A moderate 3.5-mile walk on Lookout Mountain delivers a healthy dose of delightful scenery and American history.
The plan was to be on Lookout Mountain in time to watch the sun rise over Chattanooga and the Moccasin Bend of the Tennessee River. An early morning traffic jam prevented us from experiencing the event, and a bit of haze had settled in by the time we arrived, yet we were still able to enjoy the expansive view from Point Park on the mountain’s northern end.
Union forces retreated to Chattanooga after their defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga in September of 1863, but the Confederates, stationed on Lookout Mountain, were able to stop supplies from reaching the occupying army by keeping cannons trained on boats approaching by the river.
The mountain is now a part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park with more than a dozen miles of pathways.
Laurie and I descended a steep set of metal stairs to turn onto the aptly-named Bluff Trail. Near its ridgeline, Lookout Mountain makes an abrupt change from forested slope to high cliffs above a natural bench that stretches for miles. It was on this conduit that Union soldiers advanced toward the Confederate fortifications, causing the Southern military to abandon their vantage point in November 1863…