Friends of Haw Ridge Park

The Friends of Haw Ridge Park is a citizen-created nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established in November, 2000 to

foster conservation and educational efforts in support of Haw Ridge Park by providing support and assistance in the preservation and protection of the many natural, cultural, and scenic features that exist within the Park
work with the City and citizens of Oak Ridge and Park users to provide quality recreation and interpretive experiences to the general public

Available on-line are:

Haw Ridge Park maps and trail info and geocaches
Friends of Haw Ridge Park membership form
Friends of Haw Ridge Park charter
Friends of Haw Ridge Park constitution and by-laws
Meeting minutes: November 9, 2000, November 30, 2000, March, 2001 November, 2001 March, 2002 January, 2003 March, 2004 November, 2004 January, 2007 January, 2008 April, 2008 July, 2008 September, 2008 Novemeber, 2008 January, 2009 April, 2009

Projects under consideration for the Park include:

welcome kiosk at the west entrance (done)
new west entry with bridge (done) (partially funded by City of Oak Ridge)
water diversion on power line, bobcat (done) (partially funded by City of Oak Ridge)
beginner loop as part of soccer complex
Bull Run Bay trail (under discussion)
interconnect with Melton Lake greenway (started)
introductory rides
trail signs (mostly done)
spring hike with a naturalist
fall mountain bike race (Hill of Truth), triathlon, NORBA race
shoreline cleanup (each spring)
designating the shoreline part of Pellissippi Blueway, water trail, designate/clear a canoe campsite with Boy Scouts
trail maintenance, erosion control (ongoing)
bridge upgrades (done)
deploy and maintain Haw Ridge Park geocaches
draft Haw Ridge Park management plan

Projects of the Friends of Haw Ridge Park are funded by membership dues, sales of 2008 bumper stickers and t-shirts, and by promotional events. Funds are used for materials for bridges, trail tools, equipment rental, and other trail maintenance activities. The City of Oak Ridge (Parks & Recreation) has provided matching funds for the kiosk, entrance bridge and gravel, and for power-line excavator work. In 2006 and 2007, the City helped with our weed-eating labor by mowing the power-line and Lake Road (Thanks Jon!). Labor and other tools are provided by volunteers like you!

Friends of Haw Ridge Park is charitable organization (501 (c) (3)) so your contributions are tax free. If you would like more information or would like to join or help the Friends of Haw Ridge, please contact Lois Martin.

Haw Ridge Park

Haw Ridge Park is an Oak Ridge City Park under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation Office. The 780-acre Park lies on the shore of Melton Hill Lake in the southeast corner of the City across from the Bull Run Steam Plant. The park is a wilderness area covered by hardwoods (oak, poplar, hickory, beech) and some cedar, pines, and hemlock (commone TN trees). A cedar barrens is located along the West point trail. The forest floor supports more than forty varieties of wild flower, including one endangered plant. (see Kris Light's Haw Ridge wildflowers) The Park/ridge gets its name from the haw bush and/or black haw. The Park is populated by deer, raccoon, skunk, beaver, and fox, as well as blue heron, osprey, hawk, owl, turkey and the usual assortment of East Tennessee birds. The rare tree goat has also been photographed in the park. The geology is shale and limestone. The land was donated to the City by TVA in 1972, for recreational use only. TVA still has a right-of-way through the Park for mowing under its numerous power lines. In 1987, the Park was closed to motorized vehicles. In 1993, the northeast corner of the Park was shredded by a tornado.

The Park has over 28 miles of trails and is used by hikers, trail runners, canoers (5 miles of shoreline), mountain bikers, nordic skiers, and horseback riders. The park is also a popular orienteering and geoaching destination. (From trail construction cost estimates of about $3/ft, this represents a $400,000 resource!) Parking is available at the west end of the park, and trail heads are at the west end and along Old Edgemoor Road (see the Haw Ridge mountain biking page for maps and trail information). Volunteers perform trail maintenance and marking. The Park is closed for deer hunting one weekend in November and two weekends in December each year.

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! Thanks.

