Knox County cut the ribbon on a new dog park at Clayton Park in Halls on Thursday, closing out a five-park commitment that started with a community vote six years ago. The park at 7345 Norris Freeway now joins Beverly Park, New Harvest Park, the SportsPark in Karns, and Angora Frog Farm as the fifth and final county dog park built under a plan launched by the Boyd Family Foundation in 2020.
Knox County Parks and Recreation Senior Director Joe Mack attended Thursday's ribbon-cutting, as did Randy Boyd, according to WATE 6 On Your Side. Boyd said the county's dog parks have used natural topography in innovative ways, and that the parks bring people together, per the station's report. At Clayton Park, that meant leaving trees and fallen logs in place around the new dog park rather than clearing the site, with additional amenities added around them.
Mack said parks are important to the community, and that community input is crucial to communication between government and citizens, the outlet reported. That input shaped the entire project from the start: Knox County residents chose the five county dog park locations through a contest in 2020, a process that, according to The Enlightener, drew more than 1,000 nominations and votes from residents across every zip code among the county's more than 185,000 households during an online and social media campaign in the summer of 2020.
A $500,000 Foundation Grant Matched by Public Dollars
The Boyd Family Foundation, established in 2018 by philanthropists Randy and Jenny Boyd, put up $500,000 for the Knox Neighborhood Dog Parks initiative in 2020, offering $50,000 per park as part of a partnership with Knox County and City of Knoxville governments. The goal, according to the City of Knoxville, was to build 10 new dog parks total and push Knox County from 29th to first in the nation for dog parks per capita.
That grant money didn't cover the full cost. Knox County government contributed $150,000 in public funding toward its five dog parks, on top of donating land and labor and covering site preparation costs that ran beyond the $250,000 in foundation money allocated to the county's share, according to WBIR. Local officials had pledged to cover any cost overruns beyond the $50,000 grant per park, the station reported.
Clayton Park's Existing Trails and Wetlands
Clayton Park sits in the Halls community of North Knox County and already featured natural wetlands along Beaver Creek, a 0.2-mile paved walking loop, a playground, and picnic shelters before the dog park was added, according to the Legacy Parks Foundation. The park also connects directly to the Halls Greenway, giving the new dog park a built-in link to the area's existing trail network.
Five Years of County Groundbreakings
Knox County broke ground on the Beverly Park Dog Park in November 2021, marking the first construction under the county's five-park commitment, with the facility opening in 2022 in North Knox County. New Harvest Park followed on Washington Pike, opening May 29, 2024, with fenced play zones for large and small dogs, water stations, and shaded seating; the park also hosts a seasonal open-air farmers market. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs opened the fourth county park at the SportsPark in Karns on December 9, 2025, at 8050 Oak Ridge Highway, ahead of Thursday's opening at Clayton Park.
City of Knoxville's Parallel Track
While Knox County has now finished all five of its parks, the City of Knoxville has opened four of its own five under the same plan. The city's first two, at Sam Duff Memorial Park on Chapman Highway and the Holston-Chilhowee Ballfields in East Knoxville, opened in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The city followed with Love Towers Dog Park and Fountain City Dog Park, both opening July 31, 2024 — an occasion Hoodline previously covered with a community celebration in North Knoxville.
The city's fifth and final dog park has taken a different path. City staff had worked to identify a location in the Oakwood Lincoln Park neighborhood, and Knoxville City Council ultimately approved plans in July 2026 for a $70 million redevelopment of the former St. Mary's Hospital site that will include a public dog park for the neighborhood. The 30-acre site is being redeveloped under the name Riella at Oakwood, according to WBIR.
