About Us
Making the outdoors a welcome home for all Chattanoogans and guests.
Established in 2004, Outdoor Chattanooga is a unique division of the City of Chattanooga’s Parks and Outdoors Department. Our mission is to spark a contagious love of the outdoors through adventure and action sports, nature exploration, and community partnerships.
Our role is to connect you with Chattanooga’s outdoor scene! There’s so much to see and do in the Scenic City, that it can be a little overwhelming finding the right information on how to get outside and play. We’re here to help. Search this site by activity or location to find detailed information about the places to run, climb, paddle, hike, bike, and more, all within an hours drive of Chattanooga.
You’ll find plenty of outdoor activities that you can do on your own or with local outfitters and guide services. Or, check out Our Programs and calendar of events for the special programs and events we offer throughout the year that are designed to introduce the public to a variety of outdoor activities and improve outdoor skills. You can also visit us at our LEED Gold certified facility in Coolidge Park, which contains two classrooms, a large central lobby with a traverse climbing wall and office space for our staff. Here you can pick up brochures and pick our brains about all the amazing outdoor spaces, places and activities that Chattanooga has to offer. The Bike Chattanooga station that sits in front of our building offers a car-free alternative and ‘wheelie’ fun way to see the City.
Meet the Team
Gail Loveland Barille – Director
Gail Loveland Barille joined Outdoor Chattanooga in 2022, inspired by the opportunity to provide more entry points for people of all backgrounds and abilities into outdoor spaces. She brings with her over 25 years of experience working in outdoor recreation, inclusion, and youth development and a portfolio of nationally recognized adaptive recreation programs, events, and facilities. Gail’s background is highlighted by her time leading adaptive recreation programs and in partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club, Conservation Legacy, the National Park Service, the US Forest Service and a variety of other national outdoor and community leaders. You can find her and her family daily on a trail, waterway, or greenway; adventuring with a variety of backpacks, helmets, camping, and paddle gear. A proponent of enjoying rest as much as activity, Gail also spends time listening to Chattanooga’s local music, checking out the variety of food, and exploring the diversity of our region’s plants, insects, birds, and animals.
Anthony Beasley- Part Time Outdoor Recreation Specialist
Anthony Beasley has worked for Outdoor Chattanooga for over 7 years. He’s also a Behavior Specialist with the Hamilton County Department of Education. After experiencing the benefits of being outside himself, including finding an outlet for his emotions, he knew he wanted to introduce more of the outdoors to his community. Hear his story and meet some kids from the newest Outdoor Chattanooga program, the Outdoor Leadership Club. Check out this video if you’d like to learn more about him.
Terri Chapin – Recreation Program Coordinator
Terri Chapin joined Outdoor Chattanooga in 2010 as Outdoor Programs Coordinator. She holds over 25 years of experience in teaching youth and adults a broad range of outdoor skills and has dedicated her career to adventure-based education. Managing and developing outdoor educational programs, experiences and building outdoor community is her focus and passion. Terri built her love of the outdoors in the mountains and on the rivers in 27 states and 2 countries, specializing in whitewater kayaking where she literally cut her teeth leading whitewater river trips. Inspired by the power of experiential education she earned a Master’s in Recreation Management and an undergraduate degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Ohio University. When not in the office, Terri can be found biking, kayaking or exploring the next adventure.
Autumn Jones – Part Time Outdoor Recreation Specialist
Autumn joined Outdoor Chattanooga in 2024 as an Outdoor Recreation Specialist after completing her internship with the city through the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sports, Outdoor Recreation, and Tourism Management to pursue a career that allows her to spend more of her time outside. She enjoys hiking and camping in and around Chattanooga, with some of her favorite spots being Virgin Falls in Tennessee, Cloudland Canyon in Georgia, and Max Patch in North Carolina. In her free time, Autumn loves to read, cook, and care for her houseplants. She enjoys working with Outdoor Chattanooga to make the city’s many green spaces more accessible for all, while spreading the love of simply being outside.
Chloe Krueger – Community Activator
Chloe joined Outdoor Chattanooga in 2024 as community activator. She brings to the team a background in business and has worked in a variety of industries from finance to specialty outdoor retail. After several years of traveling every weekend to Chattanooga to rock climb, she moved to the area in 2011. Outside of climbing, Chloe loves to garden and has spent a few seasons working at an urban farm as well as a medicinal garden. Chloe is most looking forward to fostering opportunities for folks where leaving their comfort zone and creating new connections improves how they interact with the world around them.
William Meyer – Outdoor Recreation Specialist
Will joined Outdoor Chattanooga in 2024 as a part-time Outdoor Recreation Specialist. Will has a diverse background in outdoor recreation and is an experienced rock climber, whitewater paddler, mountain biker, hiker, angler, and naturalist.
Will also holds a bachelor’s degree in Biodiversity, Conservation, and Natural Resources from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Science (conc. Aquatic Ecology). As a result of this combination of education and outdoor experience, Will’s expertise lies at the intersection of outdoor recreation and conservation. His passion for the
outdoors is matched by his commitment to promoting sustainable recreation practices that help preserve natural landscapes for future generations to enjoy.
When not working, Will enjoys exploring the region’s wild places (often with a rod or pair of binoculars in hand), learning more
about local ecosystems, and sharing his knowledge with others to foster a deeper connection to nature.
Bill Durkin – Recreation Specialist
Bill Durkin has a diverse background in outdoor recreation and enjoys sharing his passion about the natural world with others. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Tennessee, Bill’s work has taken him all over the country, spending the last decade as a kayak expedition guide, ACA instructor and Master Naturalist based in Florida. He recently moved back to his hometown of Chattanooga and joined Outdoor Chattanooga in the winter of 2025 as an Outdoor Recreation Specialist. When not in the office, his interests include hiking, biking, birding, camping, cooking, photography, and finding new wild places to explore.
We’re so grateful for each of you!
We are fortunate to work alongside an exceptional team of part-time staff, seasonal team members, and dedicated volunteers. Your contributions are vital to our success, and we are truly grateful for the role each of you plays in helping us achieve our mission.
In Memory of Philip Grymes, Director of Outdoor Chattanooga
The legacy left by Philip can be seen throughout Chattanooga in the faces of the residents and visitors who come to enjoy the built and natural resources for outdoor adventure. Philip Grymes joined Outdoor Chattanooga as the Executive Director in 2006 and excelled in promoting Chattanooga and the surrounding area as an outdoor recreation destination. During his 15 years with Outdoor Chattanooga, he was instrumental in bringing several large scale events to Chattanooga, such as Head of the Hooch and Ironman. He also found support for the development of grassroots events such as Swim the Suck and Chattajack, to name only a few. Philip’s adventurous spirit will live on with Outdoor Chattanooga with the mission to continue to inspire, educate and break the barriers of participation in outdoor recreation, for everyone.
Outdoor Chattanooga's Strategic Plan
Outdoor Chattanooga was born to make outdoor recreation an attractive, healthy and distinguishing lifestyle for Chattanooga’s residents and visitors. After 20 years with that vision, this year we want to offer you a 2024-2028 Strategic Plan to celebrate wins, to be transparent about our current areas of growth, and to outline our goals moving forward.
We want to make Chattanooga a happy, healthy, safe place for everyone. We see that for decades, the rich biodiversity and recreational opportunities Chattanooga has to offer have not been available to everyone. Our promise moving forward is to focus on reducing barriers and increasing inclusivity so we can “meet you at your front porch” to get outside.
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Email: info@outdoorchattanooga.com
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So much of what we do wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partners.
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