Dogwood Trail | West Hills Community Association

West Hills Dogwood Trail

LATEST UPDATE
Grand Opening Celebration
March 2022

Becoming a Dogwood Trail is a major milestone. Our trail is the first addition to this exclusive list of neighborhoods in more than 20 years. It is a testament to the high standards we set for ourselves, our neighborhood, and our homes. This is a moment to celebrate! The Dogwood Trail road stripes were painted on March 15, 2022—almost 9 miles of stripes guiding through our beautiful neighborhood.

On March 24, 2022, the West Hills Dogwood Trail Grand Opening Celebration entertained from 4-7PM at the Sheffield parking area of West Hills Park. The WHC Association and Dogwood Arts Committee hosted this celebration with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with both the City and County mayors, members of city council and county commission, Dogwood Arts leaders, and WHCA leaders. After the official ceremony, activities for kids of all ages and West Hills neighbor-owned food trucks were available. We had three stations with activities (Coloring Station, Planting a Seed Station, Face Painting Station) for children AND a plant sale station by Ellenburg Nursery (https://www.ellenburgnursery.com/).

How It All Began
August 2021

The West Hills Community Association, along with a group of volunteers, had requested consideration as a Dogwood Trail for several years. At the time of the original request, the Dogwood Arts Festival organization did not have a process to evaluate such requests, but now they do. The evaluation process takes into consideration a list of guidelines including the amount of flowering dogwoods and spring shrubs, the historical and/or architectural character of the neighborhood, and interest of the residents to support Dogwood Arts Trails & Gardens Program.

The DAF team spent a good deal of time in our neighborhood from 2020-21 to gauge compliance with their program guidelines. A key consideration was that more than 80% of residents along the proposed route had to be in favor of the trail. The route shown on the West Hills trail map was approved by DAF in 2021, with the trail officially opening in the Spring of 2022!!!

The DAF has grown in popularity and recognition as one of the premier spring festivals and celebrations in the nation. It attracts visitors from around the southeast and the whole nation every April because Knoxville has become known for its natural beauty especially with the abundance of dogwoods, azaleas, and other springtime blossoms. As we all know and appreciate, West Hills is blessed with countless numbers of mature dogwoods, well-maintained yards, and gorgeous gardens. And now the efforts of so many of our neighbors, from the foresight of original owners to those throughout the 60-plus years of West Hills history, are being recognized by the Dogwood Arts Festival. The West Hills trail is the first trail to be added in almost 20 years. It is an honor to be one of Knoxville’s Dogwood trails. Thank you to everyone involved for making West Hills such a beautiful neighborhood!

—West Hills Community Association Dogwood Arts Festival Trail Committee