The new floating swim platforms, bathrooms and changing room are in. The smooth, easy-to-navigate walkway has been installed. The overlook – with its dramatic view across Augusta Quarry – has been improved and expanded.

After an $11 million total investment by the city of Knoxville and its partners, Augusta Quarry at Fort Dickerson Park reopened to the public on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. The most recent round of work had closed the quarry in March 2024. Fort Dickerson is an old Civil War fort for which restoration was begun by Carol Evans as one of Legacy Parks Foundation’s earliest projects.

Check out this video, highlighting the most recent park improvements.

Wes Soward

Wes Soward, the city’s Urban Wilderness coordinator, says the quarry has transformed in just eight years from being a rough, inaccessible and uninviting back portion of a park to what it is now – a world-class family-friendly unique-to-Knoxville amenity.

“Augusta Quarry didn’t even open to the public until 2017,” he said. “Even then, it was a raw experience. You’d have to make your way down a rutted old gravel quarry road, and parking was severely limited, so it was challenging just to get to the water.

“Now, it’s a safer environment, and a lot more family-friendly. Admission is free. It’s more accessible now, and much easier to get to and get in and out of the water. Plus, we now will have a vendor on site, so visitors can borrow life vests at no charge if they want them, or they can rent inflatable tubes and stand-up paddleboards – or bring their own, if they meet safety requirements.”

Other key new additions at Augusta Quarry:

  • Three bathrooms
  • A changing room
  • A vendor pavilion
  • A water bottle refilling station
  • An outdoor shower
  • A smooth path connecting a 38-vehicle parking lot with the overlook, trailheads, the new buildings and the water’s edge
  • A floating “beach” platform at the end of the walkway, lining the quarry lake’s southwestern edge, with ladders to help swimmers get in and out of the water
  • A circular floating swim platform, also with swimmers’ ladders
  • An expanded overlook
  • Stand-up paddleboards and inflatable tubes will be available for rent on site from River Sports Outfitters. Life vests will be provided free of charge.

Visitors can bring certain equipment that they own if it meets safety requirements: Personal stand-up paddleboards, kayaks and Type III personal flotation devices, such as life vests. (Other inflatable or disposable floats are not allowed.)

Gates to the quarry will be opened at 7:45 a.m. daily, and staffing will be on site from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through October. The gates will be closed at 8 p.m. All Augusta Quarry rules remain in effect throughout the day, whether or not staff is present.

There are no lifeguards at Augusta Quarry, and jumping from the quarry walls continues to be prohibited. For complete details about food and drinks, pets, fishing, wildlife, where to park, and other information, visit www.KnoxvilleTN.gov/AugustaQuarry.

Soward, meanwhile, praised the uniquely tailored amenities plan created by the design team – Sanders Pace Architecture, Port Urbanism, JMT Engineering and the Haines Structural Group – that accentuates Augusta Quarry’s rugged natural beauty and softly and subtly blends the buildings into the environment.

About 3.5 miles of trails crisscross Fort Dickerson Park – most of them on the Augusta Quarry side of the park, and all of them accessible from the quarry parking lot.

“One thing that makes Augusta Quarry so special is its history and location,” Soward said. “It’s an old quarry, so it still has a bit of an industrial feel to it if you look hard for it. But it’s also less than a mile from the Henley Bridge, so you can escape to the peace and quiet of nature in a few minutes – and not even realize you’re so close to downtown.”

This view shows the trail and several outbuildings.

Aslan Foundation, the city’s largest private funding partner, funded the design work for the Augusta Quarry improvements. Southern Constructors Inc. served as the construction contractor for the most recent upgrades at the quarry.

Information, photos and quotes from city of Knoxville website.

Update on Rappelling for the Rivers (as of July 3, 2025)

The folks at Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful have raised $1,600, or 2% of the $100,000 goal. The event is Saturday, August 2, 2025, at The Park Vista, A DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 705 Cherokee Orchard Rd., Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Join Kathleen Gibi in going “over the edge” with a $1,000 donation. Sign up and get the details here.

Notes and Quotes

Harvey Broome Sierra Club monthly meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, TN Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Free. This month’s program is a walk on Third Creek Greenway and a bit of cleanup. Gloves and grabbers provided but if you have your own, bring them. Food and drinks at 6:30 before heading outside to the greenway.

Wild Blue Yonder in free concert at The Cove at Concord Park, Saturday, August 9, 2025, 6-8 p.m. This is part of the concert series sponsored by Knox County Parks & Rec on each second Saturday during the summer.

Public swimming pools: The city of Knoxville operates two public pools with $5 admission – Ed Cothren Pool and Inskip Pool. Get details here. Or call Inskip Pool at 865-687-9919 and Ed Cothren Pool at 865-544-7840. (These numbers may also be called for pool closings related to weather.)

TVA has nearly 180 miles of trails open to everyone – and this summer is the perfect chance to get outside, enjoy our public lands and make your own trail memories! Find a trail near you. 

Outdoor Knoxville Legacy Parks Foundation and Elle Colquitt’s Outdoor Knoxville events calendar – has hikes, races and more for this week and next. Check it out here.

Best Bet: Wednesday, July 9, bike, walk or run the 11.1-mile Cades Cove Loop. Sunrise to sunset. Info: Great Smoky Mountains National Park at 865-436-7318. Enjoy the vehicle-free Wednesdays. Details and map online.