A local guide to mountain biking on the Guild-Hardy and Upper Truck Trails on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga.
By Amanda Collins, a Chattanooga local with 12+ years of experience exploring the greater Chattanooga area outdoors.
Of all the Chattanooga mountain bike trails I’ve ridden, this one might be my new favorite. Partly because it seems to be rarely traveled and also because it’s fun. Keep reading to learn more about what makes this Chattanooga mountain bike trail system so great, what you can expect on your ride here, and how it differs from other Chattanooga mountain bike trails.
PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE. When you use outdoor spaces, take out what you bring in. Do not litter or alter nature in any way. Let’s keep these beautiful places amazing so that we can all enjoy them for years to come.
Lookout Mountain Bike Trails
Lookout Mountain is home to numerous trails. From foot traffic only trails to biking and horse trails, this mountain has it all. As far as bike trails go, Lookout Mountain has over 10 miles of them that are also shared with hikers. There are 4 trails within this 10-mile accumulation. All of these trails are free to access, including the parking lots mentioned below.
Guild Trail
Length: 2.76 miles
Estimated Elevation Change: 400 feet
The Guild Trail starts at the base of Lookout Mountain from its own trailhead and parking lot on the Ochs Highway. It sweeps around to Ruby Falls, where there is another parking lot and trailhead. From here, it continues around the front of the mountain until it ends at a fork for the Upper Truck Trail. The Guild Trail is wide with a gradual climb up the mountain, as it was once a railway bed.
Hardy Trail
Length: 1.84 miles
Estimated Elevation Change: 200 feet
The Hardy Trail starts on the Scenic Highway, with no parking area. It goes out to Craven’s House and ends on the road there. There is a parking lot at Craven’s House. I have not been on this trail, but from what I can tell, it’s fairly wide and only a gradual incline.
Upper Truck Trail
Length: 5.17 miles
Estimated Elevation Change: 300 feet
On the other side of Craven’s House is the start of the Upper Truck Trail, from the road. Again, there is parking available at Craven’s House. The Upper Truck Trail continues on the west side of the mountain until it ends at a fork for a hiking-only trail. This is the longest of the Lookout Mountain biking trails and features a more technical ride with various hills and turns.
Lower Truck Trail
Length: 2.42 miles
Estimated Elevation Change: 100 feet
The Lower Truck Trail is at the bottom of Lookout Mountain on the west side. It’s the only trail in this section of Lookout Mountain that allows horses. So, this trail is shared by foot traffic, horses, and bike riders. It starts at the Reflection Riding Center, which also has parking. But the trail dead ends at Skyuka Springs, where there’s a fork to get onto a hiking-only trail. I have not explored this trail yet, but it appears to be less technical than the Upper Truck Trail, yet still a little hilly with some turns.
My Lookout Mountain Bike Ride Experience
Of all the Chattanooga mountain bike trails, I’ve ridden on the renowned Raccoon Mountain and the technical challenges of Stringer’s Ridge, but I had yet to try bike riding on Lookout Mountain.
My friend and I chose to start at the Eagle’s Nest Trailhead right beside Ruby Falls because there is an easy-to-access parking lot with no need for street crossing. This is a middle starting point on the Guild Trail.
To access this trailhead, you must drive through the front entrance of Ruby Falls. At the end of the parking lot is a one-way gravel road that takes you back to the main road if you turn right. Turn left to enter the trailhead parking lot, which will look like the photo below.
From the parking lot, the Guild Trail slowly takes you up the side of Lookout Mountain. It’s a gradual incline, and there’s no shade for the first half mile or so. Eventually, you’ll reach the forest’s edge, and from here on out, there’s always tree cover.
We rode this up to the fork, took a right at the fork onto Upper Truck Trail, and continued on to the end. There, we turned around and headed back, making the trip about nine miles total in length.
A Map Discrepancy
Another thing to note is the map. The map online shows the end of the bike trail being where we turned around, at the end of the Upper Truck Trail, which is marked in green for bikes.
But at this location on the trail itself is the map (pictured above), which shows the Upper Truck trail still open for bicycle access. However, it’s noted with a black diamond as this trail goes up the mountain, whereas previously the trails stayed at a relatively low elevation.
I’m not sure why the discrepancy exists between these two, and I did witness a mountain biker going past us and climbing up this trail. I have not yet been on this trail by bike or foot. From what I can tell, it’s a steep, uphill trail that is out of my mountain biking ability. However, this discrepancy makes me wonder if there’s actually more than 10 miles of mountain biking trail in this section of Lookout Mountain.
