KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Ijams Nature Center celebrated the reopening of its full River Trail on Tuesday.
A large portion of the trail was washed away by flooding in February 2019, closing off its north side for repairs, according to Ijams. The boardwalk stayed open but could only be accessed from the south side of the trail.
Ijams Nature Center said its staff called in partners to find the best way to repair the trail and stop further erosion.
“We brought together government, commercial and nonprofit partners, as well as individual members of this community, to develop a plan to restore one of Ijams’ most visited and beloved places,” Ijams Executive Director Amber Parker said. “This was a major project with many nuances, and it would not have been possible without their contributions.”
While planning was underway, staff and volunteers started removing invasive species from the area to open up the view to the river and let native species repopulate, according to a release. Appalachian Mountain Bike Club created a new section of trail farther from the river’s edge.
Ijams said the next step was to install a support system on the side of the cliff, which had to be done from the water and required massive equipment. In June 2022, Knoxville Barge, Inc. drove pilings into the side of the cliff to provide support for a new section of the River Boardwalk to connect the trail and the existing boardwalk.
The nature center said Earthadelic tackled the rest of the project, which involved construction on a cliff face and marrying new construction to the existing boardwalk. The original wooden structure was designed and built by Don Niday in the mid-1990s. This work was done in early October.
The city of Knoxville and an individual donor helped cover the cost of the project, according to a release.