With the Blue Hole Closed, Soddy-Daisy's Easiest Fall Hike Belongs to the City

North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park closed its main parking area at the Montlake Road entrance on March 23, 2026, and it will stay closed through the end of this fall's hiking season. The work will add pavement and striping, improve the entrance, build an ADA-accessible river-viewing pier and put in a restroom. Tennessee State Parks says the project will take about a year. Local 3 News reports an estimated completion in early 2027.

That leaves a gap in the middle of Soddy-Daisy's hiking map. The state park's entrances that are still open lead to long, difficult trails. Unless you're ready for a full-day effort, the best gentle walk in town this October is the city's own park on Back Valley Road.

What the Montlake Road Project Took Off the Map

The closed area covers most of what made the gorge easy to reach. According to the Tennessee State Parks alert, these spots are closed and inaccessible until the work is done:

• Montlake Road Entrance and the Main Trailhead
• Blue Hole Trail and Blue Hole access
• Hogskin Loop Trail
• Stripmine Falls
• The Cumberland Trail from the Main Trailhead to Boston Branch Overlook

The Blue Hole sits about a mile from the closed parking area. When the state announced the project in January, it said all the popular water holes reached from that lot would close. It also said there's no safe way to reach the Blue Hole during construction because both sides of the gorge are dangerous, and anyone who tries may face charges.

"We are excited about these new features coming to our park. Unfortunately, the work will curtail parking and close access to the Blue Hole," Park Manager Sarah Geeslin said in the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announcement. The Chattanooga Times Free Press also covered the closure when work began in late March.

"Early 2027" is an estimate, not a reopening date. For now, plan this fall as if the Montlake Road gate is closed.

The State Park's Other Two Entrances Are the Hard Ones

The park still has two entrances that are open, Flipper Bend and Barker Camp. Neither one replaces the quick walk to the water that the main trailhead offered.

Flipper Bend has its trailhead at 8290 Hixson Springs Road, with posted hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The Flipper Bend Access Trail runs 2.3 miles one way before you reach any loop. From there, the Flipper Bend Loop is a 4-mile hike that uses part of the Clear Branch Loop. The state rates it difficult. If you hike the whole route from this trailhead, it comes to about 8.65 miles.

Barker Camp has a shorter walk in but a slower drive. The Barker Camp Access Road is 1.2 miles of gravel. The Barker Camp Access Trail runs 1.4 miles and is rated moderate. The trailhead is listed as the Barker Pounds Trailhead at 3767–3771 Barker Camp Road, also open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The Cumberland Trail Conference gives these directions from Montlake Road: turn onto Poe Road, then Grant Road, then Barker Camp Road. The last 0.7 mile is gravel. Park at the gate without blocking it, and don't leave a car there overnight; the Conference discourages it.

The Cumberland Trail's North Chickamauga section runs 8.3 miles and is rated strenuous, with waterfalls, overlooks and bluffs along the way. The stretch nearest the closed main trailhead is still off-limits, so don't plan on hiking the full section from Barker Camp toward Montlake Road this season.

Parking is tight at both entrances. The state's January announcement says Flipper Bend and Barker Camp have limited parking and recommends carpooling. It also warns that the terrain at both sites can be extremely difficult. If the park is full, the state asks visitors not to park on roadsides and suggests trying another state park nearby, such as Cumberland Trail State Park, Harrison Bay State Park or Booker T. Washington State Park.

So the state park now asks more of every hiker. You'll walk at least 1.4 miles before the trail opens up, the parking is small, and part of the drive may be gravel.

Big Soddy Creek Gulf Is the Gentle Option

Big Soddy Creek Gulf is the City of Soddy-Daisy's park at 11721 Back Valley Road. It's open from sunrise to sunset. Parking at the trailhead is free, and there are portable toilets but no water source on the trail, so bring your own.

Its trails are short, and one of them is the easiest walk in this guide. The city's Big Soddy Creek Gulf page lists three:

1. Jim Adams' Trail: 1.2 miles, rated easy, mostly flat and wide.
2. Board Camp Creek Trail: 0.2 mile, rated moderate, steep and rocky, with a connection to the Cumberland Trail.
3. Miner's Trail: 0.5 mile, rated moderate, steep and rocky.

Jim Adams' Trail is the closest thing to an easy creekside stroll anywhere in Soddy-Daisy while the gorge's main entrance is closed. If you want more effort, Board Camp Creek gets you onto the Cumberland Trail in a fifth of a mile.

More parking is planned. In April, Chattanoogan.com reported that the city had accepted an extension of Jones Gap Road as a city street and dedicated it, and that the extension "will make additional parking space available" at Big Soddy Gulf Park. That report described future parking, not a lot that has opened. For now, plan around the existing trailhead lot.

Longer Days on the Cumberland Trail

If you have a full Saturday, three Cumberland Trail sections close to town offer the gorge-and-waterfall scenery the closed Blue Hole area is known for. All three are well away from the construction zone.

Possum Creek Gorge runs 9.5 miles and is rated moderate, with about 1,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Along the way you'll find gorge views, overlooks, rock formations, waterfalls and rapids. To reach the southern trailhead, take US 27 to TN 111 and exit at Jones Gap Road. Turn right onto Heiss Mountain Road and go half a mile to roadside parking by the trail signs. The northern end, at Retro-Hughes Road, has a large gravel lot.

Soddy Creek Gorge South runs 4.9 miles from Mowbray Pike to Little Soddy and is rated moderate. It passes valley overlooks, a waterfall at Mikel Branch, rock formations and the remains of old mines. The southern trailhead is on Mowbray Pike, reached from US 27 by way of Sequoyah Road, Dayton Pike and Mountain Road.

Soddy Creek Gorge North is the toughest of the three, at 12.1 miles and rated strenuous. It has abandoned mines, views from high bluffs into deep valleys, and a 100-foot suspension bridge over Big Soddy Creek. Its southern access is the Hotwater Road/Little Soddy Trailhead. From US 27, take TN 319/Hixson Pike, then Dayton Pike, Durham Street, Back Valley Road and Hotwater Road. Park at Sluder Lane; the trailhead is about 200 feet back down Hotwater Road.

The two Soddy Creek Gorge sections meet at that Little Soddy trailhead, so it can work as either a starting point or a turnaround.

Matching the Trailhead to the Afternoon You Have

Distances for the Cumberland Trail sections are for the whole section, not a loop. Unless you set up a car at the far end, a shorter out-and-back makes sense.

Before You Leave the Driveway

Check the state park's alert page before every trip, not just the first one. Tennessee State Parks rates creek access with a four-point, color-coded system. Rangers can close areas along the creek for bad weather or rising water with little or no notice. Fall rain can close a creekside trail by the afternoon even when the morning was clear.

When the Montlake Road entrance reopens, it should have a paved lot, a restroom and an ADA river-viewing pier. Until then, the gentlest walk is at Big Soddy Creek Gulf, and the state park's open trails are for days when you have the time and legs for a longer hike.

Living near a trailhead you actually use shapes your weekends. If you're thinking about which part of Soddy-Daisy or the surrounding area puts you closest to the trails you hike most, I'm happy to talk it through with you. Heather Clark knows these back roads well. Let's Connect.