Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park | BIKING AT CHATTANOOGA

Terrain of the Upper Truck Trail in the Chattanooga Unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Terrain of the Upper Truck Trail in the Chattanooga Unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park


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Mountain biking is allowed on five 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 four of the trails: Guild Trail, Upper Truck Trail, John Smartt Trail, and Jackson Gap Trail. To ride north to south, 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 8.5 miles to the southern end at Jackson Gap on GA-157.

You can also start at the halfway point 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.

I am not sure how the Jackson Gap Trail is accessed at the southern end, though it appears to come out at Covenant College near GA-157 and Jackson Spring. If you start from the northern end it won’t really matter, as you’ll need to bike back the same way you came to get to your vehicle.

The fifth 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 also 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 in the Chattanooga Unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Guild Trail passes under the Incline Railroad in the Chattanooga Unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

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Last updated on June 30, 2024
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