Outdoor Chattanooga's Rapid Learning Program is back at Chester Frost Park Wed., July 13 with two sessions from 6 - 7 and 7 - 8 p.m.
Learn the basic skills of whitewater kayaking from our experienced instructors. All equipment is provided and first-timers are free. No reservations or experience necessary. For more info, email Outdoor Chattanooga or call 423-643-6888.
Downtown Kayak Tours July 10 & 17
Join Outdoor Chattanooga for a beginner friendly kayak tour of downtown Chattanooga on the Tennessee River at 9 a.m. on Sun., July 10 or 17. Our experienced guide staff will provide basic instruction, then lead a leisurely paced paddle from the north shore around Audubon Island/ Wildlife Sanctuary, the Bluff View Arts District, Ross' Landing and downtown's historic bridges. Appropriate for ages 8 and up. Paddlers ages 8-13 must paddle in tandem with an adult. Cost: $35 for adults / $25 for ages 8-13. Guides and equipment are provided. Reservations are required in advance. Call (423) 643-6888 to reserve your spot!
Huck Finn Family Canoe Tour July 12
The classic book, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is the inspiration for Outdoor Chattanooga's Huck Finn Family Canoe Tour. This 2 hour expedition is perfect for the active and adventurous family. Paddle canoe pontoons atop a platform as you journey down a section of the Tennessee River on Tues., July 12 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Guides, equipment and transportation is provided. Bring your own simple picnic dinner to enjoy on the water. The trip ends downtown at Coolidge Park. Cost: $10 per person. Appropriate for ages 6 and up. Registration is required in advance as space is limited. Call Outdoor Chattanooga at (423) 643-6888 to get registered.
More Outdoor Chattanooga Events
Community Events
Horse & Carriage Rides at the Nature Center June 30 to July 31
Take an old fashioned horse & carriage ride around Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center's meandering trails and explore the landscape the way the English traditionally experienced a Riding. Rides are offered Thursday through Sunday 9 a.m. - 3.30 p.m. Cost: $15. Reservations can be made by calling 423-821-1160.
Movies in the Park July 9, 16, 23, 30
Pack up your chairs, blankets and picnic baskets. And get ready to watch a movie under the stars! Movies in the Park returns to Coolidge Park each Saturday in the month of July beginning July 9. We encourage you to gather your family and spend quality time together while watching a family-friendly box office hit on a giant movie screen. This event is FREE to the public. The movie will start each week at sundown (just after 9 p.m.). Concessions will also be available for purchase on site. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent. Click here for a list of all the dates and movies.
Kayaking Adventure: Sunrise Tour of Downtown July 9
Join the Tennessee Aquarium and Outdoor Chattanooga for a Sunrise Kayak Adventure on Saturday, July 9 from 6:30-9:00 a.m. After receiving beginner-friendly instruction, you'll experience the magic of downtown Chattanooga at sunrise. Enjoy a leisurely paced paddle around landmarks such as Audubon Island Wildlife Refuge, Bluff View Art District, Ross's Landing and downtown's historic bridges. Cost is $40 for TN Aquarium Members, $50 for non-members. Equipment, instruction, and guides are included. Click here to register online. For more info contact TN Aquarium by email or by phone at 423-267-FISH (3474).
Lower Leda Trail Day July 10
Southeast Climber's Coalition is requesting volunteers for Lower Leda Trail Day on Sun., July 10 at 9 a.m. The steep portion of the trail is heavily eroded and in need of a sustainable reroute. Preliminary work has been completed, now they need some (wo)manpower to finish the job. Please bring plenty of water, work gloves and any trail tools you might have! Please carpool as parking is limited! Lunch and snacks will be provided by the SCC, but you must sign up here to get lunch. For questions or more information, email Daniel Cartwright.
Post Independence Day Inspired Adventures
It may come as a surprise, or maybe it doesn't, but we "wheelie" like to ride bikes at Outdoor Chattanooga and we consider ourselves lucky to have access to miles and miles of sweet singletrack and premiere mountain biking trails within a 30 minute drive of Chattanooga. We love riding our local trails, but sometimes we want to venture out and try something new. We did just that over the holiday weekend and thought we'd share what we learned to hopefully inspire you to get out and ride!
