Walden’s Ridge Park Is Now Open To The Public!

For more information follow https://www.waldensridgepark.com/

Land Manager: Hamilton County

Native Lands:  ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East), S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), Miccosukee

Area Rep: Kyle Jones, kylejonesie@gmail.com

 

History 

Walden’s Ridge Park, located on the Eastern slope of Signal Mountain and just 10 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, is a 200-acre, forested haven offering gravity-oriented MTB trails, serene running and hiking trails, and a number of high-quality bouldering areas of all grades. This ambitious project was 7 years in the making and is the result of a collaborative effort involving the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, SORBA Chattanooga, the Land Trust for Tennessee, and Hamilton County Parks & Rec. Thanks to these organizations and a multitude of community donors and volunteers, Walden’s Ridge Park is currently managed as a free Hamilton County public park. 

What to Expect

From the upper parking lot, easy trails traverse the top of the park to access the various bouldering areas. The climbing at Walden’s features a wide variety of styles and grades, all on high-quality, Pennsylvanian sandstone. Like most of the climbing areas close to Chattanooga, it is likely that many of these boulders have been climbed on prior to the park’s opening. That aside, the majority of the boulders in the park have seen little to no traffic, resulting in a new and sometimes adventurous feel to the climbing. While some bouldering areas offer a quiet, natural setting to climb in, others are right on top of busy, multi-use trails. Because many of the trails at Walden’s Ridge Park are shared with bikers, hikers and runners, please be aware and respectful of where pads and packs are placed.

Directions

Boulders are most easily accessed via the upper parking lot. Google Directions Here.

Access Notes

  • Be mindful of multi-use trails and other users
  • Minimize erosion, place pads strategically to protect vegetation
  • Brush tick marks
  • No excessive brushing or cleaning of boulders
  • Leave No Trace: Keep the area beautiful
  • Development: When cleaning boulders, use a soft brush (boar’s hair or similar), only remove debris that is necessary to complete the climb, and do not remove any trees. Because this area has not seen much traffic, be wary of potential loose rock on both the climbs and in the landing zones.

Camping

There is no camping at Walden’s Ridge Park.

Guidebook

Route PDF coming soon. Contact info@seclimbers.org with any developing updates.

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