South Chickamauga Creek Greenway

Tennessee knows the importance of outdoor escapes far away from city limits—from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Cumberland Plateau, and beyond. But finding fresh air and activity outside shouldn’t require big plans or a long drive. Exhibit A: South Chickamauga Creek Greenway, a 12-mile trail packed with adventure right in Chattanooga.

Stretching from the Tennessee Riverpark to Camp Jordan (a large sports complex), the greenway offers a world of outdoor recreation: walking, running, biking, even paddling from four separate canoe launches. Chattanoogans also use the trail to commute to work and school, avoiding rush-hour traffic.

Starting in 1994, Trust for Public Land worked with the City of Chattanooga to bring this greenway from concept to reality—with planning, design, fundraising, and construction. Segments of the greenway have been open over the years, but it was finally completed in 2022—nearly 30 years of collaborative work from start to finish.

This greenway also connects with several other public lands that TPL has protected over the years, showing the compounding effect of hard work to support this thriving, growing community.