Tennessee RiverLine

10/07/2026

Design Spotlight: We’re celebrating a big milestone for a Tennessee RiverLine design in Knoxville, TN! The city has received $746,730 from Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in state funding to help bring planned improvements at Gov. Ned McWherter Park and Suttree Landing Park to life.

The designs, developed by our Planning and Design Team in partnership with the City of Knoxville, local leadership, and with community input, reimagine these riverfront spaces with better access to the Tennessee River, new paddling amenities, and more welcoming places to spend time on and along the water.

Seeing a design take this step toward implementation is exciting, and brings us closer to the RiverLine vision coming to life in Knoxville. We’re proud of the work behind it, grateful for the partners who helped move it forward, and very ready to see it go from pixels to paddles.

(Renderings are conceptual designs for this site developed by the RiverLine.)



UT Extension | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Tennessee Valley Authority

10/07/2026

This past Saturday kicked off the 38th annual Tennessee River Rescue, one of the Tennessee River watershed’s largest annual stewardship efforts! More than 50 cleanup events are planned across the region this month, bringing together hundreds of volunteers and partner organizations with a shared goal of creating a cleaner, healthier Tennessee River and its tributaries. Several of our RiverTowns communities, including Chattanooga, TN, Bridgeport, AL, Dayton, TN, Huntsville, AL, Lawrence County, AL, Guntersville, AL, and South Pittsburg, TN, are participating by hosting cleanups in their community.

My WaterWays will be working hard to tally the results, and we can't wait to share this year's stats. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to participate this year!

📷 : City of Dayton, TN



UT Extension | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Tennessee Valley Authority

10/06/2026

Well done Dayton, TN for your effort this past weekend in participating in this year's Tennessee River Rescue!

09/30/2026

Want to get more involved with outdoor recreation in the Shoals?

Join the new Shoals RiverTown Volunteer Team! Volunteers will have opportunities to help with local events, paddling programs, cleanups, and other projects throughout the Shoals.

We also have a FREE paddle training opportunity coming up on October 5th! Those who join the Shoals RiverTown Volunteer Team will receive an invitation with information on how to register for the training.

Check out the flyer for details and sign-up information!

09/30/2026

🌧️ PADDLES ON PICKWICK CANCELLED 🌧️

Unfortunately, due to the weather forecast, we have made the decision to cancel Paddles on Pickwick scheduled for this Saturday, October 3rd, at J.P. Coleman State Park.

We are certainly disappointed, but the safety of our participants and volunteers comes first, and we want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable experience on Pickwick Lake.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who registered, volunteered, and helped us prepare for this event. We truly appreciate your support of Paddles on Pickwick and Tennessee RiverLine. 🛶💙
Please help us spread the word by sharing this post with anyone who may have planned to attend.

We hope to see everyone back on the water with us next time! 🧡

09/30/2026

ICYMI: Tennessee RiverLine was born in a classroom at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, by a student in the UT College of Architecture and Design.

Journey Roth's project in a graduate studio led by Professor Brad Collett explored what might happen if collaboration and connection led a vision for a long-distance trail system.

Ten years since that studio course and five years since its official launch, the Tennessee RiverLine is bringing a 1.2 million-acre river park to life with the help of 58 cities and counties across the Tennessee River Valley, over 300 volunteers, and dozens of partner organizations.

Read more about the birth of this big, bold idea.

Journey Roth grew up on the water. Swimming. Tubing. Fishing. Riding jet skis. An East Tennessee native, she got her boating license at 15. When she thinks back to her childhood, some of the happiest memories involve a lake or river. So when Roth arrived on Rocky Top to study architecture, the Tenne...

09/30/2026

Cooler temperatures and cozy fall days starting to settle in, but there are still plenty of ways to get outside and enjoy the RiverLine this October!

Embrace fall by trying something new, like birding or bat box building, heading out for a crisp paddle, or giving back by helping clean up the Tennessee River. October is a great time to get outside, connect with nature, and experience the river in a whole new season!

Explore what’s happening this month ⬇️
October 3 - Tennessee River Rescue (Chattanooga, TN & Huntsville, AL)
October 3 - Paddles on Pickwick (Tishomingo Co, MS)
October 10 - Birding Event (Calloway Co, KY)
October 17 - Paducah Paddle (Paducah-McCracken Co, KY)
October 31 - Women's Camp 2026: Bat Boxes (Harden Co, TN)

Check the event calendar for more information on the events above and to learn about new opportunities that may be added between our monthly event update posts!

https://www.tnriverline.org/events-schedule

UT Extension | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Tennessee Valley Authority

09/27/2026

We’re admittedly a little biased about rivers.

But spend some time on the Tennessee River, and you’ll understand. For 652 miles, this river connects communities, landscapes, histories, and people. It gives us places to paddle and fish, wildlife to watch, stories to tell, communities to call home, and more than a few views worth putting the phone down for.

The Tennessee River is the heart of our vision for a 1.2-million-acre river park, but it’s much more than a line on a map connecting the RiverLine from Knoxville to Paducah. It’s a living resource that deserves our attention, appreciation, and care.

On World Rivers Day, we’re celebrating the river that makes this work possible — and all the people who experience it, learn from it, and help care for it. If you want to help in that effort, join a community cleanup event happening on October 3 as part of the Tennessee River Rescue. Learn more or register here: https://tennesseeriverrescue.org/.

We love a good river day. Turns out, there’s an official one.



UT Extension | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Tennessee Valley Authority

09/26/2026

The Tennessee RiverLine is a 1.2-million-acre river park shaped by the Tennessee River, adjacent public lands, and the communities along its 652-mile reach. These are the places where we paddle, hike, fish, camp, watch the sun go down, and occasionally discover that our “quick adventure” was not, in fact, quick. There was simply too much beauty to discover.

On National Public Lands Day, we’re especially grateful for the people and partners who care for these places and for everyone who chooses to enjoy them responsibly.



UT Extension | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Tennessee Valley Authority

09/22/2026

What a weekend for outdoor recreation along the RiverLine! From races and paddles to kayak classes, communities across the Tennessee River Valley were out enjoying the water and welcoming new ways to experience the outdoors.

In Huntsville, AL, the inaugural Ditto Dash brought together the Tennessee River and the region’s growing trail network for a one-of-a-kind race experience. A big thank you to Ditto Landing, Singing River Trail, and all the partners who made the first event such a huge success!

In Paducah-McCracken County, KY, paddlers made their way from Clarks River Landing to downtown Paducah for a free community paddle. Their final paddle of the season is coming up October 17!

In The Shoals, AL, nine youth and adults built their skills on the water through kayak classes hosted with support from Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area and the Alabama Highway Patrol Marine Police.

And in South Pittsburg, TN, Paddle the Battle offered another beautiful way to explore the RiverLine, with participants paddling Battle Creek while taking in the scenery and wildlife along the way.

Check out our event calendar in our bio and join us at the next RiverLine event!
https://www.tnriverline.org/events-schedule

UT Extension | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Tennessee Valley Authority