Haw Ridge Park


Distance: 28+ miles
Rating: moderate, technical (avoid when wet)
Elevation: 795' to 1157' (near post 14)
Surface: dirt
Restrictions: No motorized vehicles; No horses; closed 3 fall hunt weekends

Access: From I40, take 162 North toward Oak Ridge (Pellissippi Parkway). After crossing Melton Hill Lake take the first exit to TN 170, Edgemoor Rd heading east. See area map or or Google map/topo. The main parking area is at the west end of the park at the kiosk in the last gravel lot 0.7 miles from 162 on right (south), get Google directions . Other trail heads are on Old Edgemoor Road, where the Anderson Country Life Development Center (LDC) is located. There is limited parking at the east end of Old Edgemoor Road. The paved 5.6 mile Melton Lake Greenway runs along Melton Hill Lake and the north face of Haw Ridge Park.
Maps: Maps are usually available at the kiosk at the west parking area. There are numbered posts throughout the park and listed on several of the maps above.

Oak Ridge 2024 fall deer hunts Nov 2-3, 9-10, Dec 14-15 see hunt info. Mile 4 to 5.6 of the greenway is also closed during the hunts.

Emergencies: Haw Ridge Park is in the Oak Ridge City limits (Anderson County). Your 911 calls may be fielded by Knox County. For emergency assistance, it is best to contact the Oak Ridge Police Department at 425-4339.

Description: Haw Ridge Park, across the lake from Bull Run steam plant, offers a variety of trails (mostly hand-made) and former jeep roads for the hiker, trail runner, or experienced mountain biker. The 780-acre Park was a playground for jeeps and motorcycles until it was closed to motorized vehicles in the winter of 1987. In September, 2012 it was closed to horses. Now it is a mountain biker's playground, offering roller-coaster like trails. The only entrance fee is the climb over Haw Ridge that greets you at each entry point. The west entrance is most popular but rocky for the first half mile. Once inside the park, you can test your thighs on steep, technical climbs, or test your nerves on descents with gradients in excess of 70 percent. Some trail sections have rocks, roots, and ruts. There are some scenic and relaxing 6.5 miles of single-track trails along the shore of the lake, and if you would rather push than pedal, you can ride the trails along the western two thirds of the ridge line. Trail signs are color coded (green easy, blue intermediate, black hard), see trail summaries below.

Haw Ridge Park is an Oak Ridge City Park under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation Office. The land was donated to the City by TVA in 1972, for recreational use only. The Park is used by hikers, joggers/trail runners, canoers (5 miles of shoreline, "paddle the Park" -- see Haw Ridge canoe trail and proposed Pellissippi Blueway), nordic skiers, as well as mountain bikers. Volunteers perform trail maintenance (CVTA) and marking. You can help by joining the Friends of Haw Ridge or CVTA and/or making a donation. The Friends of Haw Ridge is dissolving into Clinch Valley Trail Alliance CVTA. The Park is closed for deer hunting three weekends at the end of the year.

Pictures: Spring ride up the Saddle Trail and start of Twister and picnic point and Kris Lights wildflower album and Thomas Gaines 12-hr race photo and June,2012 photos
Videos: Washing Machine 4/14 or October 2012 or September 2012 or July 2012 or June 2012 or downhill January 2010

Maintenance request and projects
If you find a problem (downed tree, erosion, etc) in the Park, please fill out this form. This page also describes areas needing work. We need your help! Don't build new trails or structures without approval from the City!. Thanks.

Upcoming Events 2024

For info, results, pictures,etc. on past events or to join or make a donation visit HawRidge.org. The Friends of Haw Ridge is dissolving into Clinch Valley Trail Alliance CVTA.
Chat at various Haw Ridge blogs: Facebook or twitter,

Developments and Donations

If you are concerned about the future of Haw Ridge Park or have suggestions for improving the Haw Ridge experience, or wish to make a donation or renew your annual membership, visit Friends of Haw Ridge Park . The Friends of Haw Ridge is dissolving into Clinch Valley Trail Alliance CVTA.

Trail summaries    (Rating colors: • Easy     ▪ Moderate     ♦ Difficult     (trail signs are color coded) )

