At 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, City leaders, Appalachian Mountain Bike Club trail-building enthusiasts and Urban Wilderness advocates will gather at the William Hastie Natural Area to celebrate a 27-acre expansion of this section of the Urban Wilderness – as well as construction of 2 miles of new trails.

(Please note: Parking at the site is extremely limited; visitors who are not hiking or biking in should park at Anderson School trailhead, 4808 Prospect Road, and ride City shuttle vans to the site; the shuttle service will begin at 2:15 p.m.)

Last spring, AMBC put the 27 acres under contract, with the intent of adding it to the City’s William Hastie Natural Area park. More than 300 donors contributed to make the purchase a reality, with the City of Knoxville funding $100,000, roughly half the purchase investment.

The City will assume ownership of the William Hastie expansion and will manage its maintenance as part of the enlarged City park. AMBC is funding and building the new trails with the assistance of volunteer and professional builders.

“William Hastie and the entire Urban Wilderness are wonderful and unrivaled natural gems,” Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “It speaks volumes that so many private partners are looking for ways to work together to help expand the footprint of the Urban Wilderness and build new trails and other amenities. Our families will enjoy these new amenities now and for years to come.”

Construction on the new trails is expected to be completed by spring 2022, according to AMBC. 

AMBC is a leading partner when it comes to building out and connecting trails in the Urban Wilderness. Interestingly, AMBC’s very first trail project was to create the existing network of original trails at William Hastie Natural Area.

“We’re excited about the diversity of experiences made possible by this most recent park addition,” said AMBC Executive Director Matthew Kellogg. “The William Hastie new trail plan will increase beginner trail opportunities within the park, add an additional intermediate loop from the trailhead, and provide two-directional mountain bike trails to the rockier south side of the new property.”

Vee Hollow in Townsend matched donations for the land purchase, and Harper Auto Square has pledged a $20,000 matching donation toward construction. (Interested donors, visit www.ambcknox.org/donate.)