Terrain of the Upper Truck Trail

Mountain biking is allowed on three trails within the Chattanooga Unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. These are out-and-back trails—actually old gravel roads—so you can’t form any sort of loop. The longest ride in the park is along a combination of the Guild Trail and the Upper Truck Trail. Start from the Guild-Hardy Trail parking lot on Ochs Highway (this is actually identified on Google Maps—type Guild-Hardy Trailhead into the search area). It’s about 6.5 miles from one end to the other.

You can also start halfway on the Guild Trail by departing from the roadside parking areas near Ruby Falls and Eagles Nest. The Guild Trail actually turns into a paved road once you get near Ruby Falls, then becomes on old gravel road once you leave the area. The problem with starting the bike ride from here is getting a parking space. While there is plenty of parking along the road, Ruby Falls is a big tourist attraction, and the area is likely to be congested. You’d be knocking off about 1.5 miles from the ride (3 miles round trip), but since most people want a longer ride to begin with, dealing with the traffic is not all the appealing.

The second longest trail open to mountain biking is the Lower Truck Trail, which is accessed from the Chattanooga Arboreteum and Nature Center. The trail is approximately 2.5 miles, one way.

The third trail, the Hardy Trail, starts at the Cravens House. It is only 1.25 miles long (2.5 round trip), so it’s probably not worth the effort.

I did not bike any of the trails, but I did hike small portions of the Upper Truck and Guild trails. The Upper Truck Trail is a gravel service road that runs parallel to the mountain. The section I hiked was fairly level.

I hiked the Guild Trail from the parking lot to the point where it went under the Incline Railroad. The portion I hiked proceeds up a gradual hill, but I can’t comment on the difficulty past the railroad.

Guild Trail passes under the Incline Railroad

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