Riders embark on a bicycle tour of historic sites inside Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
Contributed photo by Outdoor ChattanoogaSaturday morning marks the return of monthly two-wheel tours of the historic Chickamauga Battlefield.
“These are hugely popular programs,” said Ruth Thompson, events and marketing coordinator for Outdoor Chattanooga. “It’s a great place to ride a bike.”
This is the third year that Outdoor Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Bicycle Club and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park have collaborated to host these rides, she said.
“The reasons we partnered was to give people an active way to appreciate the park and its history, to teach some basic bicycle safety and also to clear the air in the battlefield a little bit,” Thompson said.
These tours usually draw between 25-75 two-wheelers, but 90 cyclists participated in the first year’s July ride, she said.
Friends of the Park Executive Director Kay Parish said the nonprofit organization loves everything about these rides.
“To us, they are an easy and fun way to help people get out of their cars and on the ground to experience the history and beauty of Chickamauga Battlefield,” Parish said. “Getting people to the National Park and helping them better understand it are two things that are extremely close to our hearts.”
IF YOU GOWhat: Guided bicycle tours of the Chickamauga Battlefield in Fort Oglethorpe.When: Saturday, May 15, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and ending about 11:30 a.m.Where: Chickamauga Battlefield Park Visitor Center, meet at the lower parking lot.Cost: Free.What to bring: Your own bicycle or call to reserve a loaner bike. Helmets are recommended for all participants. Riders 16 or younger and those riding a loaner bike must wear helmets.Call the Chickamauga Battlefield visitors centers at (706) 866-9241 for more information or to reserve a loaner bicycle and helmet.
The roughly two-hour rides cover about six miles of the driving tour through America’s oldest and largest military park and are led by a National Park Service interpretive ranger.
These rider leaders not only recount the events of one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles, fought Sept. 19-20, 1863, but also share personal stories of its participants.
The pace is slow, the terrain is gentle and the event is suitable for anyone that can ride a bike. Those without their own bicycle may borrow one from Outdoor Chattanooga’s fleet of Bianchi Milano 8-speed bicycles, Thompson said.
The Chattanooga Bicycle Club and Friends of the Park are sponsoring these loaner bikes – and helmets – from Outdoor Chattanooga’s headquarters in North Chattanooga.
Just as the National Park Service is expanding to include land on Moccasin Bend, organizers of these guided tours are adding a second series of rides, Parish said.
Outdoor Chattanooga is planning three evening rides that will travel from their office near the Market Street Bridge to Moccasin Bend and back, she said.
Thompson said the Chickamauga rides are scheduled for the third Saturday morning of each month, May through October, and are only canceled due to sustained downpours.