The Black Oak Ridge trails are closed for deer hunting one weekend
in October, November, and December each year.
For 2008, closed dawn til noon, April 5-6 and 12-13.
See reservation
turkey hunt map.
In the fall 2008, the area is closed Nov 1-2, 15-16, Dec 6-7
see
deer hunt map.
In addition, the area is closed the Saturday before each scheduled
hunt weekend for scouting.
Description: The Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement was opened to the public in October of 2007. The Dyllis Orchard Road Hiking Trail provides access to approximately eleven miles of trail on gravel roads, which are considered moderately difficult. The trail is open daily from daylight to dusk, and is limited to hikers and bicyclists. No motorized vehicles or animals are permitted, with the exception of motorized wheelchairs and service animals. Additional trails are under design. See easement map (pdf) and Oak Ridger article.
Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement includes 3,073 acres on Black Oak Ridge and McKinney Ridge in the western part of Oak Ridge. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and DOE manage the site. It contains interesting community types and species such as hemlock-rhododendron forest, beech maple forest, cedar barrens, fringe tree, spider lily, spreading false-foxglove, white-topped sedge, Vaseys trillium, Tennessee dace and southeastern shrew. Some of these species are unusual for the Ridge and Valley region.
If you go out on the Perimeter Road pavement, you can make a loop of 7.7 miles. You can do a figure-8 of about 8.8 miles or a smaller 5.3 mile loop. Some of the gravel sections are steep. West Ridge Road is more dirt than gravel. See trail map or Google map.
It is 1.5 miles down Blair Road to the Wheat trail entrance that connects in 1.1 miles with the North Boundary trails. An additional 1.3 miles of single-track has been added along McKinney Ridge.
For more info on Oak Ridge, visit the Oak Ridge Visitors Bureau.
