The Enterprise South Nature Park near Chattanooga, TN, features one of the area’s most accessible and popular mountain bike trail networks. The 2,800-acre park has long been maintained as a protected natural forest and is home to over 60 miles of trails and roads, which provide access to this beautiful natural area. That might soon change due to a land swap proposed by Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp.
On paper, the land swap doesn’t seem too bad: Wamp calls for turning over 500 acres of land in Enterprise South for an industrial development while simultaneously preserving an adjacent 1,300 acres at the McDonald Farm. However, the 535 acres proposed for development at Enterprise South include the Atlas mountain bike trail.
While official documents claim that the park offers 60 miles of trails and roads, only 15.5 miles are bike-legal singletrack. The threatened Atlas trail comprises about 38% of that mileage, at six miles long. It’s also widely regarded by local riders as one of the best trails in the network…