Looking for mild adventure, East Tennessee

Hello everyone!
I am out in E Tennessee for 3 months and would love to do done mild off-road type riding if anyone is interested. I am fairly new to riding and have a dual sport. I'd love to explore and challenge myself!

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Welcome. You are in a great place to have some fun off road. There's lots of stuff around at various skill/adventure levels. What type of bike are you on and how long have you been riding? Just asking so we have a better idea of what areas to recommend for you.

Coal Creek? Windrock, near Oliver Springs?

70,000 contiguous acres there, plus a couple of adjacent/nearby OHV areas (e.g., Brimstone).

You're smack-dab in the middle of some excellent off-road riding venues, IMHO; enjoy!

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For example, check this out:

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=959555

Flyer for event:

http://carolinadualsporters.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/coal-creek-2014.jpg

Thanks to you both! I have been riding since last October and have a yamaha xt600. I've found a few riding outings, but many of then seen to be advanced. And yes, this seems like an awesome area to go play!

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I lived in oak ridge sol way for a combined 13 years off and on. I'm in California now, and I really miss east tn. Can't wait to go home.

The other guys are right. Your in some of the best areas in the south east. Cal creek is real cool and a fun vibe, used to drive my Toyota 4x4 around there with my gen welder in use back and help guys breaking shit.

Check out royal blue WMA too. Think that's the name it's been years since I've been there. Little more redneck-y but they are all nice. There's TONS of nice easier trails and gravel there. From oak ridge I'd say it's maybe a 30min right if memory serves me right. You need a permit for royal blue and TWRA will be about and about I know a few of them. It's worth the price of admission, but be aware a lot of rednecks go mudding there and fuck up the trails every so often.

Make sure you ride east a ways and hit up the blue ridge and skyway. Don't bother with the dragon this time a year.

Go to Lincoln's sports bar and get some Y-12 nuclear wings too!

Windrock would not be my first suggestion. Head south toward Tellico Plains and the Cherokee National Forest. This area of Monroe and Polk counties has many miles of very nice gravel National Forest roads. You can make some very nice loops out of Tellico Plains. Many roads are "dead ends" as they go up to bald mountain tops and the like, with great views of the mountains.

Royal Blue does have some nice roads, but the ones on the east side of I-75 do get messed up from all the ATV traffic, and you do need a permit (which can either be a riding permit, or certain hunting permits give you that too).

For mild off road, there is no reason to pay the fees at Windrock, or have a permit for Royal Blue.

the closest to Oak Ridge is Catoosa WMA, take 62 to Wartburg, Nemo RD cross the Emory River and you are in Catoosa, good luck not getting lost.

or go up to Crossville and take Plateau RD.

the Cherokee NF has more roads then you can ride in years, 3 months you'll just hit some of the high spots.

Have fun, go ride

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These are great suggestions, thanks! I ended up going to the Catoosa WMA yesterday. It was perfect for just beginning to play in the dirt. There weren't too many folks up there either--just a few people in trucks and ATVs. I even played a little on a couple of the side roads and had fun in puddles

Great times!!

Looks like fun! I need to find time to check out Catoosa.