The National Park Service is recommending mountain bike use on two trails in the Lookout Mountain Battlefield within the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
The trails - the Jackson Gap Trail and part of the John Smartt Trail - are the missing links to the otherwise fully connected Chattanooga Connector trail and its stemming trail systems. The project's environmental assessment opened for public comment this week and will remain open until June 4. The National Park Service will review the comments and determine whether there are any significant environmental impacts before opening the route to bicycle use.
"During the planning phase, we heard strong public support for increasing appropriate recreational access on Lookout Mountain, consistent with our mission to protect natural and historic resources," reads a statement from park superintendent Brad Bennett.
If adopted, the approximately 1-mile upper section of the 2-mile John Smart Trail and the 0.9-mile Jackson Gap Trail will connect the entire 21-mile stretch from Cloudland Canyon State Park to Chattanooga. It was seen as a critical centerpiece of the growing regional trail system, according to an environmental assessment of the project.
The trails will connect the Upper Truck Trail from the Guild Trail to part of the Chattanooga Connector trail built by Covenant College on its property. The connector then stretches to the nearby Moonshine Trail system at Lula Lake Land Trust. The trails under consideration are located immediately west of Covenant College off Frontier Bluff Road near Scenic Highway.
To comment
Online: parkplanning.nps.gov/chchMail: SuperintendentChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park3370 LaFayette RoadFort Oglethorpe, GA 30742
"It's nice to see this resurrected. It's the missing link to be able to connect the 21 miles from St. Elmo, the Riverwalk, all the way to Cloudland Canyon State Park," Outdoor Chattanooga customer relations specialist Schandra "Sunshine" Loveless said. "It opens up access to bikers as well as foot traffic. We're in favor of that, because it increases usership."
The drafted environmental impact report did not find a significant negative impact if the trails were to be opened to mountain bikes. The two trails will have a black-diamond designation - one of the most difficult under International Mountain Biking Association designations. The park service believes the trail will be used sparingly because of its difficulty and estimates 200 annual users.
The report does mention potential harm if trails are used after heavy rainfall or users go off the trails. The park service recommended closing the trail to mountain bikes after heavy rains and signs depicting proper trail use.
Mountain bike use was a long-term goal for the trail in a 2014 general management plan amendment for the battlefield proposed by representatives of the park, the Chattanooga chapter of the Southern Off Road Bicycle Association and Lookout Mountain Conservancy. Southern Off Road Bicycle Association representatives walked the trails to see whether they could support mountain bikes. They were clear they wanted the trails to remain as they were and didn't want to widen them or change the landscape, according to current club president Kevin Smith. It was important that their natural feel remained intact and riders didn't disturb the surrounding environment.
Under the proposal, the trail width and tread will remain the same: singletrack trail with a width ranging from 2-4 feet. Park staff will continue to assess the trails during annual condition assessments and on regular patrols. User feedback will be a main source of trail status information. Significant changes to routine maintenance are not anticipated, according to the environmental assessment.
Allowing mountain bike use is the preferred alternative for the National Park System, according to the assessment. It would not set a precedent for allowing future bike use on other trails at the park, according to the report. Any additional considerations for bike use on trails would have to go through separate evaluations and compliance with the National Park Service. Leaving the trail as a hiking-only trail also was considered.
Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook at ChattanoogaOutdoorsTFP.