Exploring the Great Outdoors in the Scenic City

By Julianne Hale

Americans who participate in at least one outdoor activity on a regular basis enrich their lives by reducing stress levels and connecting people with family and friends as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle. The study also showed that people are more likely to remain active throughout their lives if they begin outdoor activities at a young age.

News Flash: Video games, even if they require that you stand up and swing your arms to participate, do not count as physical fitness. In the same way that a treadmill can never provide the emotional, mental and physical benefits that a walk in the sun can, a “jog” on the Wii with a remote in your pocket can never replace a run in the woods. Tennis isn’t tennis unless you are holding a racquet. Boxing isn’t boxing unless you actually punch someone in the face. Get a grip America! No wonder we are obese. Our “healthy eating” consists of canned green beans at the Golden Corral and our “exercise” involves holding a remote and swinging our arms.

While I don’t support the philosophy that video games are inherently evil, given the choice between a taking a “walk” with my kids while standing in place, gazing at one-dimensional digital scenery on the Wii or walking out my front door, I will always choose the latter. If my example counts for anything, so will my kids. We spend lots of time in the outdoors because I crave one on one time with nature. It makes me feel better to take a walk in my neighborhood, take a spin on my bike or take a hike in the woods. Fresh air, natural scenery, and a good-old fashioned sweat energize me and improve my mood.

Medical research supports my feelings. According to a study released by the Outdoor Industry Foundation (OIF) and conducted by the research firm Harris Interactive found that Americans who participate in at least one outdoor activity on a regular basis enrich their lives by reducing stress levels and connecting people with family and friends as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle. The study also showed that people are more likely to remain active throughout their lives if they begin outdoor activities at a young age.

What does this mean for parents? It means we need get off of the couch, open up our front doors, get outside and have fun with our families. Fortunately for the average reader of Chattanooga Parent, there is a huge array of fun, family-friendly outdoor activities available right here in the Tennessee Valley. Here are a few to get us started:

Tennis:

Families who enjoy playing tennis on the Wii can trade their remotes for a couple of racquets and give the real thing a try. The City of Chattanooga’s Champions Club Tennis Complex features 26 hard courts and a two-story club house and is an inexpensive way to enjoy some competitive fun under the sun.

Ruby Falls and Rock City:

The Zipstream Aeiral Adventure at Ruby Falls is a new feature that offers thrills and adventure to a whole family, soaring in trees above the famous Ruby Falls Caverns.

Thrill seekers of all ages can head to Chattanooga’s Ruby Falls to give their newest attraction, the ZIPstream Aerial Adventure, a try. A challenge made up of suspended obstacle courses built in trees that includes ladders, nets, walkways, bridges, tunnels and zip lines, the ZIPstream Aerial Adventure provides the adrenaline rush that thrill-seekers crave along with some impressive views of the Tennessee Valley’s landscape. Rock City, another classic Chattanooga attraction, offers hiking trails and incredible views of Lookout Mountain and the surrounding areas.

Outdoor Chattanooga:

Outdoor Chattanooga, an organization dedicated to making outdoor recreation an attractive, healthy and distinguishing lifestyle for Chattanooga residents as well as visitors, is a fantastic resource for families who would like to get outdoors together. Outdoor Chattanooga’s Ruth Thompson offered some great suggestions for family-friendly adventures in and around the Scenic City.

Hiking:

There are a wide variety of local trails available to families who enjoy hiking. The Lookout Mountain Trail System has 40 miles of single track trail with loop hikes between 3 and 20 miles. The Upper Truck Trail is 6 miles of moderately easy terrain that offers hikers a glimpse into American history. For those interested in a shorter trail, at only .5 miles, the Glen Falls Trail is a short afternoon hike with beautiful waterfalls at the end and interesting rock features along the way. Raccoon Mountain features a 20 mile loop around the TVA Raccoon Mountain reservoir including the Laurel Point area which contains single track loops with impressive views of the Tennessee River Gorge. Families can enjoy picnic areas, playgrounds and ball fields in this area as well and learn about the Raccoon Mountain pump storage facility at the TVA Visitors Center.

Offering paved and unpaved greenways plus shorter backcountry trails featuring easy to moderate hiking options for the entire family, Greenway Farms is a great stop for hikers of all levels. The Boy Scout Trail includes a climb up to Big Ridge and families can enjoy views of the old TVA rock quarry along the North Chickamauga Creek Greenway. Another fun place to hike is Enterprise South Nature Park. Featuring paved bicycle routes, an ADA accessible trail and miles of single track hiking and mountain biking trails, even the youngest family members can enjoy these hikes from the comfort of a stroller.

Biking:

Chattanooga has some of the most accessible and naturally beautiful biking trails around. Families can enjoy the Tennessee Riverpark, which features an 8-mile paved greenway extending from Ross’ Landing in downtown Chattanooga to the Chickamauga Dam. Bikers can take a break by crossing the Walnut Street Bridge to the North Shore area and enjoying some refreshments and recreation along the river in Coolidge Park. The Brainerd Levee/South Chickamauga Creek Greenway, an ideal place to view the birds of the wetlands, features a five mile gravel greenway running along the Creek and through Camp Jordan Park in East Ridge.  With a 4.5 mile single track trail that runs along the edge of a peninsula in Chickamauga Lake, Harrison Bay State Park is another biking hotspot featuring a playground, swimming and lots of wide open spaces and paved roads.

