park within the Knox County Parks system.
River Bluff Natural Area
Legacy Parks raised $1.5 million to acquire a former civil war battle site – and the last unconserved viewshed along Knoxville’s south waterfront. Legacy Parks donated the property to the City of Knoxville in 2015 to become a City Park. The property is a key site in the proposed Battlefield Loop that will connect this battle site with the three adjacent Civil War forts and will be the west node of Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness.
Baker Creek Preserve
Legacy Parks transformed 100 acres of land donated to the Foundation by the Wood Family into an outdoor adventure destination for adventurers of all ages and levels of experience. Utilizing grants from the State of Tennessee, Siddiqi Foundation, REI, Bell Helmets, and an abundance of volunteer time and donated goods and services – including a major landscaping project donated by Earthadelics – the property now includes six multi-use trails, three dedicated downhill mountain bike trails, a kids pump track, an intermediate pump track, an adventure playground, and a beautiful meadow for events and play. The Baker Creek Preserve connects directly into the existing 42-mile South Loop Trails System to grow Knoxville’s urban trail system to fifty connected miles.
KPD Canine Facility & Dog Park
Legacy Parks facilitated the donation of land from a Knoxville family to create a K-9 police facility and downtown dog park.
French Memorial Park Addition
Legacy Parks helped connect a south Knox County neighborhood to a library and school by securing the donation of a connecting parcel of land.
Collier Preserve
Legacy Parks is creating a 15-acre natural area in the heart of a rapidly developing sector of north Knox County. The property, donated to the Foundation by the Collier family, will provide beautiful access to scenic Beaver Creek and the opportunity to observe the wildlife and natural setting using the trails and resting areas. The beautiful county park will be maintained by Knox County Parks & Recreation and will include natural surface walking trails, a playground, restored historic structures, a kayak rest stop on Beaver Creek and more!
Play Forest at South Doyle Middle School and Baker Creek Preserve
With funding from the Trinity Foundation and in partnership with the Knox County Health Department and City of Knoxville Parks Department, Legacy Parks is piloting the creation of an adventure play space targeted to middle school-aged children. This place space under construction adjacent to South Doyle Middle School is designed based upon research with middle school students and aims to increase the physical activity and improve the overall health of this age group. The play space will connect directly into the Baker Creek Preserve on trails constructed in collaboration with the Professional Trailbuilders Association.
South Loop Trails
Collaborating with the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, Legacy Parks has established the South Loop Trail system. These more than 42 miles of natural surface trails connect five parks and natural areas with public and private land, creating exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities. The 12.5-mile main loop trail connects Ijams Nature Center, Ross Marble and Mead’s Quarries, Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area, William Hastie Natural Area, and Marie Myers Park. An additional 30 miles of secondary trails with varying terrain lead off the main trail.
G & O Trail
Legacy Parks is creating a three-mile, virtually flat rail-with-trail alongside the G & O Railway from the edge of Chapman Highway to Ijam’s Meads Quarry. It will provide an exceptional recreational and commuter connection for south Knoxville businesses, neighborhoods and destinations.
Maryville to Townsend Greenway
Legacy Parks is aiding regional planners and civic leaders to develop a strategic fundraising plan to build a 14-mile greenway from Maryville to Townsend. With the Townsend to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park section in place and the Knox County to Blount County Greenway under construction, the Maryville to Townsend connection is critical to connecting Knoxville to the Smokies by way of a continuous greenway.
Oak Ridge Trails
Legacy Parks is working with the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge trail advocates to expand the trail network on DOE land in Anderson County. The Sink Hole trail was constructed in 2015 and a second trail is in development.
North Knox Trails
Legacy Parks is working with property owners, the City of Knoxville and the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club to create multi-use trails on Sharps Ridge and Webb Ridge in north Knoxville. These ridge trails will connect to existing city parks and provide new outdoor recreation benefits to the densely populated neighborhoods that lay at the base of these ridges.
