Since on-site work first began on Walden’s Ridge Park in fall 2020, the excitement in and around Chattanooga for the project has only grown. Anticipation for the climbing, hiking and mountain biking opportunities the park promises has outdoor enthusiasts throughout southeast Tennessee and beyond waiting for the park’s grand opening, currently slated for early 2022.
“We work on all kinds of conservation projects across the state,” says Chad Wykle, southeast director for The Land Trust for Tennessee. “Walden’s Ridge Park is just a perfect combination of the elements needed for conservation to happen: recreation, partnerships, volunteerism, a desire to see the permanent protection of public open space for the benefit of current and future generations, and an engaged community to help raise the necessary funds.”
Work on the park has steadily progressed. Phase 1 projects recently wrapped up, and now work is shifting focus to Phase 2: flagging trails, parking lot design, collaborating with the county on signage and long-term maintenance, and building out sustainable and easy-to-navigate trails to the bouldering area. And, of course, fundraising.
“I’m afraid the fundraising efforts aren’t quite over yet,” says Les Warnock, president of SORBA Chattanooga. “Thanks to the incredible community support out there, we raised what we needed for Phase 1, but now we’ve got to fund Phase 2 projects to get over the finish line.”
That finish line for SORBA includes continuing work on connector trails and the upper gravity trails for mountain biking – making Walden’s Ridge Park the only system in the region promising a riding experience that has multiple downhill-only trails.