This Month we spent some time checking out a very cool National Military Park. It is quite large and has several different places to go and see.

We started out at Point Park this year it is on Lookout Mountain in Tennessee it is about 20 miles from Cloudland Canyon State Park. It is an amazing spot. There is the Main Park Area that overlooks the Tennessee River Valley. Which also has a ton of hiking and mountain biking within this part of the park. It is free to park here if you don’t park on the street. There is also a Visitors Center to get your book stamped. There is a $10.00 fee per person to get into the park if you don’t have you America the Beautiful National Park Pass.

If you decide to go hiking here everything is down hill to start which means it is all up hill to your car. This sights are amazing from though. This is where the Union Army finally won back the Chattanooga Area.

I have been working on family ancestry all this winter and on my mom’s side a lot of her family has been in the USA for a very long time. and several of our family members where in the different conflicts in the Chattanooga Area during the Civil War. Which makes this all that more interesting.

Coming down off the mountain toward the north is Craven House, this is also part of the park. And I believe a better place to hike from since you are about half way down the mountain. So it will not be all up hill on the way back to your car.

There is another area of this park called Moccasin Bend Archaeological Area it is on the opposite side of the river from point park. There is a nice trail there that traces the Trail of Tears Trail to the Browns Ferry Launch Spot. Also, this trail to the Ferry was used during the Civil War to move men and artillery around in the area. It is a Trace Road, the trail is 1.2 mile round trip and it takes you down to the Tennessee River.

The Other Major Area of this National Military Park is the Chickamauga Side. This is a different Battle where the Confederate Side won the day. This side also has a Visitors Center which includes a movie. This side has a driving tour. But there are some nice places to take a hike. We hiked here, it is in the valley and nice and flat, no mountain climbing necessary.

This area is rich with Civil War History, there were at least 5 Battles in this area of Chattanooga. This is the First National Military Park in the Country, it was created only 30 years after the Civil War.