NorthChickamauga Creek Gorge

Phil Campbell

I was first introduced to the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge hiking trail, during my high school years, back in the 70s. Some friends and I would pile into a car and make the trek up from Catoosa County, Georgia, a few times each year.

When I moved to Kansas in 1977, this was one of the places I truly missed. When I relocated back to the Chattanooga area a few months ago, hiking up North Chickamauga Creek was very high on my priority list.

 

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The New Adventure

The first week of November, found me taking advantage of a day off work and headed up toward Soddy, Tenn. The trail had been developed a bit after my younger days, so this found me quite curious to see if the gorge was still as good as my memories.

My hopes were completely fulfilled. The hike started off at the trailhead and hugged the creek for a bit, then the trail moves up the north side of the gorge, hugging the side of Walden’s Ridge. My goal was to reach the Strip Mine Falls, 1.3 miles from the trailhead.

The colors on the trees were past peak (but still gorgeous) and the trail was covered in leaf litter. Aside from almost losing the trail a couple of times and having to clamber over a few rocks; the hike was easy to moderate. I got some good exercise and was treated to some fabulous scenery. The next time hiking the trail, I’m sure I will make it farther up the gorge.

The Trail

Officially, I hiked the first mile and half of the North Chickamauga Creek Segment of the Cumberland Trail located in the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Natural Area. That’s a mouthful of name for a short, but wonderfully beautiful stretch of trail within 15 miles (as the crow flies) of Chattanooga, Tenn. This area was officially opened in 1993 as part of the Bowater Pocket Wildernesses in Tennessee. The eleven hundred acres are now a Tennessee State Natural Area. Some basic information on the trail can be found at Cumberland Trail.org and a topographic map of the trail can be found here. If you pull into the small parking area at the trailhead and see a Toyota Corolla with Kansas plates and an Ocoee River bumper sticker, watch for me on the trail and say hi.