Knoxville is the third largest city in Tennessee, situated in the Great Appalachian Valley with the Tennessee River slicing through downtown. There is an excellent scene for running in Knoxville, especially for such a small city. Enjoy running on the ever-expanding network of greenways and linear parks, an extensive urban trails system, and engage with the active community of running groups, stores, and clubs. The City of Knoxville and Outdoor Knoxville have excellent websites and trail maps as well. Note: a hilly city! Greenways and Parks master trail map.
The best places to run in Knoxville center around the Tennessee River and adjacent parks, notably the Neyland Greenway, with additional connecting trails. We’ve put together a ‘runseeing’ tour of downtown Knoxville, World’s Fair Park, and the bucolic University of Tennessee campus. In the west end, Marble City and the Third Creek Greenway is a nice run, as is the Sequoyah Greenway along Cherokee Blvd. South of the river, Fort Dickerson Park offers gentle trail running close to downtown. We love running in the Forks of the River Wildlife Management and over to Ijams Nature Center and quarries. Great Smoky Mountain National Park is 40 miles south of Knoxville.
Most of our routes are centrally located. There’s a decent bus system in central Knoxville, but an auto is needed for anything beyond. Be aware that summers in Knoxville can be hot and humid!
