Haw Ridge Park

Nice trail. Well maintained. If you are in the area this is a must.

Very fun trail system, although not as well maintained as some of the newer places in the area. Plenty of steep descents with good variety of features. Trails aren't marked very well, but navigation is fairly easy with the lake as a point of reference.
Favorite descent: Washing Machine

This is a fun trail to ride. I was in town on business and had time for a ride. The Trail markings are few and far between, I was hoping for more signs so I could maximize my time. I will be back

Haw Ridge is not perfect, but by all means very comprehensive. Varied terrain, canopied, water, rocks, roots, soil, easy, and "holy shit do I have enough brakes for this descent!"

While this is a drive for me it gives me a chance to work on certain technical skills. There's a lot of variation in the network here. It will take a while to build your mental map as it is confusing at first and there are a lot of trails. New trail maps take a lot of guesswork out of the equation now. Some parts are very challenging and can be daunting if you're a beginner. Overall a great place to play.

Hit some of these trails Christmas Eve while in town and love this place! Still plenty for me to explore but a lot of riding and good mix of skill and a great workout!

Really enjoyed south shore area, technical meets flowy. The interior has a lot of interval work, especially roller coaster. Back of the power line is an awesome downhill, just wish it lasted longer, same goes for lower gap from the soccer trail. First time riding here and got in 15 miles, fair amount of guesswork, but a little bit of everything for the intermediate to expert rider.

Needs better trail markers. And it would be better if its dry for a few days.

I rode this for the first time the other day and, even though we got rained on and had a sloppy ride from then on, I thoroughly enjoyed the singletrack. The trails here are well maintained and are tons of fun to ride! After riding more, I can say that it only gets better. Great climbs of all kinds and awesome downhills that are well worth the climbs. Love this place!* Review edited 3/30/2012

Road this last month w/ my cousin. It definitely had its moments. It is a great workout and close to Knoxville proper. 4 Stars for locals and 3 Stars for a vacationer like me.

Had a lot of fun on a slow ride through it today. Challenging, fast, steep, obstacles, Haw's got it all. Looking forward to exploring more of this park!

Great trail. All the prior reviews are correct. It was well worth the trip. Lots of active local riders that are nice enough to point you in the good directions. There are tons of roots and rocks that keep you on your toes and provide a good challenge for technical riders. This system also offers lots of less technical stuff for those of you that like to get in the big ring and hammer.

The directions given are accurate and easy to follow. Thanks to the folks near Knoxville that work hard to maintain this great trail.

Great '90's era single track.. Much rougher than OVT. Roots and Rock abound. Several mud bog areas that need attention, but overall (from what we saw in a brief visit) great stuff. Very friendly locals. Not to be missed. I'll be back.* Review edited 10/4/2009* Review edited 10/5/2009

The Haw Ridge trail is a hidden gem! Great combination of fast, smooth singletrack, rocky sections, difficult climbs, the park also offers both mountain/ridge riding right next to a beautiful singletrack run along the banks of the Clinch River(West/South/East Shore, Red Hill, Isthmus trails, etc). The trail profile states 25mi of trails- I rode about 10mi over a couple hours...I'm sure you could get 25mi out of the park, but might involve some overlap since it is web/network of short interconnected trails.
The ridge climbs can be brutal where advanced riders may pound it out, beginners will probably have to hike it up sections here. Stats I had were almost 1,000ft total ascent over 9+ mi and I topped out around 21mph, mostly on some extended downhills and the big ring on the Lake Road trail(which is actually singletrack).
The trails are two-way traffic and while there are signs and numbered marker posts...I had moments at intersections where it took a couple minutes with the trail map to get my bearings. The trail signs have the trail name painted in the color of difficulty(Green/Blue/Black) but are too few in number. The park is contained in a relatively compact area(for so much available trail mileage) - my suggestion is to just get out there and ride, take the options at intersections that "feel" right and when it's time to go home, THEN pull out your trail map and figure out the straightest line to the trailhead. Next time I'm there...from the "Trailhead" bridge I will take a right to start "West Shore" first and wrap up by coming back to the trailhead on the "Soccer" trail. This trail could really benefit from more trail blazes along the trails, similar to the numbered medallions which are used at trails like Dark Mountain.
The "Shore" trails offer some fast, flowing singletrack and spots where you can stop to take in some peaceful views over the river - even a spot with picnic tables right on the water which would make for a great break for a packed lunch(see trail pics). We were driving through Knoxville when I opted to check this trail out last-minute - it was an easy-to-find 10-15 min drive from I-40, just make sure to look for the trailhead kiosk in the photos provided - that parking area appears to be the best of 3-4 trail access points. It appears Haw Ridge is the site of an annual 12hr race but also has some minor seasonal closures for trail use in the late fall for hunting...check this site(or the link in the "Description" above) for updated info:
http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/fohr/
* Review edited 9/7/2007

What a great ride. You can make it long or short, easy or hard. But no ride is over till you get to the "screamer"