Developments and Events

Upcoming events in 2009:

FoHR meeting, LDC, 7:30 July 9

FoHR meeting, LDC, 7:30 Oct 8

USA Cycling MTB & TBRA bike race, July 26

Trail run, Aug 7, 5:30

XTERRA 20K run, Oct 11

12-hour Hill of Truth bike race, Oct 31

Fall hunt closures: Oct 24-25, Nov 14-15, Dec 5-6

completed events in 2009

shoreline cleanup, Apr 4

Past events:

2008

closed Nov 1-2, 15-16, Dec 6-7 for deer hunts
mountain bike race, Hill of Truth, Oct 25, more info and race map jpg (98K) or pdf (4MB)
trail day, Oct 5
XTERRA 20K trail run, Oct 12, info
trail run, 5:30 pm, August 1, info and results
USAC/TBRA mountain bike race, June 15, info
shoreline cleanup, TVA river rescue, April 5, 9 am, kiosk
trail run, 8 am, April 13
SMHC hike, 9 am kiosk, January 20 and January 9 at 9 am
Tennessee Trails Association hike, February 17
2007
ultra trail run 50K, September 22, more info
wildfire 10/17/07 west point
12 hour race, October 27 race info part1 and part2 and race map (7M) or gif (200K) and results
shoreline cleanup, March 31, 9 am, kiosk
wild fire 3/14/07 east ridge
SMHC hike, Jan 21, 9 am
FOHR meeting 7:30 pm @ LDC, July 12
trail run, August 3, 5:30 pm, more info and results
2006
Shoreline cleanup, March 25, 9 am kiosk
50K run, April 22 (practice run, April 8, 8 am, kiosk)
Trail run, August 4, 5:30 pm
FOHR meeting, Oct 12, 7:30 pm @ LDC
Trail maintenace day, October 14, 8:30 am @ LDC (bring water/gloves/tools)
SORBA presentation at LDC, Sunday, October 22, 1:00 pm
12 hour race, October 28, info and results
2005
Hill of Truth, 12-hour race, October 29, race info and race map and results and photos: the ascension and camp
trail maintenance day, Oct 22, 9 am @ LDC picture
News Sentinel Haw Ridge article 10/9/05
trail run, August 5, 5;30pm and race course and results
NORBA race, July 16, results
50k trail run April 23
wildflower walk, 10 til noon, April 16 (Kris Light) meet at west end kiosk
shore-line cleanup, April 2, 9am til ...
trail maintenance day, 3/5/05 9 am @ LDC (low gap work)
2004
12-hour race, October 30th race info and race map
trail maintenance day, October 16, 9 am, LDC
Oct 10, trash pickup along Old/Edgemoor Roads (Randall & his bud's)
trail run, August 6, 5:30 pm, entry form 2004 results (2003 trail race)
Mountain bike clinic July 24, free
NORBA race, July 17 (results)
TVA clearing power line right-of-ways 5/04
Oak Ridger article on Haw Ridge Park 4/26/04
wildflower walk led by Kris Light, April 24, 9 am
shoreline cleanup, April 3 (trash picture)
3/18/04 $500 in honor of Tom Dunigan, from a friend
Knox and Anderson rescue squads training exercise (1/31-2/1)
1/15/04 $500 from SCRIPPS HOWARD FOUNDATION
2003
12/2/03 IMBA awards FOHR an IMBA/REI trail toolkit ($500 value)
12-hour race, Hill of Truth, October 25 (results and lap details) another results page personal testimonial
trail maintenance day, Oct 11, 9 am, LDC
entrance gravel and bridge (funded by City of Oak Ridge and Friends of Haw Ridge Park September, 2003
triathlon Aug 17, 2003
trail runners race, August 15, 2003 and final results
NORBA race, July 19 2003 details and entry form and race map and results
IMBA trail school and pictures April 25-27, 2003 Oak Ridger article 5/14/03
shoreline cleanup, TVA River Rescue, April 5, 2003
3/14/03 -- $500 donation from HGTV
2/9/03 -- News Sentinel geoaching article
2002
12/28/02 -- trail maintenance with FOHR's pulaskis and McLeod's
11/18/02 -- presentation to City Council, Environmental Quality award from the city's Environmental Quality Advisory Board (EQAB) Oak Ridger article and picture
11/2/02 -- 2002 12-hr race/results/pictures
10/12/02 -- deploy Haw Ridge geocaches
10/6/02 -- trail maintenance day in Haw Ridge
