East Tennessee Wanderers

What: Join the East Tennessee Wanderers for a 5K or 10K walk in the new Aspire Park, Clinton, TN. The 5 km out-n-back will be on a paved surface and rated a 1A. The 10 km will be a loop, primarily on natural dirt paths and rated a 3C. There is a $3 fee. Pets are allowed. Optional lunch following the walk at The Pearl at Aspire. Outdoor seating is available, weather permitting.

Where: Meet at the Aspire Park Pavilion (large floating roof structure on your right as you enter the park). Aspire Park is at 777 Aspire Park Dr., Clinton, TN.

When: Saturday, August 23rd. 10 km walkers will meet at 9 AM. 5 km walkers will meet at 10 AM. Please plan to arrive 15 minutes early to register.

Restrooms: There are restrooms available at the Pavilion.

Registration: Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of your preferred walk to get signed in. There is a modest $3 walk fee payable to the leader at the start of the walk for insurance and sanctioning fees.

Please find more information about our club at our website. www.easttennesseewanderers.org

What: Join the East Tennessee Wanderers for a walk in the Knoxville Urban Wilderness (in South Knoxville, William Hastie Natural Area). The 5K and 10K walks will have some minor/moderate elevation changes (rated 3C by the AVA). Both walks are on natural pathways. We will also plan to have an optional lunch at either Kern's Food Hall, 71 South or SoKno Taco Cantina following our walk for those who are interested.

When: Monday, September 1st, 9:00am start for the 10K walkers and 10:00am start for the 5K walkers. Optional lunch from approx. 12:00 to 1:00.

Where: We will meet at the Knoxville Head Start - Anderson School parking lot, 4808 Prospect Rd, Knoxville, TN. (No restrooms at the trailhead, see below for suggestions.) Look for the "Neon Green Shirts", as we will be your guides for this walk. The optional lunches are at Kern's Food Hall at 2201 Kerns Rising Way, Knoxville, 71 South at 3726 Sevier Heights Rd, Knoxville or SoKno Taco Cantina at 3701 Sevierville Pike, Knoxville.

No Restrooms: There are NO RESTROOMS at the trail head. Please plan to stop along Chapman Highway (US-441), or other facility prior to meeting at the Trail Head if needed. Kroger is at 4409 Chapman Highway or CommonPlace Coffee is 6000 Chapman Highway. Both are just 1 to 2 miles from the trailhead.

Walk Details: The walk is a scenic walk on natural paths (see photo) with some modest hilly and rocky sections. AVA ranking would be a 3C. The 5K has between 200 and 400 ft of elevation and the 10K is just over 500ft total elevation spread throughout the entire walk. Walking sticks would be helpful for the steeper trail sections. The walks will be within the William Hastie Natural Area. These are multi-use trails and some bikes could be present but are relatively scarce on these trails.

Registration Fee: There is a modest $3.00 fee payable to the leader at the start of the walk. Please try to arrive 15 minutes early to make payment. Exact change is appreciated.

Pets are allowed on the walk and both restaurants do have outdoor seating if weather permits.

Feel free to check out our local walking chapter at www.easttennesseewanderers.org .

What: Join the East Tennessee Wanderers for a walk (6K or 12K) through the Seven Islands State Birding Park. We will visit meadows, woods and an island in the middle of the French Broad River. Nature abounds in the diverse landscape of this premier birding destination where more than 190 species of birds have been sighted. Enjoy stunning views of the Smoky Mountains. This walk boasts a variety of native flora and fauna in a setting of natural beauty.

When: Saturday, September 13th, 2025. We will start the 12K walk at 9:00am and the 6K walk at 10:00am.

Where: We will meet at Seven Islands State Birding Park, 2809 Kelly Lane, Kodak, TN. This walk does have some moderate elevation gains, especially for the 12K. This walk is rated a 3C by the AVA, featuring well groomed natural trails but with rolling terrain.

Directions: According to Google Maps: Take Exit 402 off I-40 to go right on Midway Rd. Turn south on Midway Road. Go 2.5 miles, then turn left on Kodak Road. Go 0.5 miles and turn right onto Kelly Lane. Follow it 0.5 miles to the Park entrance and parking lot. (Some GPS systems have requested an additional right turn onto Newman Lane immediately after turning onto Kelly Lane. Ignore any such instruction, simply continue on Kelly Lane to the end and the parking lot will be on your right.)

We will have an optional lawn chair picnic after the walk, so please bring an extra lawn chair, lunch and drinks if interested.

This is a sanctioned walk, but we will make this a FREE walk. Dogs are allowed on a leash.

Our sanctioned walks are open to everyone. Feel free to check out our local walking chapter at www.easttennesseewanderers.org .