East Chattanooga

Located in the town of East Ridge, Camp Jordan Arena and Park has a variety of recreational opportunities available to the public. Prior to becoming a park, the land was used as pasture and farmland and known to locals as "The Crow Farm" until the City of East Ridge purchased the property in 1975, recognizing a need for a larger recreational facility. 

Development began with 2 ball fields in 1978 and has grown into present day Camp Jordan Park with 13 baseball / softball fields, 9 soccer fields (with more on the way), a 2-mile paved walking/biking path, a fishing pond, a disc golf course, hiking trails, creek access for paddling, 2 picnic pavilions, an amphitheater, RV campground, and a 34,000 sq ft arena with indoor soccer courts and exhibition space. 

Camp Jordan Park boasts an 18-hole Disc Golf Course. The long and wooded course spans the entire length of the park, making it one of the largest disc courses in the region. The 18 holes include open fields as well as densely wooded areas to enhance both the beauty and the challenge of the course. Top tournaments have been held here. 

The paved path at Camp Jordan will soon connect with the South Chickamauga Greenway through the Brainerd Levee to the Tennessee Riverwalk at Lost Mound Dr. 

The creek allows for some flatwater leisure paddling options to downstream trips that require a self-shuttle. Check out our South Chickamauga Creek page for more info. Please note that water levels fluctuate and should be checked before going out. Always wear a life jacket!

Hamilton County’s 2,800-acre Enterprise South Nature Park is located off I-75 in Northeast Chattanooga, adjacent to the Volkswagen manufacturing plant. The park is best known for its vast recreational trail network that winds among dozens of sealed ammunition storage bunkers.

The park offers 40-miles of paved and unpaved trails open for day hiking, trail running, mountain biking, road biking, horseback riding, and ADA accessible recreation. The park also offers a visitor center, restrooms, 4 picnic areas, historical exhibits, and a 7-mile driving loop.

The nature park boasts 15-miles of singletrack mountain bike trails that range in difficulty from beginner to intermediate with built boardwalks and other technical features. The trails are directional depending on the day. Please check signs before riding. There are several trails that are for hiking and trail running only that are easily accessed near the visitor center.



The recently added 10-mile Summit Knobs Trail was added in 2018 and is the first public facility in Hamilton County designed specifically for horseback riding. The trailhead features a large gravel parking area specifically designed to withstand trucks, trailers, and horses and is located off Highway 58 behind the Central High School football field, separate from the main park entrance. The facility also includes handicap-accessible restrooms, two water trough stations, mile marker trail posts, an information kiosk with trail maps and hitching posts.

The South Chickamauga Creek Greenway is a paved, multi-use trail and boardwalk that follows South Chickamauga Creek as it winds its way through East Chattanooga. As of 2020, the South Chickamauga Greenway (also known as So. Chick Greenway or Tennessee Riverwalk Connector Trail) has two complete sections but is not continuous. The connector trail extends 5-miles from Tennessee Riverwalk (accessed from the Riverpoint parking area off Lost Mound Drive) to the Faith Road Trailhead, passing through neighborhoods and Sterchi Farm Park. Another 5.5-mile section follows the Brainerd Levee between Shallowford Road to Camp Jordan Park in the City of East Ridge.

The connector trail to Sterchi Farm Park section is paved and features boardwalks that wind above the creek, while passing through towering oak-hickory forests, marshy areas, rolling farmland, and neighborhoods. Sterchi Farm Park also has a public boat launch. The Brainerd Levee/Camp Jordan section of the trail runs next to wetlands that provide stopover habitat for flocks of migrating songbirds and waterfowl. This section of the greenway is gravel and rough pavement. All trailheads have free parking. There are canoe/kayak launches at Riverpoint, Sterchi Farm Park, Camp Jordan, and the Shallowford Road trailhead.

Paddling

As part of the Tennessee River Blueway trail system, South Chickamauga Creek is a quiet paddler’s retreat flowing through Chattanooga’s thriving industrial core. The creek is navigable from Graysville Road (Ringgold, GA) to its confluence with the Tennessee River. There are several boat launches that give paddlers a variety of options for both short and long day paddling trips. The section from Sterchi Farm Park upriver or downriver for 4 miles is a perfect beginner paddle.

Recommended paddle trips and list of boat launches: (shuttle required for all)

*Graysville Road to Audubon Acres: 2-hour paddle, 1 portage at beginning of trip.
*Audubon Acres to Camp Jordan: 2-hour paddle.
*Camp Jordan to Shallowford Road: 2-hour paddle, 1 portage-river left of pipeline after Brainerd Rd Bridge.
*Shallowford Road to Sterchi Farm: 2-hour paddle.
*Sterchi Farm to Riverpoint at TN Riverpark: 1-hour paddle or 2 hours out and back paddle.

WARNING: Creek levels and current can fluctuate due to water releases from Chickamauga Dam on the Tennessee River. Check the United States Geological Survey Water Gauge before paddling.

The Tennessee River Gorge, nicknamed the Grand Canyon of Tennessee, is one of the most unique natural treasures in the Southeast. Spanning 27,000-acres, the gorge was carved through the Cumberland Mountains by the Tennessee River. It is the only large river canyon bordering a mid-size city and is the 4th largest river canyon east of the Mississippi. Designated as a National Scenic River Trail in 2002, the Tennessee River Blueway flows through Chattanooga and the Tennessee River Gorge for 46 miles, from Chickamauga to Nickajack Dam. 

The Blueway’s unique paddling experience offers kayakers, canoeists, and paddleboarders the opportunity to visit wildlife preserves and camp primitively on public lands or stay in downtown hotels and take advantage of urban amenities. The Tennessee River flows through the heart of downtown Chattanooga’s thriving entertainment district and then continues through the high, forested walls of the river gorge. There, towering bluffs and protected forests provide miles of spectacular paddling.

When the Tennessee River widens into Nickajack Lake, it reveals its enormous scope before dropping Blueway paddlers off at the headwaters of Nickajack Dam. The scenic terrain of the Tennessee River Gorge creates a unique diversity of landforms, thousands of varieties of plants, grasses and wildflowers and a rich wildlife population. There are many ways to access wildlife viewing in the gorge: mountain biking Raccoon Mountain, paddling the Tennessee River Blueway or even climbing at the Tennessee Wall. The most accessible way to get a good overview is to hike the Pot Point Nature Trail, a 3.5-mile loop that begins at the Tennessee River Gorge Trust’s Pot Point Cabin at the river’s edge and climbs the side of the Cumberland Plateau to nearly 1,000 feet.