Seven Island Wildlife Refuge

Maybe I was expecting too much having spent much of my time in the Smokey Mountains and the Hiwassee wildlife preserve where there is abundant wildlife… But…
I don’t have a dog-​so my opinion is not swayed by «doggie heaven». I did talk at length to 4 other people who just came back off the trail and to sum what they saw… a cardinal, finch and dove.
I had to prove them wrong… I read multiple places that there was abundant wildlife here.
I actually had the only bicycle I saw so took the road all the way down to the river, it parallels the trail most of the way. When the trail breaks away from the road I am not sure if it goes to the river? I did pass 3 scenic barns on the way and really hoped to see owls, birds of prey something, anything! I went all the way to the river and took the trail around the back of the property until it deadends~ another mile. Even though it is very isolated there was nothing more than a couple of small common sparrows. When I left I saw probably 20 birdhouses but again not a bird in sight??? Either bad timing for me or there are no birds or anything breathing besides me here…
From the parking area to the river it is approximately 2 miles and then add a mile to the trail deadend. so approx 6 miles round trip… small hills on bicycle– fairly level on the trails as far as I could see with crushed stone pathway.
Upon leaving I went up to the fist road to the right and went down to the boat launch hoping I missed something. In the distance I saw a live female DEER beside the field and ran across a groundhog. So there were at least 2 animals here. Sorry I didn’t see anymore birds.
Sorry to report this, but it was a BUST for me! I can not recommend it as there are too many other excellent places to view wildlife particularly if you are traveling and have limited time.

Beautiful. Miles of trails. Benches by the river. Wonderful wildlife, particularly deer, beaver and birds. Lots of quiet and privacy.

Pretty cool dog loved it

This is one of my favorite nearby spots to get outdoors. 7 Islands is indeed a collection of small «islands» along the French Broad River. Upon entering the area, there’s a canoe/​boat launch. There are nearly 400 acres of meadows, hills, and woods to explore. It seriously ranges from beautiful hilltop views, to wooded & wet forest trails along the water. There are historical things as well, like an old farmhouse & barn. The Refuge is home to a billionty (my professional & expert approximation) birds and incredible owls. This is a great place to come if you want to escape Knoxville without driving very far, take the dogs, take a picnic, whatever. If you put in at the canoe launch you can go down to Calhoun’s on the River; that is quite a trip ;)

This is a widelife sanctuary about 10 – 15 miles outside of Knoxville. They have probably over 100 acres of land and I believe the French Broad River runs through it.
They technically don’t encourage having your pets off leash but everybody does. This place will definitely be a picture of what doggy heaven looks like. They also have a narrow paved road that runs between the area, great for walking, running or biking. I will consider bringing my bike out here once it warms up in the spring.
The only thing I didn’t love about this place was that the roads leading up to it are very very narrow and curvy. I guess that is a norm for living in the mountains but something I’m still not used it. Makes me really nervous. However, I’m sure to make many more visits to let the dogs loose. They definitely had a blast!