Flat Water Paddling:

A safer alternative to whitewater paddling, especially for the younger crowd, flat water paddling is an easy-to-learn, family-friendly activity. Meandering through 20 miles of residential neighborhoods in north Hamilton County, North Chickamauga Creek is the perfect place to enjoy a canoe or kayak. Families can take a quick trip on the 2-miles from the north to the south end of Greenway Farms. The inlet at the TVA Maple View Recreation Area also provides easy flat water canoeing and kayaking with launches on both sides on Nickajack Lake. Families can even catch the nightly exodus of thousands of gray bats from the Nickajack Cave during summer months. If canoeing is something you’d like to try but you don’t have a boat, plan a trip to The Chattanooga Nature Center on Lookout Creek at the foot of Lookout Mountain where you can rent everything you need for a family canoe trip.

Whitewater Paddling:

Thrill-seeking families and those with older children can enjoy some of the best whitewater rafting in the country right here in the Tennessee Valley. The Hiawassee River, which can be enjoyed via raft, inner tube or inflatable kayak, features class II rapids and a paddlers’ lunch spot on Big Bend, perfect for a family picnic. Tubes, funyaks and rafts can be rented at Hiwassee Outfitters and Webb’s Float Service. Families with kids ages 14 and up and a little courage can enjoy the Ocoee River near Cleveland. Providing near constant action on class III rapids, some impressive scenery and a chance to swim, the Ocoee River was the site of the 1996 Olympic Kayaking event.

Climbing:

The Adventure Guild operates a climbing wall on a pier of the Walnut Street Bridge in the summer months on Saturday and Sunday. Free and open to the public on Monday-Friday during normal operating hours, Outdoor Chattanooga’s traverse climbing wall is a great place for young and novice climbers to start climbing.

Camping:

Camping enthusiast need not travel far to enjoy top notch facilities. The Chilhowee Campground, for example, is quiet and secluded and features adjacent trails meandering throughout the Ocoee Ranger district. Families can cool off on hot days by taking a dip in McKamy Lake. This campground is first come, first serve and does not accept reservations. Another gem in the Tennessee Valley is Cloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia, which boasts some of the most incredible views in the country and accepts reservations for tent sites, R.V. sites, backcountry sites and cabins. For a more primitive camping experience on the water, families can pack up their canoes or kayaks and head to John A. Patten Island in Harrison Bay.

Leave No Trace Principles

Outdoor Chattanooga encourages families to get outside and enjoy each other and all Chattanooga has to offer but to always remember the Leave No Trace Principles.

They are as follows:

Plan ahead and prepare

Travel and camp on durable surfaces

Dispose of waste properly

Leave what you find

Minimize campfire impacts

Respect wildlife

Be considerate of other visitors

Chattanooga Parks and Recreation

Swimming & Splash Park

Offering a wide variety of activities for the whole family, the Parks and Recreation Department is a great resource for Chattanooga residence looking for fun things to do this summer. Probably the most popular summertime activity, swimming is a great way to get some exercise and cool off on the hottest days. There are two city pools open during the summer. Warner Park Pool on McCallie Avenue is open daily from 12:30 until 5:00 p.m. and features a spray and play area that is open Monday through Friday from 5:15 to 8:00 p.m. and from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. on the weekends. Swimming lessons for ages 3 through adults will be available during the summer for a low price along with water exercise classes and adult lap swims.  The Carver Pool on North Orchard Knob Avenue is open from 12:30 until 4:30 p.m. for open swim from May 31 through August 5. There is a special Teen Night every Friday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Admission to the pool is $1 for children and $2 for adults. Both pools are available for rental for private parties.

In addition, there are three indoor pools that are open year round in Chattanooga, Brainerd Pool on North Moore Road, South Chattanooga Pool on West 40^th Street and the North River YMCA Pool. These pools offer water fitness classes, open swim and lap swims.

Baseball

What is more American than spending an afternoon watching a baseball game? The Parks and Recreation department is offering a program entitled, “Reviving Baseball in the Inner City” in conjunction with the YMCA, Hamilton County Health Department’s Healthy Kids-Healthy Communities Program, the Engel Foundation, UTC and Major League Baseball to revive baseball and softball for youth and teens in the underserved urban areas. While the activity is geared at children and teens, watching a baseball or softball game is a classic way to enjoy quality family time in the outdoors. Games are played at Avondale and East Lake recreation centers as well as Warner Park.

You don’t need to stop shaving your arm pits and buy a tent and a Subaru to enjoy the great outdoors with your family. All you need is a little time and a willingness to try new things. So padlock those gaming systems until the next rainfall and head outside with your kids and lift up a rock or turn over a log in your backyard. You will find a world of life that is far more interesting than any video game. Take a walk, cruise the neighborhood on your bikes, go swimming, hit a hiking trail or go to one of the many public pools or playgrounds in and around Chattanooga and enjoy a day of sunshine, fun and physical activity that both you and your children will remember for years to come.