Entrance to Point Park on Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Park Point is a small park located at the top of Lookout Mountain at its most northern tip. It is part of the Chattanooga Unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.  The entrance is across the street from the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center and cannot be missed. Built by the U. S. Army Corp of Engineers, the castle-like structure is a replica of the Corps insignia.

There is a fee to enter the park for those 16 and older. You can pay with a credit card (only) at an automated vending machine at the entrance or at the Visitor Center. Passes can also be purchased online in advance at Recreation.gov. National Park passes are valid, and pass holders enter for free. However, you need to show your pass at the Visitor Center first.

Map of Point Park

This is the place to come for the park’s most commanding views of Chattanooga, the Tennessee River, Missionary Ridge, Moccasin Bend, and the valleys to the east and west of the mountain.

View of Chattanooga from Point Park on Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

A visit is essential to understanding the battle. You can look at maps until you are blue in the face and still not picture what happened, but at Park Point you can see the landmarks and understand how the Confederates could have pinned down the Union Army in the town of Chattanooga.

Panorama of the Chattanooga area from Point Park on Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (click to enlarge)

Point Park was originally occupied by the Confederate Army. No fighting took place at Point Park or anywhere else at the top of Lookout Mountain, but there was plenty of fighting on the slopes of the mountain. On November 23, 1863, after a month long siege of Chattanooga, Union forces attacked in an attempt to break out of the Confederate stranglehold. On the 24^th the fighting reached the slopes of Lookout Mountain. The Union forces routed the Confederates and sent them retreating back to Missionary Ridge. However, some Confederate soldiers were still at the top of Lookout Mountain. While the northern tip of the mountain where Park Point is located is impossible to assault—it has sheer cliff walls on all sides—leaving men stranded there served no real point, so those on the mountain snuck out later that night. The next day, Union troops ascended the mountain and planted the US flag, raising cheers from the men below.

Union tablet explains the occupation of Point Park and the top of Lookout Mountain

Point Park has a number of places of interest, despite being a small park. You can walk from one end to the other in five minutes; it is a quarter mile in length. The trails through the park form a figure 8-like shape, with both the west and east sides of the southern section lined with artillery displays, information panels, and tablets that detail troop locations at particular times during battle.

Overlook at Point Park on Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Overlook at Point Park on Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

The New York Peace Monument stands in the middle.

New York Peace Monument at Point Park on Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

The northern tip of the park, much smaller than the southern portion, is where you will find the Ochs Memorial Observatory and Museum (donated by Adolph Ochs, publisher of the Chattanooga Times). Unobstructed views of Chattanooga can be found here. This area also leads to the trailhead for the trails on the west side of the mountain.

View of the Chattanooga area from the top of Lookout Mountain at Point Park, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

The Ochs Museum has exhibits on both the Battle of Chattanooga and the history of Moccasin Bend. This is a small museum, and it should take no longer than 15 minutes to read all of the information and see the exhibits. Of particular interest is a gallery of historic photos. After the war, Michael Linn, who served in the Union Army as a photographer, recognized the artistic potential of Lookout Mountain and opened a portrait studio. He photographed many soldiers after the battle and continued to photograph tourists and citizens of Chattanooga for years. His son and subsequent photographers keep the studio going until 1900.

Historic photographs of Michael Linn on exhibit in the Ochs Museum at Point Park on Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Also on display is a box of hardtack crackers, the staple of a soldier’s diet—you’ve heard about them, now you can see what they look like.

Hardtack cracker display at the Ochs Museum at Point Park on Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Park Rangers lead tours of the southern portion (closest to the entrance) of Point Park on weekends. The tour lasts 45 minutes, and it is a great opportunity to learn about the battle and to ask questions about the strategic landmarks you can see from Park Point. The northern section of the park is self-guided; add another half hour for this section. For the latest schedule, see the National Park Service’s Tours web page for Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

If you are seeing Point Park on your own, plan to spend around an hour. This gives you time to see both sections of the park, the Ochs Museum, and plenty of time to take photos of the excellent views.

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