6/23/02 -- NORBA cross country race, contacts Kent Bailey or John Baker race course same as 2001 race, here is entry form and info and 2002 results
5/18/02 -- Eco-challenge, contact Kent Bailey
4/28/02 -- triathlon, point of contact: Joanne Grimes
4/6/02 -- lake shore cleanup, participants and the pile (200KB each, .jpg)
2001
11/3/01 -- 12-hour race
10/14/01 -- trail maintenance day
9/30/01 -- dedication of western kiosk, 1 pm Oak Ridger article (funded by City of Oak Ridge and Friends of Haw Ridge Park)
9/24/01 -- City Council presentation
9/*/01 -- clear trail under Edgemoor Bridge to Phase III of Melton Lake greenway
6/24/01 -- Haw Ridge NORBA cross-country race, results and Oak Ridger article and picture of start of race
5/26/01 -- Haw Ridge Adventure Challenge
5/19/01 -- MayFest booth
5/10/01 -- Old Edgemoor Road cleanup (community service "volunteers")
5/5/01 -- botanist-led wild-flower walk in Haw Ridge
3/30/01 -- shoreline clean up pictures (150KB each) (group 1 picture, group 2 picture, and the pile) a consultant this summer to create a recreational development plan for Haw Ridge Park.
March, 2001 Greenways Oak Ridge is doing a GPS-mapping of Haw Ridge Park trails
1/9/01 -- it seems likely the City Recreation and Parks will contract a consultant to develop a "master plan" for Haw Ridge Park in the summer of 2001.
2000 and ancient history
9/2/00 -- It was reported today that plans have been dropped to site a boat building facility in Haw Ridge Park -- details.
A soccer complex is slowly being developed in the fields between the western trailhead and Old Edgemoor Rd. This may eventually provide better parking, restrooms, and beginner trails for mountain bikers.
In 2001, Phase III of the Melton Lake Greenway (hopefully) will be extended under Edgemoor bridge on the old road bed along the lake to the end of Old Edgemoor Road in Haw Ridge Park.
October, 1999. TVA graded the power line and west over Red Hill and out lake road to the western tip to bring in a crane to replace wooden towers. In March of 2000, TVA cleaned up mudholes and added "water dams" to power line hill (Hill of Truth).
The City considered developing Haw Ridge Park, but as of 11/98 nothing is going to happen in the near term -- no interest, no money. Vist here to learn more. In the summer of 2001, the City was to again try to develop a Master Development Plan for Haw Ridge Park, but City Council grew tired of "studies."
1993 tornado NE sector
1987 closed to motorized vehicles
1972 TVA donated land to City of Oak Ridge for recreational use only
1942, farmers evicted for the new "secret city" -- legend has it, the Haw Ridge farmer (silo) had been previously evicted by TVA from property near Lake City in 1933 for the construction of Norris Lake.

Current Oak Ridge weather and recent hourly data

Related information

Haw Ridge Park mountain bike and hiking maps and trail info
Haw Ridge Park Canoe Trail and Pellissippi blueway

Haw Ridge Park geocaches
Geology of Haw Ridge Park
East Tennessee mountain bike trails
Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks office and Oak Ridge Visitor Bureau
Oak Ridge Greenways
Tennessee matching grants TEA-21
Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning TCWP
NPS rivers, trails and conservation assistance program
The Trust for Public Land
Sierra Club
East Tennessee wildflowers
Appalachian Mountain Bike Club page and Matt Stegal's forum
Tennessee mountain biking alliance blog and links
North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy 501c3, greenways, events
other Friends of the Park Scott's Gulf or Montpelier or Canonsburg or Panther Creek and various state parks
Maps and GPS data for Tennessee landforms arches, waterfalls, balds, craters

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