The new multi-use trail system spans 34 miles from the Chattanooga riverfront to Cloudland Canyon State Park.
This fall, outdoor enthusiasts can look forward to the unveiling of the River to Clouds Route: the newest feather in the cap of a region nationally touted for unbeatable outdoor recreation. The multi-use trail on Lookout Mountain spans 34 miles from Rising Fawn, Georgia, to the Chattanooga Riverwalk in St. Elmo with segments suited for a variety of travelers, such as mountain bikers, trekkers, and trail runners.
A trail runner on the Lula Lake segment of the River to Clouds Route. Photo: Lula Lake Land Trust
The River to Clouds Route (RCR) is open to bicycle and foot travel, consisting of single and double-track trails. The route provides challenges to the most seasoned adventure mountain bikers, runners, and hikers. Adventurers can expect to encounter rocky technical sections, scenic overlooks, tumbling mountain streams, waterfalls, hidden hollers, unique rock formations, abandoned mines, and several historical sites.
Regional trail systems such as the River to Clouds Route bring a multitude of benefits to area economies. By strengthening pathway connections between communities, people, and places, projects like this promote a robust tourism economy across county and state lines.
According to the 2020 Regional Outdoor Recreation Survey led by Thrive Regional Partnership and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the typical expenditure for outdoor recreation in the tri-state region is $5,890 per person annually. Key findings from the survey also indicate that Walker and Dade counties are areas of high potential for growth in outdoor recreation. Routes like the RCR open a new opportunity for nearby towns and cities to gain an economic benefit for local businesses serving the route’s adventurers.
“We are enthusiastic about this collaborative effort which will engage residents and visitors alike with Chattanooga’s iconic and beautiful National Park places, steeped in Native American and Civil War history. Outdoor tourism is a critical driver to Chattanooga’s local economy, as visitation to our National Park supported 991 private sector jobs and provided more than $81 million to our local economy in 2022 alone.”
“We are enthusiastic about this collaborative effort which will engage residents and visitors alike with Chattanooga's iconic and beautiful National Park places, steeped in Native American and Civil War history,” stated Tricia King Mims, executive director of National Park Partners for Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Moccasin Bend. "Outdoor tourism is a critical driver to Chattanooga's local economy, as visitation to our National Park supported 991 private sector jobs and provided more than $81 million to our local economy in 2022 alone."
Adventurers on the River to Clouds Route can expect forested trails, scenic overlooks, waterfalls, and more. Photo: Lula Lake Land Trust
The River to Clouds Route represents the impressive collaboration of six different public and private property holders on Lookout Mountain in an initiative facilitated by Thrive Regional Partnership. Embodying the collective efforts of land managers on Lookout Mountain over the past 20+ years, the River to Clouds Route connects public lands managed by Lookout Mountain Conservancy, the National Park Service, Lula Lake Land Trust, Georgia-Alabama Land Trust, Covenant College, and Georgia State Parks. The collective branding of the project was funded by the Riverview Foundation, and GIS expertise was provided by the Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technology (IGT) Lab of UTC.
“Connecting downtown Chattanooga to Cloudland Canyon State Park has long been a vision of our organization, starting with our founders in 1994, and we couldn’t be more proud to see it come to life. This project wouldn’t have been possible without collaboration between multiple landowners and stakeholders. The River to Clouds Route will add another incredible, long-distance mountain biking and hiking route to the region’s already extensive trail systems, bringing people from all over to enjoy the beautifully designed trails and scenery of Lookout Mountain.”
The River to Clouds Route will be officially unveiled on November 6.