Knox County – Seven Islands State Birding Park

This will be a New Years Day hike. We will start our new year off with a hike at Seven Islands State Birding Park This park. is Tennessee’s newest park. It is a 416-acre park that was established in the 1990s by private donors and jointly managed as Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge by a local foundation and Knox County. In the fall of 2013, it was designated as a state park effective September 2013 with the grand opening July 2014. The park, on former farmland, includes the Kelly Bend peninsula along the French Broad River. Habitats include wooded hills, an intermittent stream, and several fields being restored to native warm-season grasses.  More than 180 species of birds have been sighted in the park. 

The views are great, you can see the Smoky Mountains and Mount LeConte.  The hike is mostly easy with rolling hills.  There is one hill where you gain perhaps 150 feet. We’ll hike approximately 4 miles on this new years day. This is a hike that almost anyone can do so join us. We recommend shoes to wear to and from the hike plus sturdy hiking shoes, other appropriate clothing, a snack, something to drink and a camera. 

We will meet at the Cracker Barrel at Strawberry Plains Pike, Exit off 1-40 east at 9:00 am, then tailgate to the park. If you want to meet at the Seven Islands parking lot, we expect to be there about 9:30 am. For specific information about the hike please call Rosie.