University of Tennessee Arboretum (Blog Hike #40)

Trails: (numerous)

Hike Location: University of Tennessee Arboretum

Geographic Location: south side of Oak Ridge, TN (35.94400, -84.21969)

Length: 1.9 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: May 1999, May 2015

Overview: A rolling course through a wide variety of habitats offering lots to see.

Trail Information: https://utarboretum.tennessee.edu/
Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=426501
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From downtown Oak Ridge, take SR 62 south 3 miles to the arboretum entrance on the left.  Enter the arboretum and park in the Visitors Center parking lot on the left.  From I-40/75 west of Knoxville, drive SR 162 (exit 376) north 5.2 miles to its intersection with SR 62.  Continue north on SR 62 an additional 2.9 miles to the arboretum entrance on the right.

The hike: Set in the hills just north of Knoxville, University of Tennessee Arboretum serves as a combination classroom, nature preserve, and a garden.  With 2260 acres and over 800 plant species, this park offers a wide variety of scenery for the hiker.  The area is traversed by a vast system of trails and gravel roads, which also serve as trails. This hike gives a grand tour of the arboretum hitting many of the points of interest along the way.

Trailhead near start of Tulip Poplar Trail

            The hike starts on the Tulip Poplar Trail.  To find it, head back out the entrance road and look to the right for a closed gravel road.  The dirt Tulip Poplar Trail enters the woods on the right just beyond the gate and begins ascending around the side of a hill.  The Tulip Poplar Trail is named for the flowering tree that inhabits this part of the forest.  Throughout this hike there are some interesting and informative interpretive signs along the trail, including one on fire damage to trees not far from this turn. 

            The trail circles to the right and, after finishing the climb, comes out on a mulch trail in a clearing.  Cross another gravel road and enter the arboretum's shrub garden.  The sunny shrub garden contains everything from bamboo to dogwoods.  Unfortunately, the trail here is hard to follow.  Look for a couple of small white signs announcing your arrival to the shrub garden and walk roughly straight ahead.  The trail will become visible again at the other side of a gravel parking area.

Entering the shrub garden

            Our hike joins the short Heath Cove Trail at this point as it descends from the parking area into a shallow ravine.  Take the first trail to the right, which takes you downhill through the ravine beside a small creek.  Looking uphill to the left, you can catch glimpses of the arboretum’s holly collection. 

Bridge on Heath Cove Trail

            Where the Heath Cove Trail ends at the gravel Valley Road, turn left to continue this hike.  Note that turning right here would return you to the parking lot in another 0.2 miles.  Take a moment to stop at the arboretum’s small conifer collection, which provides a nice rest stop near the midpoint of this hike.  Just past the conifers, look for a trail that crosses a bridge to enter the woods on the right.  Turn right here and soon begin a long uphill climb that forms the second major climb of the hike. 

Ascending the hill

            About half way up the hill, the trail reaches a complex intersection centered around a fascinating sign about the American chestnut.  A dominant tree in the southern and eastern forest only 80 years ago, the imported chestnut blight has overcome all but a handful of this tree species, leaving only several counties in the United States with a living chestnut tree.  This trail is called the Lost Chestnut Trail for this reason.

            Go straight at this intersection and continue ascending the hill, stopping to catch your breath at the many interpretive signs along the trail.  Shortly after climbing the hill, the trail intersects a gravel park road labeled on the map as the North Forest Loop Road.  Turn right on this road, which is probably an old logging road or farm driveway.  The trail stays atop the ridge for several hundred feet before descending steeply via a switchback. 

Creek heading into marshland

            Stay to the right at the bottom of the hill.  If the marshland to the left is not flooded, look for a trail that goes downhill to the left and follow it for a nice view of some cypress trees and a small but pretty cascade in the creek.  Go to the right side of the Visitors Center to the parking lot to complete the hike.