Covenant College to Cravens House

Saturday, August 3 — Covenant College to Cravens House, near Chattanooga, around 6 miles, easy (moderate on spur trails), practically all downhill! Short easy shuttle. We’ll start our hike from the Covenant College visitors parking lot, less than 15 minutes from the carpool rendezvous. This is your big chance to admire “The Castle” up close! If you have ever driven east to Chattanooga on I-24, you have seen this castle sitting in grand isolation atop the west ridge of Lookout Mountain. Turret and all! Your hike leader/tour guide will tell you all about it. From this famous spot, we will head downhill to a trail that takes us to Ochs Gateway, where we go down to the Bluff Trail. This trail along the bottom of the ramparts never gets old. Great cliffs, wonderful views, and a very well-kept trail! We’ll stop for a snack either below or on top of Sunset Rock, depending on your feelings about the steep climb up to its fantastic view. Warning: the rock steps to the top do not meet OSHA specs. We will continue along the Bluff Trail another mile to the tip of the mountain, where your feelings will be consulted once again as you ponder the two steep metal staircases that ascend to Point Park, or perhaps just to the Ochs Museum, which is a great spot for lunch. Just think of how happy the Union soldiers would have been to have found these stairs back in 1863! Next, we’ll head down Mountain Beautiful Trail to Cravens House. Have you noticed how often the word “down” appears in this description? Check the weather forecast within a day of the hike, as earlier forecasts often change dramatically. Wear hiking shoes or boots; bring snacks and/or lunch along with more water than you think you need; use insect repellent; gather up hiking poles, sunscreen, and rain jacket as needed. For carpooling/caravanning, meet at 7:30 am ET at Food City in St. Elmo, in the area of the parking lot straight ahead off TN Ave. https://bit.ly/3C3Um9L  Register with the hike leader (required for all Scenic City hikes): Tom McElhone, 805-208-4654 or sarmitta@yahoo.com.