For the fifth consecutive year, REI is showing its support for Legacy Parks Foundation and Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness through a $10,000 grant to build a trail from Dogwood Elementary School to Stanley-Lippencott Park. The REI Dogwood Elementary Trail Project will increase access to the park and connect neighborhoods and an elementary school within Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. The trail will not only provide the community a safe route to school but will promote physical activity and foster community interaction; and provide both environmental and mental health benefits. The long-term vision is that this section of trail will become a link connecting existing trails in the Urban Wilderness to Stanley-Lippencott Park, into Fort Dickerson, and connect to the planned Battlefield Loop, creating an even greater connection to wilderness and history. These continued connections and increased access points will benefit recreational users of all types and experience levels.
REI began contributing to the trails of Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness in 2014, and has given significant support since, including funding for a bridge, a kid’s trail, a junior pump track, and water stations throughout the Urban Wilderness.
This project is a collaboration of several active community partners including the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, City of Knoxville, Knox County, Great Schools Partnership, CAC Americorp, Knox County Health Department, Lindbergh Forest Community, Sierra Club, Ijams Nature Center and private landowners.
