This post is a guide to help you learn which places to go to and which to avoid in the areas surrounding ETSU, the Tree Streets neighborhood, and downtown Johnson City. I am working with a friend who is a bicycle-only commuter in the area and has been for the past decade. Together, we have compiled a list of suggested routes to take throughout Johnson City. Of course, this is only a recommendation and may not cover where you need to go. Take whichever route you think is best for you.

There are four other articles, covering routes to downtown from the north, south, east, and west. While they do not cover all (or even most of the city) hopefully you will find a good way to cross larger portions of the city via bicycle. It is meant to be more of a broad overview for getting from one area to another, not a step-by-step guide for shorter trips. Each article describes how to get from the designated direction to the downtown area (or ETSU/Tree Streets).

The picture below shows the Bicycle Network Analysis of Johnson City for 2024. It is rated by PeopleForBikes and checks on multiple access types (opportunity, retail, people, etc.) and averages them out in order to give cities a rating out of 100. Johnson City scored an average of 23 for this year. The people access type, meaning access to places in the city where people live, was the highest type at 32.

Hopefully, though the work of Bike Layne and other similar projects, we can improve Johnson City by the time next year’s Bicycle Network Analysis rolls around.

The next image is the map zoomed in to ETSU, Tree Streets, and Downtown JC. As you can see, it is much better than other areas of the city, so it is okay once you are in this area, but getting to it can be an issue. There are some streets that are better than others, which you can read about below.

Tree Streets to Downtown

The two best intersections to cross State of Franklin from the Tree Streets into downtown (or vice versa) are Watauga Avenue and Sevier Street/Commerce Street. The sensors are somewhat able to pick up on if bicycles are waiting at the light or not. More frequent use of bikes at these intersections would help them be more accurate. Buffalo Street is another option as well, but it tends to have a lot more cars.

Until the protected bike lane on W Walnut is open, utilizing Lynn Street is a viable alternative to avoid car traffic between the Tree Streets and downtown. When the bike lane (and rest of W Walnut) is done with construction, this whole area will be much better for all types of transportation.

Whitney Street and Boone Street are both great ways to get around downtown. You can also cut through Founder’s Park for better scenery, just make sure to watch out for pedestrians and call out when passing.

Downtown to ETSU

The best way to get across University Parkway is at Lamont. This provides easy access to the VA Hospital and State of Franklin Linear Trail. It still requires crossing State of Franklin to get to the main ETSU campus, however.

ETSU to Tree Streets

The new construction at University and W Walnut has completely changed how to get from the Tree Streets to ETSU, but not from ETSU to the Tree Streets. The new barrier separating the northbound and southbound traffic prevents bicycles, pedestrians, and cars from directly crossing over University Parkway from the Tree Streets onto ETSU campus.

To get to the Tree Streets from campus while avoiding as many cars as possible, go between Rogers Stout and the library and then onto Tri-Hall field.

Take the ramp off the Tri-Hall paths into the Davis parking lot. Merge onto Southwest Avenue and take the protected left turn. Go down a couple of blocks on University and then take a right onto Pine Street. Remember, this is only a one-way route.

The quickest way get from the Tree Streets onto campus is to get onto State of Franklin at an intersection with traffic signals in all directions (such as Watauga or Sevier) and then onto University at the protected left turn.

Take the next right onto W Walnut to minimize the amount of time you are on State of Franklin and University as both are dangerous and busy roads.

For a safer journey, you can go from Tree Streets to downtown to ETSU using the routes in the previous sections.

More Routes

If you have any other routes not listed that you think are great for bicycles, please let me know! I want to make it easier for people in this community to start bicycle commuting. Knowing where to go and where to avoid might make all the difference to someone.

Find the other route guides here: