A visit to Rock City has always felt like a trip back in time for me. The new trailside additions being phased in also help make it feel like a journey to another world.
When I got a press release from the iconic attraction announcing “the most significant trail enhancement project in recent years” in mid-September, I decided it was worth a visit. A month later, as the trees were beginning their own metamorphosis, I headed up Lookout with some additions of my own in tow: my partner, Jon, and Scarjo and Juan Pablo, our two dogs. (You may not have known, but Rock City has always been pet-friendly.)
I’ll be honest, I have no idea how long it’s been since I went to Rock City outside of the seasonal Enchanted Garden of Lights nighttime displays, but it’s been awhile. So trying to pick out the new enhancements was kind of like a game of “Memory.” I kept snapping away, taking photos of all kinds of little things – most of which, it turns out, I simply never noticed before or didn’t remember: a manmade outcropping that looked like a pipe; a gilded cottage and a whimsical red door which I thought were relegated to the winter holiday installation.
The completed trail additions are centered around the Hall of the Mountain King. There, you (now) encounter an arched stone-like entryway inlaid with colorful glass discs, an ornate iron stairway bedazzled with more colorful discs, and a tunnel illuminated with glowing swirls and patterns that look like part of an enchantment spell. They enhance the park’s storybook quality – which I never fully realized.
If you go
Rock City now requires guests to reserve a timed-entry ticket, with visits starting every 15 minutes. My group still hit a few small traffic jams, so guests are required to wear a mask in enclosed spaces or within 6 feet of another party on the trail. We visited later in the afternoon on a drizzly day, so there weren’t too many other visitors to contend with and I felt safe in the fresh air, but it’s nearly impossible to enforce a mask policy along the narrow path. Before entering various installations, though, I was asked by stationed staff members to put mine back on.