ESNP Mountain Bike Trails Closing for Maintenance and Improvements
Walking trails remain open.
Discussions between Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department and SORBA Chattanooga have resulted in the decision to temporarily close the mountain bike trails within Enterprise South Nature Park (ESNP). The closure is planned to begin on January 16th and tentatively end on February 16th. ESNP is the busiest trail system in the Hamilton county area which results in problem areas within the trail that are difficult to fix because of the high traffic. This time of the year can also be hard on the trails because of a phenomenon known as freeze-thaw which results in water being held in the soil, making the trail bed especially soft and easy to damage. This closure allows maintenance crews to make trail repairs and proactive enhancements during a time when the likelihood of intermittent trail closures is already high.
Current maintenance and improvement plans include the following:
repair to the decking of multiple bridges
moving a bridge on the TNT-Log Rhythm connector
opening various culverts and drains for better water flow, especially in lower elevations within TNT
addressing substantial erosion issues on a Log Rhythm switchbacks
adding stone pavers on various sections for trail bed reinforcement
“ESNP is the busiest trail system in the Hamilton county area...”
We want this work to be as fast and easy as possible. To do that, we're planning to have official work days every Saturday and possibly Sunday until the work is complete. It's also likely there will be impromptu work gatherings during the week as time and weather permit. Keep an eye on the SORBA Chattanooga website and Facebook page for updates or contact us to get involved in this work.
We also realize you need to get your bike fix between now and middle of Februrary (or if you're like me, between now and tomorrow). There are several good options for doing this including Raccoon Mountain, Stringer's Ridge (as conditions allow; check the trail status for planning a trip) or even gravel road rides in the Ocoee area, Prentice Cooper or the Guild Trail.
We are sorry for this huge inconvenience, but we hope it will make the systems more resilient to damage and thus avoid lengthy closures in the future.
Thanks everyone. And thanks for understanding.