The newest mountian bike trail under construction on Raccoon Mountain is called the Live Wire Trail, and when completed will connect the East Rim Trail at the top of the mountain with the foot of the mountain near the boat ramp. Recently, SORBA Chattanooga's Brian Daniels, Erik Rippon, and Barry Smith gave River Gorge Trust Director Rick Huffines, Daniel Carter, and myself a tour of the trail. We rode bikes down the now open Phase 1 section from the top of the mountain to its current terminous at the Massengale Point parking lot. We then hiked Phase 2, still under construction, from the Massengale Point parking area down to the river. Along the way, we were shown the various construction methods used to build sustainable trail and avoid disturbing areas of archeological and environmental concern.
View a handlebar cam YouTube video of the entire Phase 1 section here.
Click here for a TVA map showing existing and proposed trail routes on Raccoon Mountain. The Live Wire Trail is the green route running along the top of the map.
Bob Butters
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