Which East Knoxville Dogwood Trail is the Best?

April is an awesome month in Knoxville! Finally, the temperatures are beginning to get warmer (well, at least a little) and the flowers and trees are blooming. In the Spring, Knoxville explodes with color which makes this the perfect time to take a few hours this weekend and explore the Dogwood Trails that are highlighted by the Dogwood Arts organization. And I’m going to tell you which East Knoxville Dogwood Trail is the best.

For those of you who are new to Knoxville, or for those who have never paid attention to the Dogwood Arts, this non-profit organization produces year-round events which culminate in April with the Dogwood Trails and the Dogwood Arts Festival (April 25-27 at the World’s Fair Park).

The Dogwood Trails are a series of marked routes that cover over 90 miles and include thirteen different neighborhoods spread throughout Knoxville and the surrounding area. You can find a listing of these routes and a short description at the Dogwood Arts website. You can also download a pdf map of each route. Or you can live dangerously and find the starting location and follow the “Pepto Bismo” colored arrows.

Last year I drove all 90 miles of the Dogwood Trails. Well, at least I think I did. At least I tried to…. I’m directionally challenged, so I’m sure I missed a few streets here and there. While I wrote a couple of Facebook posts about the trails last year, I decided I wanted to revisit the trails and give you a little more information so you could choose which trails you might want to visit if you didn’t have time to visit them all. After all, most of us don’t have the time to drive 90 miles to look at scenery, no matter how beautiful it is.

So, here’s the deal. I’m going to let you know which is the best trail…in my opinion …in each area of town. Now my ideas of the best might not be yours, but at least you’ll have a little more information and you can prioritize which trails you want to see.

There are two trails in East Knoxville: Holston Hills and Morningside. The Morningside trail is located close to downtown and begins at 1601 Dandridge Avenue and continues for 2.5 miles. This is my least favorite trail. In fact, if this trail did not include the Knoxville Botanical Garden, I wouldn’t have explored it again this year.

Having said that, this trail also includes the Mabry Hazen House which is one of Knoxville’s seven Historic House Museums. We’ll explore it in a later post, but it is a beautiful house that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and overlooks downtown, the Tennessee River and the Smoky Mountains

But the real star of this Dogwood Trail is the Knoxville Botanical Garden.

Like the Mabry Hazen House, the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the former home of Howell Nursery, the oldest operating business in Tennessee until it closed in 2003. It is located close to downtown Knoxville at 2743 Wimpole Avenue.

The grounds are open to the public free of charge from dawn until dusk 365 days a year. The Howell House Visitors Center and Gift Shop is open Monday -Friday from 9am-5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am-4pm. There is a restroom available in the Visitor Center during operating hours.

While there is a drinking fountain next to the Every Child Outdoors Garden, bear in mind that they do not offer food or drink except during special events. If you plan on doing a lot of exploring, you’ll want to bring water with you.

Because the Garden encompasses 44 acres and you don’t want to miss anything, you’ll either want to print a map from their website or pick one up at the Visitor Center.

Before writing this, I actually visited the Botanical Garden twice, once with my friend D and once with my sweet Murphy. Yes, dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash, stay out of the garden beds, and you clean up after them. (By the way, Murphy was on a leash – I just removed it to make the picture look better.)

I have been to the Knoxville Botanical Garden several times before this but have always stayed on the side of the visitor center. This time, I explored both sides of Wimpole Road.

The Visitor Center side features Stone Terraces, the Paulk Peony Garden, the Stone Greenhouse, and the Martha Ashe Garden. Unfortunately, I think I was a little early for the peonies; there was only one in bloom, and it looked rather ragged. I would say within the next few days the others should begin to blossom out and they will be absolutely beautiful.

As a photographer, the Stone Greenhouse has always fascinated me; it has the most beautiful lighting. It’s no wonder that it is a favorite for photographers. While we are speaking about photographers, the Knoxville Botanical Garden has a very rigorous photography policy that applies to all photographers, not just professionals.

According to their website if you receive compensation for any photographs taken at the Garden you must purchase a Photography Pass. You can find more information about that here.

The Martha Ashe Garden hosts hydrangeas, azaleas, irises, and crepe myrtles surrounded by impressive evergreens. Elaborately constructed stone roundhouses are located throughout the garden; they were built by Howell Nursery to showcase the kind of stonework the nursery could do.

And speaking of stonework, there are over two miles of intricately constructed stone walls. These walls were constructed by the Howell nursery employees and now serve as charming dividers between gardens.

Once you cross the street, you’ll find free parking. However, the Gardens are popular, so you might want to get there early to ensure you do get a parking space.

This side of the road gives you the majority of the walking trails. You can follow the Dogwood Nature Trail, visit the Bamboo Forest, or explore the Secret Garden. As you walk along, you’ll come to a cluster of buildings which is the former site of the Howell Nursery and office. These buildings include the Permaculture Cottage, the Eco Garden, and the Historic Mule Barn.

 My (and D’s) favorite place was the Adirondack chairs located under a shade tree and giving you an impressive view of the mountains. We could have sat there all day.

This side of the road also gives you access to the Dogwood Center, an event space for weddings, meetings and special events.

I could continue on because I love this garden, but I want a few minutes to tell you about the other East Knoxville trail.

Wednesday morning, I set off to visit the Holston Hills Dogwood Trail. I made sure to print the pdf map, and I headed out. After a short detour to Cultivate Coffee for a cold brew with a tiramisu foam on top, I made my way to the trail entrance at 200 S. Chilhowee Drive.  

This is one of the older trails established in 1956. This neighborhood features homes with large lots and mature trees. It takes you by the Holston Hills Golf Course and gives you brief glimpses of the Holston River.

Along the way, you’ll find a number of “camera sites”. These are not listed on the pdf map but are listed on the website. You can also download the 2025 Open Gardens and Camera Sites Guide here.

Camera sites and open gardens will be designated by signs on the property. Camera sites are places where you can take photos but are asked not to enter the property. Open Gardens are properties where you can get out and walk through the garden.

While Holston Hills has a number of Camera Sites, they only have one Open Garden: Holston Hills Community Park. This is not a large park; it is perched on a hillside overlooking the golf course with no dedicated parking spaces. You can park on one of the quieter streets, but you are parking on the road.

While this is not one of my favorite trails, I do enjoy driving it. If it’s not too hot or too cold (you’ve got to love Tennessee weather), I’d suggest driving the trail with your windows down so you can truly experience the peaceful surroundings and the birds singing.

There weren’t a lot of cars on the road on the day I drove it, but it is relatively easy to pull off on one of the side roads to let others go ahead if you want to take your time.

In my opinion, if you are not going to take the time to get out and explore the Botanical Gardens, you would be better to explore the Holston Hills Trail. This trail is 8.7 miles long and with the wooded area and large yards, it gives you the feeling of getting away from it all. In my opinion, it is the best East Knoxville Dogwood Trail.

What do you think? Have you visited the East Knoxville Dogwood Trails?