Clark Center Park Is Still Federal Land, and That Shapes Its Fall

Out at the end of Bull Bluff Road, the park named for the holder of Manhattan Project ID badge #1 has a sandy beach on Melton Hill Lake. It also has grills by the picnic tables, a boat ramp, two ball fields, two volleyball nets and a paved court with basketball hoops. Clark E. Center was superintendent of the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and the 40 acres that carry his name still belong to the Department of Energy.

That ownership explains most of what happens at Clark Center Park this fall. Tennessee has put money toward turning the park into a state park, and a public gathering on October 24 will show the first draft of what that could look like. A few weeks later, the federal reservation around the park starts its deer hunt weekends. Both calendars matter if you swim, paddle or walk the Gallaher Bend Greenway here.

What the $10 Million Actually Requires

Hellbender Press reported on September 21, 2026 that the state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2026 gives the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation $10 million to establish a state park at Clark Center. The money comes with a condition. Anderson County has to provide $6,250,000 in matching funds before June 30, 2031.

Hellbender Press explains why the match is so large. The park's amenities are aging, and bringing them up to state park standards while handling more visitors takes substantial funding. The beach and ball fields you know today are the starting point, and the state money depends on local money arriving first.

Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation, a conservation nonprofit known locally as AFORR, is taking on the match. Virginia Dale, a board member and past president, told Hellbender Press that the group is coordinating with other organizations to set up a fund. It will accept contributions from public and private entities and from individuals, with the goal of raising the full $6.25 million. In the same story, Dale described the park this way:

"The Park offers opportunities for birding, boating, biking, fishing, hiking, paddling, picnicking, star gazing, swimming and wildlife viewing."

She also pointed to a fishing area that is accessible to people with disabilities.

The city has put the idea on paper too. Oak Ridge's FY2027 strategic plan, in the version sent to City Council for its August 10, 2026 meeting, lists helping the state and others create a state park at Clark Center among its recreation priorities. As of mid-October 2026, we have not found any Anderson County Commission action on the matching funds. The September Hellbender Press report is still the latest public account of where things stand.

October 24 Is the First Look at a Design

Raising the match has a deadline nearly five years out, but the first public look at a design comes this month. The Clark Center Conservation Gathering, which organizers are calling a cèilidh, runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, at the park, 7620 Bull Bluff Road. The city calendar lists it under Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. It describes the event as a chance for anyone to comment on ideas for the park and to thank the people who first asked for a state park.

Hellbender Press published the day's schedule:

1. 1 p.m. Music from local band Elza Gate, Pat Parr and Bob Cushman.
2. 2 p.m. Welcome and thanks to supporters.
3. 2:30 p.m. Music from Nashville singer-songwriter Pat Cupples.
4. 3:30 p.m. A hike on the Gallaher Bend Greenway led by Larry Pounds.

All afternoon, River Run Outfitters will have several kayaks on hand for short trips on the Pellissippi Blueway. UT's Graduate Students in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, a group that goes by GREBE, will run children's activities.

The part with lasting impact is a large display of the draft design, with ways to leave comments. Organizers are also asking what visitors would like to find at a future state park and whether anyone has a good name for it. If you have opinions about the beach, the boat ramp or the trailhead, this is the first published chance to see a plan and react to it.

Then the Reservation's Calendar Takes Over

One week after the gathering, the federal side of the park's identity shows up. The Oak Ridge Reservation Wildlife Management Area runs a quota deer hunt every fall, and the 2026 schedule from ORNL is set.

The rule that affects walkers is printed on the ORNL hunt page. Hunt zones, including any public greenways inside them, are closed to everyone without a valid hunt permit during hunt weekends. The hunts are limited to 1,050 hunters per weekend, chosen in a quota drawing, and they can be canceled at any time.

Here's what that means for Gallaher Bend. A long-running Oak Ridge greenways trail page says the greenway closes for deer hunts three weekends each fall and for several spring turkey hunt weekends. It also says the area has closed on the Saturday before each hunt weekend for scouting. The specific dates on that page are from 2023 and 2024, and the 2026 ORNL material we reviewed doesn't name Gallaher Bend. The fall pattern has held for years, but the official source for this season is the 2026 hunt map or ORNL Natural Resources at 865-241-6005.

The practical result is that five of the seven Saturdays from October 31 through December 12 are scout or hunt days on the reservation. If you plan a late-fall walk out Bull Bluff Road, check the date before you go.

The Greenway in the Off-Season

Clark Center Park is the trailhead for the Gallaher Bend Greenway, though the greenway is a separate area. According to the trail page, the route is a quiet, forested trail with views of Melton Lake. A few details are useful once the swim season is over:

• Entrance. The winter entrance is the gate east of the swimming area. In summer, you start from the swimming area parking.
• Distance and surface. About 4.5 miles round trip on gravel, with a short paved section before the entrance. The trail page rates it easy to moderate, with elevation running from 805 to 920 feet.
• Uses. Walking, jogging, pets and bicycles are listed.
• Rules. Because it is federal land, users have to stay on the trail and follow all posted signs.
• The loop. DOE closed the wooded loop section at the end of the gravel in 2019, according to the same page.

We couldn't confirm current posted park hours. The listings we found are older and don't agree, so check what's posted at the gate.

Where the Park Sits on the Water

The state park would sit at the heart of the Pellissippi Blueway. It's a joint effort by several conservation groups, endorsed by the National Park Service, to promote paddling, fishing and exploring on the Clinch River from Miller Island below Norris Dam down to Melton Hill Dam. The Blueway's own site puts that stretch at 54 miles.

The Blueway access list places Clark Center Park at mile 37.5. The other Oak Ridge-area launches are Solway Park at mile 44, Melton Lake Park at mile 50.2, and Knox County's Melton Hill Park at miles 36.9 and 37.7. From Clark Center, the closest access point by water is just across the county line.

For rentals, River Run Outfitters has its Melton Hill location at 695 Melton Lake Drive, next to the Atomic Rowing Association. It lists single kayaks and SUPs, tandem kayaks and canoes, pontoon pedal boats and bicycles, available by the hour or the full day. The hours on its page are labeled summer hours, so call ahead in late fall. If you're comparing this end of town with the Jackson Square and Melton Lake summer we covered in An Oak Ridge Summer Still Runs Through Jackson Square, Clark Center is the quieter, downstream end of the same lake.

Places like Clark Center Park are part of why people stay in Oak Ridge for decades, and why the questions about them come up when people decide where to live next. If you're weighing a move within Oak Ridge or wondering what your home is worth this fall, Pam Owen is happy to talk through the details at your pace, starting with a free home valuation. You can find more local background on the Oak Ridge neighborhood page.