Ijams Nature Center opens new section

In November, Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, Tenn., opened the Ross Marble Quarry, including multi-use trails, undisturbed woodlands, rocky outcrops, a stunning quarry gorge, and multi-use trails. An unforgettable experience, the property echoes the rugged terrain of the Big South Fork. Combining Mead’s and Ross Marble quarries creates an extensive post-industrial, natural area characterized by ongoing recovery efforts and natural reclamation.

H.P. and Alice Ijams, Knoxville’s leading bird expert and the “First Lady of Knoxville Garden Clubs,” purchased 20 acres of undeveloped property in the heart of one of Knoxville’s heavily industrialized areas. Over the years, the Ijams family, with a deep philosophy of education and conservation, developed the land into a natural showplace known as the Bird Sanctuary. In the 1960s, the Knoxville Garden Club, Knox County Council of Garden Clubs and the City of Knoxville joined forces to create the Ijams property into a public nature park.

Today the Ijams Nature Center is an urban oasis for active families and lovers of the great outdoors. There are 10 miles of natural surface trails plus a stretch of paved greenway for hiking, and 3 miles of beginner-intermediate bike trails weaving through rugged terrain, undisturbed woodlands, and along the former quarry gorge. Visitors also may canoe at Mead’s Quarry Lake. Equipment rentals are available from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays. 

For more information, visit ijams.org.