Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville, TN. 318 acres of protected wildlife habitat. We took the River Trail to walk the boardwalk section. A peaceful in the woods along the river, especially considering it’s a popular preserve inside a city.

We went down the road to walk along the Pink Marble Quarry. There’s a “Primal Playground” which is a bunch of rocks and blocks and wood that you can lift and climb on, siting that outdoor exercise is good for your health. There are a couple of good overlooks of the lake in the quarry and the pink marble cliffs.

The rock bridge and keyhole down the next trail are made from giant blocks mined from the quarry and stacked into high walls. The area looks like a movie set. All told, we walked 4 miles here today and only did about a 1/3 of them. There’s also a bike skills park and mountain bike trails.

https://www.ijams.org/

7.8

difficulty: 2

Yoder’s Country Market, Bulls Gap, TN for dinner and hand pies. Great stop but the only quality place on this exit. We recommend driving on a bit for a hotel, coffee or other supplies.

7

Quality Inn, Bulls Gap, TN. Kind of ick.

Price: $99/night

3.5