Baker Creek Preserve within Knoxville's Urban Wilderness has 3 new downhill mountain bike trails in addition to 42+ miles of multi use trails already in existence. What's better, it's only a 2 hour drive from downtown Chattanooga. We were able to get a few runs down Barn Burner (moderate) before giving Devil's Racetrack (difficult) a try. The trails are machine built, hard packed red clay with table tops, whoop dee doos, berms, gaps and drops! You are meant to go fast and smile a lot! Just be smart and don't ride above your ability. It's always a good idea to scout before riding.
Beech Mountain Resort in North Carolina is a downhill mountain bike course with lifts that haul your bike to the top of the mountain so you can avoid the hard climbing. $35 gets you an all day lift ticket. The lifts run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The views at the top of the mountain made riding even more spectacular. The resort offers rentals if you don't have your own gear and lessons if you think you'd benefit from formal instruction. For our first time out, we did a lot of scouting, but after a few runs, we were hooked and spent the entire day riding the lifts up to ride "wheelie" fast down the mountain!
A quick overnight stay at Harmony Hostel in between the rides at Knoxville and Beech Mountain was well worth the $45 for a shower and good nights sleep. After riding all day Saturday, and having way more fun than we thought possible in one day, we could have stayed for the fireworks show and pig roast at the resort, and even spent a 2nd night at the hostel, but we had already planned to head back home.
Don't have time for a road trip? That's okay, we have plenty of awesome trails to ride here in Chattanooga! Look for detailed info about local trails in the next newsletter!
Thanks for reading!
Upcoming Events
July
9 Movies in the Park
Burn Your Half Off
DIY Workshop Succulent Planters
10 Downtown Kayak Tour
Lower Leda Trail Day
Rain Harvesting Demonstration and Workshop
Wild Trails Nature Calls 15k & 5K Race at Lula Lake
11 Learn to Ride a Bicycle
Intro to Mountain Bike Trail Class
Outdoor Survival Camp
12 Huck Finn Family Canoe Adventure
Intro to SUP
14 Rock Creek-BIC SUP Demo Day
City Sweat: Soak up the Run
Cohutta Backcountry Tour-Bikepacking 101
15 Beautiful Bats
16 Chickamauga Battlefield Bicycle Tour
Kids 4 Clean Water: Bass Tournament
Chattanooga Heroes Run
Movies in the Park
17 Downtown Kayak Tour
18 Street Cycling 101
18-21 Adventure Day Camp
19 Full Moon Kayak Tour
Intro to SUP
21 Summer Sike Movie Series
23 Movies in the Park
Free Cycling Skills Rodeo
26 Intro to Mountain Bike Skills Class
28 Pedal and Paddle S. Chick Creek Trails
29 Intro to Mountain Bike Skills Class
30 Adventure Canoe: S. Chickamauga Creek
Movies in the Park
Find Your Park: Hike, Bike, Paddle & Play at Moccasin Bend
30-31 Scenic City Outdoor Expo
Moccasin Bend Festival
Open Gate Days at Lula Lake
31 Family Fun: Archery and Canoeing at Greenway Farm
August
2 Intro to SUP
9 Food Preservation Class
Intro to SUP
13 Adventure Canoe: S. Chickamauga Creek
16 Intro to SUP
19 Bat Cave Canoe @ Nickajack
20 Chickamauga Battlefield Bicycle Tour
Scenic City Mud Run
23 Intro to Mountain Bike Skills Class
Intro to SUP
26 Bat Cave Canoe @ Nickajack
September
11 Black Bear Rampage Mountain Bike Race
11-17 Bicycle Ride Across Tennessee
17 Chickstock
24 Wild Chattanooga-Nature at Night
October
6 Fireside: Lou Wamp
8 Chattanooga Head Race
13 Fireside: Caney Creek
20 Fireside: Tin Cup Rattlers
27 Fireside: Spooky Nooga
November
5-6 Head of the Hooch
12 Pangorge