As I am writing this, everything in my lower body hurts! Yesterday Derek and I did a hike on Lookout Mountain. We picked the trail from Cravens House to Sunset Rock, which is 3 miles out and back.
Derek and I like to hike, but 3 miles is the longest we have ever hiked here in Chattanooga. Usually we stick to 1-2 mile trails. This is also the hike that I have wanted to do the most since first hearing about this particular trail.
A sign at the start of the hike says to allow one to two hours round trip, but it took us almost four. This included at least 45 minutes out at Sunset Rock, though. We also took our time on the way up, stopping for lots of photos along the way.
We went on a beautiful, cool October day, which means that the trail was busy. We had to step off to the side many times to let other groups come and go.
The scenery was gorgeous on the trail. About half way to Sunset Rock you walk alongside towering rock cliffs. We even saw some rock climbers!
The trail starts out quite easy, which can be deceiving. I think that the closer you get to Sunset Rock, the harder the trail gets. If you come here, make sure to wear good hiking shoes, and always look down while walking! The trail is extremely rocky in some sections. The last section of the trail is a set of very steep stone steps. It wasn’t so bad going up, but coming down was much harder. My legs felt like jelly after that!
Sunset Rock is the end goal of this hike, 1.5 miles from Cravens House. Sunset Rock is a large flat area of rock on the side of the mountain, offering some fantastic views.
“In late October 1863, Confederate Generals James Longstreet and Braxton Bragg stood on Sunset Rock on the western side of Lookout Mountain. Below was the Union Army, attempting to open a supply line through the valley. Longstreet and Bragg planned their attack, which culminated in the Battle of Wauhatchie on October 28-29, 1863.”
www.nps.gov
Sunset Rock was very crowded while we were there, but everyone was respectful of each other, and even though we had to wait at some of the areas, everyone got their turns to check out the different views and take pictures.
Derek got some fantastic pictures of me. I am excited about how they turned out. Yes, they do look a little daring, but I felt safe the whole time. Well, I did freak out a tiny bit thinking Derek was too close to the edge getting some shots of me.
I would think that to avoid a crowd at Sunset Rock, you would either have to hike early in the morning, or maybe in the wintertime. However, the Sunset Rock area is large enough that everyone had their own little sections to themselves.
The hike back is considerably easier, and faster since it’s a gentle decline.
Back in the parking lot, we checked out the Cravens House, owned by Robert Cravens, which was there during the Civil War. Some fighting during the Battle of Lookout Mountain occurred by the house on Nov. 24, 1863. After the battle, the Union troops used the house as headquarters.
I am currently reading The Smoke At Dawn by Jeff Shaara, which is about the Battles of Chattanooga, one book in a series about the Civil War. It was thrilling to have just read about that battle taking place on Lookout Mountain, and then to be there the next day!
