The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Displaying items by tag: appalachian mountain bike club knoxville

 DSC3094The Whip Contest, set for 3 p.m. Saturday at Drop Inn, is a perennial crowd favorite at the annual Appalachian Mountain Bike Club Fall Festival. Courtesy AMBC

With food trucks, demos and contests, this year’s family-friendly bike festival is ready to roll. And they haven’t forgotten about the Vols.

KNOXVILLE — There’s a different kind of homecoming set for this weekend. It doesn’t feature football, but it still involves wheel routes. It’s a celebration of the city’s unique outdoor recreational offerings in an urban center.

The Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, a 650-member posse devoted to the acquisition, maintenance and marketing of regional mountain bike trails for multiple uses, hosts its 13th FREE annual fall festival Nov. 4-6, centered around Baker Creek Preserve and the rest of the Urban Wilderness.

Published in News

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Project would burnish Knoxville’s outdoor credentials

A group of local outdoor enthusiasts intend to establish a “bike-in bike-out” campground and construct an amenity-filled clubhouse and nature exhibits on 16 acres adjacent to Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness

Carter Miller, a South Knoxville native, is the project’s general manager, partnering with locals Eva Millwood and Bryan Foster to craft the space on Sevierville Pike. 

They gently dropped their “Drop Inn” concept Saturday at the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club fall festival in South Knoxville. 

“We’re stepping out today with our new project that’s been in the works this year... it’s gaining momentum, and we are really, *really* stoked about it!” Millwood said on social media. 

“So it’s The Drop Inn, Knoxville’s first on-trail bike-in, bike-out campground in the urban wilderness. A total of 16 acres adjacent to Marie Myers and William Hastie parks, with trail connectors along the Year Round Get Down.

“We’ll have tent, van/truck/car, and yurt camping, a central clubhouse with showers and an outdoor kitchen and pavilion, a marsh boardwalk, and all the makings of a Really Good Time™.
 
“Stay tuned here, Instagram, or at thedropinnknox.com, and watch the magic unfold!”

Millwood said a formal media announcement is planned soon.

This article has been edited for clarity.

Published in News
Compass: Urban Wilderness could expand with city/bike club deal

UPDATE: This resolution was passed March 9 by City Council.

Our friends at Compass report that Knoxville City Council will consider a memorandum of understanding tonight with the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club to expand the William Hastie Natural Area by 28 acres. 

The club and city would split the purchase price of the property off Margaret Road, and the club would maintain planned bike trails, according to Compass.

Compass is a subscription-only news site, but you should subscribe anyway, so check it out.

Here’s the agenda item:
 

A Resolution authorizing the Mayor to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club providing that the City pay an amount not to exceed $100,000.00 toward the purchase of 28 acres of property to expand the William Hastie Natural Area in the Urban Wilderness, and expressing appreciation for the donation of property to the City. (Requested by Administration).

Hellbender Press will let you know how the vote went.

Published in Feedbag