Lula Lake officials said the Lookout Mountain Land Trust is being "loved to death" and they have been working on a new plan to continue to allow access, but not have the property damaged.
There will be a new $10 per car charge, as well as a newly constructed parking area.
Officials said that will help maintain the integrity of the current parking site at a meadow by Rock Creek.
A letter by Matthew Hubbard of Lula Lake Land Trust states:
Lula Lake Land Trust (LLLT) is questioning if we’re loving the outdoors to death after record numbers at their Open Gate Days.
The nonprofit land trust began allowing regular public access to the core preserve—the beautiful area with historic Lula Lake and Lula Falls—roughly five years ago. Prior to that time, the property was utilized almost exclusively for education, research, and private events. When Open Gate Days were initiated, the public was invited to enjoy hiking, picnicking, and splashing about in the waters of Rock Creek. At this time attendance was low and quite manageable.
Two years ago, things changed dramatically. With the milestone of Chattanooga claiming Outside Magazine’s Best Town Ever for the second time, the outdoors was "in" again. RootsRated was encouraging people to explore the outdoors, and waterfall hunting came into vogue with the trending hashtag #waterfallwednesdays on social media. The outdoor hype continued to build, and LLLT thought they had witnessed a record two-day total of 1,500 visitors for Labor Day weekend in 2017.
The land trust, managed by a staff of four, are noticing the trend continue to increase with the blooming weather this spring. The last Saturday of March witnessed crowds of 1,050 while the first Saturday in April brought 950 for one day. If this trend continues, crowds could expect to reach near 2,000 for an entire weekend if permitted. Sure, everyone wants to experience the beauty of nature, but at what cost? Cars at LLLT’s core property have been parked everywhere—and anywhere—they can find space. In fact, visitors have taken it upon themselves to make new “spaces” where they saw fit. When LLLT staff witnessed this atrocity happening, they took action to close the gates early, citing the land trust had reached full capacity.
When LLLT closes its gates on a scheduled Open Gate Day, do you know what happens? Cars begin to park along Lula Lake Road, and visitors ignore the closed signs and trespass onto the property. This causes issues with safety not only for the visitors but also for the residents of Lookout Mountain who frequently travel Lula Lake Road.
On Monday mornings after an Open Gate Day weekend, the staff heads in for clean-up. They have noted disappearing native grasses from impromptu parking areas, new "social trails" that aren’t vetted for safety, overflowing trash cans and plastic water bottles left at the base of the falls. Suddenly, the place where people had come to escape into nature isn’t much of an escape at all. This emerging trend has forced LLLT to question if we – collectively – are loving Lula Lake to death.
With great disdain, the staff and the Board of Directors started questioning what the land trust was becoming. Was an overcrowded tourist spot what they wanted to be? Did they want to risk losing Lula Lake all over again to have it become an abused commodity the public treats unfairly?
Their questions were answered with a master plan that was commissioned by the Lyndhurst Foundation 14 years ago through an architect named Robinson Fisher. This plan called for a designated parking area adjacent to the entrance gate and a hiking path to Good Shephard Meadow (the current parking area).
Reflecting upon their mission, LLLT recounted how the organization was formed to protect and preserve the natural and historic landscapes surrounding Rock Creek and Bear Creek, and their tributaries through conservation, education, and low impact recreation. The organization realized that if you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Studies show that parking on grass can cause effects that aren’t environmental friendly. Loss of native grasses is just one. Chemical leaks from vehicles can have deleterious effects on the land, which in turn affects the watershed.
Allowing the distress of conserved and protected property is NOT what LLLT is seeking to do. Action was necessary in moving forward with the strategic plan. Mike Pollock, Executive Director of Lula Lake Land Trust states, “We are putting the land, the protection and preservation of the core preserve above all else.”
This is why BIG changes are coming to Lula Lake Land Trust starting June 30, 2018. Visitors will enter the core preserve at the same entrance gate to a new parking/visitor facility that has been recently constructed. Handicap parking will also continue to be available on a very limited basis. Forgoing the $2/per person donation, there will be a new conservation fee of $10 per car in order to gain access to the land trust. This fee will go towards replenishing the health of the property from visitor overuse. Once checking in with LLLT representatives, visitors will then use the approach hike (the existing roadway) to begin their journey to Good Shepherd Meadow—the previous parking area that is now an open space undergoing rehabilitation—where picnic tables and access to Rock Creek will welcome them.
“The hike down and the intended use of the meadow area opens up a whole new experience at Lula Lake,” says Land Manager Patrick Kelly. “Due to limitations in parking, it will be more peaceful, more natural and give people a chance to see so much more of the property than they now just drive through to get to the lake and falls.”
The ultimate goal of this new system is not to reduce the volume of visitors overall but increase the user experience. LLLT wants visitors to feel as though they have the property to themselves, free of traffic noise and overcrowding. This is how one should experience nature—the way it should feel. “The experience of being in the wild of nature is fundamental to who we are,” claims Matthew Hubbard, Director of Development and Communications. “It is our duty to preserve the wonders around us.”
If the parking lot has reached full capacity, visitors seeking to escape into nature will be provided alternate destinations, such as Cloudland Canyon State Park, Reflection Riding, See Rock City, Ruby Falls, or one of the many local trailheads/waterfalls in the nearby area. LLLT has also dedicated a new section of their website to these “other adventures” to provide directions and more information.
As visitors leave the parking lot, new visitors will be allowed to enter. Due to longer hiking times, the gates will close at 3:30 PM ET in order for visitors to leave by the 5:00 PM ET approximate closing time. Additional staff and rangers will be on hand to patrol the roadside for illegally parked cars causing safety concerns, gate-crashers and to manage unforeseen issues.
Open Gate Days will remain the first and last weekends of the month unless otherwise posted. Hours from May through November are Saturdays 9:00 AM ET - 3:30 PM ET and Sundays 12:00 - 3:30 PM ET. All visitors must be exiting the property by 5:00 PM ET. Note: December through April hours are limited to the first and last Saturday only.