Trail Miles Description
• Doug's trail 0.6 is actually a series of interconnecting fairly level single tracks in "middle earth".
• East Edge trail 0.6 starts off of East Ridge trail across from Bull Run steam plant and edges along the shoreline til it rejoins East Ridge trail.
▪East Ridge trail 0.9 starts east from Rainbow and then climbs up the ridge and descends down KaBoom to the pavement at the eastern end of Old Edgemoor Rd.
▪ East shore 1.2 goes east from the Silo along "side hill", sharing the trail with Rainbow to post 2. East shore follows the eastern shore of the Park and joins the East Ridge trail.
• Easy trail 0.5 starts just west of five points off of Lake Rd and the trail out to Briar Loop and Red Hill. Easy trail is a fairly level single track that connects to the Power Line at post 5.
▪ I trail 1.0 climbs steeply from Lake Road and winds back toward Middle Road with a steep descent and other steep climbs before exiting close to five points (post 4).
• Jump loop 0.4 starts from the southern tip of the Power Line Road and swings back east. (unmaintained)
▪ Lake Road 2.2 starts just east of the west parking area, crosses the creek and swings left toward the soccer fields before turning back west and climbing across the limestone. Lake Road crosses the ridge leaving the rocks and descending toward the lake. The double-wide trail runs easily til it climbs Red Hill. The Lake Road terminates at "five points" (post 4) on the power line.
▪ Low gap trail 0.6 leave the northern end of Saddle Trail and climbs through a gap to descend down to Roller Coaster.
▪Mer trail 0.3 (aka, Skinny D) climbs from East Ridge trail up to the ridge line to a connector that joins the Power line Rd at post 1 to the East Ridge trail.
• Middle Road 0.7 turns east off of Lake Road at post 8 and speeds to its junction with the power line at post 3.
• Mike's trail 0.8 behind LDC, connects East Edge/Kaboom to Old Edgemoor. (Mike Biegalski, 1976-2014)
• Old Edgemoor Road 1.0 is an old, flat, dead-end, paved road connecting Edgemoor Road to the Lake and the Melton Lake greenway. Limited parking at west and east ends.
• Pond trail 0.6 extends Southshore along the eastern shore of the park and along the dike around the pond (Isthmus trail), joining the Silo trail at post 12.
▪ Power Line Road 1.6 starts at the bar gate at the farm on Old Edgemoor Road and climbs the Hill of Truth and then descends the red clay under the power line to the southern tip of Haw Ridge.
▪ Rainbow 1.2 climbs from the Power Line and parallels the power line with several spurs that go west out to the power line. Rainbow terminates at the top of the Hill of Truth on the Power line road.
▪Red Hill 0.5 descends south off the top of Red Hill on Lake Road and crosses the logs over the swamp before winding its way to Briar loop and Easy trail. Post 6 provides another entry from Lake Road to the Red Hill trails.
• Red Shore 0.7 runs along the shore line bypassing the Red Hill climbs, intersects Lake Road and Red Hill Trail, passes picnic point
♦ Ridge trail 2.0 starts off of Lake Rd and follows the ridge of Haw Ridge passing junctions with V trail, Saddle, and Low Gap, and finally joining the Power Line Rd atop the Hill of Truth. Post 14 is the high point of the park (1157').
▪ Roller coaster 1.4 is an old motorcycle trail that climbs and descends on the south face of the ridge off of Middle Road.
▪ Saddle trail 0.8 starts off of Old Edgemoor Rd. near the east end of the soccer fields. The trail climbs over the ridge at post 15 and descends into a lush creek bed, connecting with Middle Road at post 9.
▪ Silo trail 0.9 heads east from five points (post 4) to the old farm silo then climbs north and then turns west to the Power Line.
▪ Soccer trail 0.8 leaves the Lake Road and winds through cedars and hemlocks along the rock outcroppings at the north base of the ridge. The trail climbs above west pond and passes below east pond before joining the Saddle Trail. In 2013, new western section south of existing trail.
• South shore 0.8 starts at post 5 at the southern end of Easy trail and winds through cedars and beech trees along the southern shore of the Park.
• Twister 0.4 drops to the south off of Lake Road and twists its way back to Lake Road.
♦ V trail 0.6 climbs steeply from the Lake Road over the ridge (post 13) and descends lushly back to Lake Road at post 10.
♦ Washing Machine trail 0.9 new in 2013. bermed descent of north face
▪West point 0.4 is a spur that leaves Lake Road and climbs steeply to a cedar barrens making a small loop out to the power line. Some large old cedars populate the cedar barrens.
▪ ♦ West shore 0.9 technical trail edges around the shore line on the western point.
Here is waypoint file (.gpx) of numbered trail posts, and map posts gpx file 2013, and trails hrtrails.gpx. See EasyGPS.com.
1.6 miles of the paved 5.6-mile Melton Lake Greenway runs along the north face of the Park.

2019 CVTA builds Haw Ridge skills area, dirtLAB, map and UCOR/Parks&Rec build pump track loop

2021, OMB trail
GPS tracks and elevation profiles
Up and over Saddle and Hill of Truth elevation profile, Hill of Truth has max 25% grade. 2010 Hill of Truth course GPS track. Here is GPS track 8.8 mile shore line loop with soccer trail, and another GPS track and photos of 8 mile shoreline loop. Ocho 8 mountain bike loop GPS track 8.25 miles. 2010 trail race or a 6.8 mile trail run and 6.5 mile loop (2008 trail run course, results) or Garmin track. 8-mile shore-line run ( GPS track), or 7-mile trail run shoreline and new greenway. 2012 Hill of Truth lap (9 miles), track. An attempt at biking all the trails see blog. See Haw Ridge hike or 5-mile hike track Ridge Trail, or 6-mile hike GPS track saddle, picnic tables, pond, silo (Thursday hikers). Shoreline hike (7.4 miles, 2023). More Haw Ridge GPS tracks: Garmin or Trimble.

Strava trail usage stats heat map

Clinch Valley Trail Alliance (CVTA)

Current Oak Ridge weather and webcam, and recent hourly data and historical climate data or climate records
Oak Ridge webcams or regional webcams

For more info on Oak Ridge, visit the Oak Ridge Visitors Bureau.

 

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© Tom Dunigan
accesses since Jan 1, 2002