About Knoxville, Tennessee
Real Estate Guide

ATV owners, mountain bikers
flocking to Coal Creek Off-Highway Vehicles Area

In just five short years, a sprawling tract of forest-draped East Tennessee mountainsides has become the premiere hotspot in the Southeast for off-road enthusiasts.

Each weekend, hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of all-terrain vehicle riders flock to the base of Windrock Mountain in Anderson County to roam a network of some 200 miles of trails that crisscross Windrock and other nearby mountains.

The land has also become the playground of choice for Jeep drivers, downhill mountain bike racers, Hummer owners, rail buggy pilots and dirt bike riders.

"It's just good old East Tennessee,'' Windrock ATV Club President Larry "Red" Hudgins said of the 72,000-acre tract owned by the Coal Creek Co.
"It has scenery second to none and great mountain riding," said Hudgins, a lineman for Knoxville Utilities Board who has been riding ATVs for a decade. "It's just a perfect thing and great for the whole family."

The Coal Creek Co. acquired the land, mainly in Anderson, Scott and Morgan counties, in 1872. The company leases its property for coal mining and oil and natural gas drilling operations.

Off-road fans began to explore the property in the 1990s, and in January 2001 the company inked an agreement with the Windrock ATV Club for future off-road use.

The 350-member club is responsible for trail creation, maintenance, cleanup and safe-use enforcement.

A permitting system was set up for the area, renamed the Coal Creek OHV (Off-Highway Vehicles) Area.

Today, annual permits cost $80, while a one-day permit is $15 and a three-day permit costs $40.

Last year, 4,000 permits were sold, Coal Creek Co. General Manager Chuck Whicker said.

Those licenses list the guidelines for going off-road, from staying on marked trails to banning studded tires, alcohol and littering. On an average weekend, 300-500 off-road vehicles will be motoring on the trail system, Whicker estimated.

Special events multiply that use several fold, he said.

The Windrock ATV Club holds two large events each year, Hudgins said. The upcoming spring jamboree is April 19-23.

"It's our biggest event," he said. "It's huge. It's for ATVs only, and there will be several thousand ATVs there."

The fall jamboree is normally in late October, and it's a benefit for the Knoxville-based Mission of Hope, Hudgins said.

The surge in popularity of the Coal Creek OHV Area prompted one ATV maker to unveil its newest product there last fall, Whicker said.

As a result of the burgeoning recreational use of its land, Coal Creek Co. intends to invest between $500,000 and $1 million in a new campground to serve off-road riders, he said.

The company's request for Oliver Springs to annex a 259-acre tract of its land off Windrock Road should be approved soon, Whicker said.

That'll allow for a creation of a six-acre campground complete with 10-15 small cabins, at least 40 RV sites and a similar number of primitive campsites. Also planned are a small general store and two bathhouses.

"We'll probably have it (the campground) going by late summer," Whicker said.

Hudgins said with increased awareness of the Windrock area and the new campground, the Coal Creek OHV Area should become even more popular.