The long-awaited horse trails at Enterprise South Nature Park opened to the public Monday morning before an eager crowd of local officials and equestrian enthusiasts.
The 10-mile trail system is the first public facility in the county designed specifically for horseback riding.
"One of the benefits of a large [area of land] is the ability to separate user groups," Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Director Tom Lamb said.
Lamb has close ties to the project. He spent much of his career working at the nature park and became the park's manager before being named county parks director. For horseback riders, the trail system is a dream come true.
The trailhead to the new Summit Knobs Trail features a gravel parking area specifically designed to withstand trucks, trailers and horses. The large lot near Highway 58 behind the Central High School football field is separate from the highly trafficked main entrance to the park and allows for a safer experience for all users. The entrance even has a water trough for horses to hydrate before and after entering that trail system.
"Any trails that you can go on that are safe and man-made are a treasure for horseback riders," said Christie Lewis, who traveled from Maryville, Tennessee for the ceremony. "This is absolutely a luxury to us to have a trail like this."
Horse trails were part of the original vision for the nature park and have been a goal of local leaders and park managers since its opening in December 2012. The plan was able to be enacted after the park received a $230,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and $230,000 in matching funds split between the city and county government. The trail was expected to open earlier this year, but the park service wanted to ensure it was completely finished and the final touches were put on the project before the grand opening, Lamb said.
Much of the trail work was done by volunteers with the Southern Appalachian Back Country Horsemen organization. Members volunteered more than 400 hours to the project.
"I would like to say this to the horse people in and around Chattanooga: You're going to have some really great trails here," organization president Bobby Mitchell said before cutting the opening ribbon at the morning ceremony. "It's a long time coming, but it's been well worth the wait."
The facility includes a 40,000-square-foot parking lot, handicap-accessible restrooms, two water trough stations, mile marker trail posts, an information kiosk with trail maps and hitching posts. Hours of operation are 7 a.m. until one hour prior to dusk. Updates will be posted at the facility if there are changes due to trail conditions.
Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook at ChattanoogaOutdoorsTFP.