Lookout Mountain Bike Trail Difficulty Levels
For starters, most of the trails we took were gravel instead of packed dirt. This makes it hard on your hands and arms if your bike is not equipped with front suspension. My bike does not have this luxury, and I really wish it did for this trail. Personally, I have a hybrid road bike. I would definitely recommend an actual mountain bike for this trail; you can get by with a bike like mine too.
The first couple of miles of this trail, where we started, are the hardest. It’s consistently uphill at a gradual incline. The constant uphill makes it challenging. This is due to the Guild Trail being in an old railbed that used to go up the mountain.
After about two miles, though, the trail slowly develops a hilly pattern as you enter the Upper Truck Trail. Steeper uphills and downhills create the trail flow to balance each other out. However, my friend and I concluded that there’s still more uphill going out and more downhill coming back. But the downhills for both directions make this ride so much more bearable than the first section of this trail ride. Of course, the last two miles headed back are a gradual downhill, and I was able to coast at a comfortable (to me) speed of about 15mph. With the rough terrain, this might feel too fast for some riders.
If a 9-mile round trip mountain bike ride is too much for you, I can also suggest turning this into a much shorter 3-mile round trip jaunt. From the trailhead, ride up to the fork for the Upper Truck Trail and turn around there. It’s an uphill climb, but the ride back down is exhilarating.
Guild Trail and Upper Truck Trail Scenery
These trails do not have any overlooks or waterfalls. If you want a bike trail with main attractions, this is not for you. But if you want a quiet, thrilling, and wooded ride, this is the Chattanooga mountain biking trail for you.
There are a couple of spots near the trailhead where the power lines cut through, and you can catch a view of the valley down below. But most of the ride is covered in forest. With that, there’s plenty of wildlife if you pay attention. We even saw a snake crossing the trail at one point. I took photos after it crossed, so if you want to get a better look at it, watch my YouTube video of this bike ride.
When to Bike Ride on Lookout Mountain
As with all mountain biking trails, it is not recommended to ride after a recent rain. This can create ruts in the trail and ruin the experience for riders coming behind you.
These trails remain open year-round, so you can enjoy these Chattanooga mountain bike rides in any season. Personally, I would recommend spring through fall. The summer sun will be hot during that portion of no shade, but it doesn’t take long to reach the cool forest portion of the trail.
Tips for Your Lookout Mountain Bike Ride
This is a multi-use trail system. The Guild Trail and Upper Truck Trail both allow hikers and bikers to share the trail together. These are not directional trails, but the trails are wide enough to let people pass fairly easily.
Not everyone on foot will be respectful of bike riders, so proceed with caution, especially around blind corners. We didn’t encounter many hikers on our ride, but people will still hike this trail, so be on the lookout.
How Lookout Mountain Biking Compares to Trails in Chattanooga
Raccoon Mountain
As mentioned previously, I’ve ridden some on Raccoon Mountain, which is arguably one of the best mountain biking trail systems in Chattanooga. There are over 28 miles of trail with varying difficulties, offering something for the beginner to the most experienced rider. Most of these trails are fast-paced with rolling hills, allowing you to keep speed. These trails are the most reminiscent of Lookout Mountain’s bike trails, except at larger scale and with higher popularity.
Stringer’s Ridge
Meanwhile, Stringer’s Ridge is more technical. There are 7 miles of trail within the park, including many directional trails that are full of hills and banked curves. This means the day of the week determines which direction you enter the trail to ride. It’s also important to note that these are multi-use trails, too, so coming across hikers here is not uncommon. In fact, Stringer’s Ridge might be the most crowded of all the Chattanooga mountain bike trail locations.
Enterprise South Nature Park
Enterprise South Nature Park has 40 miles of multi-use trails. This includes paved and fairly flat sections to technical dirt single-track. Out of the 40 miles, 15 of those are the latter. Much like Stringer’s Ridge, these are directional and have hills and banked curves. But unlike Stringer’s Ridge, these 15 miles are for bikes only, allowing the mountain biker who’s in it for skills and thrills to go all out without worrying about pedestrians.
Conclusion
This Chattanooga mountain bike trail system is off the beaten path, which makes it an excellent place to ride. The rough gravel making up most of the trail is the only downside I can find here. And that’s not enough to deter me from recommending this entry-level mountain biking trail. My friend and I concluded that we will gladly ride this one again. The downhill reward for the uphill struggle is worth it.
Be sure to watch the YouTube video of this ride and comment below with your thoughts if you’ve ridden this trail. Or, what are some of your favorite Chattanooga mountain bike trails? I’d love to know. Until next time, enjoy exploring Chatt!
