Staff File Photo by Dan Henry
The 300-plus-mile Cumberland Trail stretches from Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area to Cumberland Gap National Park in Kentucky.

You’ve got no excuse, at least not a good one, for staying indoors in Chattanooga.

Within 10 miles of downtown a wide range of parks and trails provide recreation for all age and ability levels.

“One of the things I think is so amazing about Chattanooga is that I can see a trailhead — the Cravens House on Lookout Mountain — from my downtown office, and I can get to it by bus, bicycle or the Incline. I don’t even have to drive to it,” said Ruthie Thompson, spokeswoman for Outdoor Chattanooga.

An hour walk two to three times a week lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, burns calories and keeps weight down, according to the American Council on Exercise.

With the area’s numerous parks and trails, Chattanoogans can accomplish those hours in many scenic locations.

If you like easy walking, Coolidge Park, between the Walnut Street and Market Street bridges on the North Shore, provides casual paths and benches for lounging.

More vigorous walks emerge by linking a trip to Coolidge Park with a stroll across the Walnut Street Bridge, then continuing along the path as far as the Chickamauga Dam.

Close to downtown, National Park Service hiking trails on Lookout Mountain can be accessed from Garden Road (off Cummings Highway on the west side of the mountain) or from the Ruby Falls parking lot or the Cravens House on Highway 148 on the east side of the mountain.

One of the best starter trails for beginning walkers is the Guild/Hardy Trail on Lookout Mountain. One popular entrance is off Ochs Highway. From the highway, turn right after the Incline Railway. The trailhead parking lot will be on the left.

Another favorite stepping-off point on Lookout Mountain is Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

Located on the west side of Lookout Mountain, it has 12 miles of nearly level trails and scenic views. Most trails connect to extensive National Park Service trails around the mountain.

This spring, the city offers a new education center at Renaissance Park, at Market Street and Frazier Avenue. Check out the Outdoor Center, the new home of the city’s outdoor recreation program and education department.

Two greenways combine parks and trails in one setting. Try walking the 2.5-mile trail on top of the Brainerd Levee, called the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway, between Shallowford Road and Camp Jordan Park in East Ridge.

In Hixson, the North Chickamauga Creek Greenway stretches from Greenway Farm, off Hamill Road, nearly to the locks of Chickamauga Dam on Lake Resort Drive. Dog lovers walk their pooches around a large naturalizing meadow, while others play with plastic discs (with people or pooches) on a large field.

Community leaders worked with the National Park Service decades ago to create miles of trails on Lookout Mountain. City leaders made recreation a top priority over the past 25 years, beginning with the Tennessee Riverwalk, the Walnut Street Bridge and continuing with its Outdoor Chattanooga expansion.

Dogs welcome

Staff File Photo by Gillian Bolsover
Robert Carrier gets a kiss from Bruiser, a dachshund mix, at the Chattanooga Chew Chew Canine Park.

Chattanooga boasts the Chattanooga Chew Chew Canine Park (a park just for dogs, with their owners) behind First Tennessee Pavilion on the Southside downtown.

Pets are not allowed at the Tennessee Riverwalk, Ross’s Landing, the Tennessee Riverpark, Coolidge Park or the Walnut Street Bridge.

Most other Chattanooga parks — including Warner Park, Carver Park, Red Bank Elementary School on Mountain Creek Road and the North and South Chickamauga Creek greenways — allow dogs on leashes. Pet waste removal is expected at all parks.

County, state and federal parks, such as the Chickamauga Dam Beach Area, Harrison Bay State Park and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park welcome leashed dogs.

How to find a park or trail

Visit the city’s parks and recreation department Web site at www.chattanooga.gov.

Visit Outdoor Chattanooga’s new Outdoor Center at Renaissance Park (Cherokee Boulevard next to the Market Street Bridge) for recreation information. For more information: 643-6888, outdoorchattanooga.com.

Chattanooga Hiking Club: www.hiking.chattanooga.net.         

Georgiatrails.com.     

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