The secret is out. Chattanooga is a haven for outdoor recreation enthusiasts.
“I think it’s only going to grow,” said Outdoor Chattanooga marketing director Ruthie Thompson, who hikes, cycles and paddles.
“We’ve seen outdoor recreation grow over the past seven years,” Ms. Thompson said. “When one person gets hooked on the outdoors, he wants to turn other people on to the outdoors, and it grows into a community of people who know a secret.
“It’s a lifestyle, and it’s very contagious,” she said.
Areas within the heart of Chattanooga and extending from 20 minutes to two hours from downtown offer enormous outdoor recreation possibilities. The list is almost endless — cycling, kayaking, climbing, mountain-biking, trail running, fishing, hang gliding.
“What makes us unique, is accessibility to outdoor recreation options,” Ms. Thompson said.
“You can go downtown and catch bass on a fly-rod,” said David Newsom, a guide and instructor at Choo-Choo Fly and Tackle. “That’s becoming more popular because you don’t have to drive at all.”
Plenty of trout await 90 minutes or less away. A fly-fisher can head to the Hiawassee for trophy fishing or go to the North Georgia mountains where the brook trout aren’t big but are definitely beautiful.
“We’re in the central hub,” Mr. Newsom said. “We have plenty of tailwater rivers.”
Instead of angling for life in the water, outdoor enthusiasts can be on the water and under the downtown bridges in a kayak or canoe. Mr. Thompson said flat-water kayaking is the topic of conversation right behind cycling.
“During our heavy season our No. 1 question is, ‘Where can I rent a bicycle,’ and our No. 2 question is, ‘Where can I rent a kayak or canoe,'” Ms. Thompson said.
“More and more people are wanting to get on flat water, get on the lakes and go exploring.”