Where to Hike in Soddy-Daisy While the Blue Hole Trailhead Is Closed

If the Montlake Road gate is closed until sometime around early 2027, where does a Soddy-Daisy hiker go on a cold, clear Saturday in November?

The state closed the main entrance to North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park, but the Cumberland Trail around Soddy-Daisy is still open. You can reach it from two other entrances to the same state park, from longer Cumberland Trail sections to the north and west, and from a trail system the City of Soddy-Daisy looks after itself. You need to know which entrance fits the hike you want.

What's Behind the Fence on Montlake Road

Tennessee State Parks started an improvement project at North Chickamauga Creek Gorge on March 23, 2026, and expects it to last about a year. The work covers paving the parking area, improving the park entrance, building an ADA-accessible river viewing pier and adding a restroom. Local 3 reported that the project is expected to finish in early 2027.

These areas are closed until the project 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

Blue Hole sits about a mile from the main parking area. The state says the terrain on both sides of the gorge is too steep and rugged to offer any safe access while construction is underway. Park Manager Sarah Geeslin explained the trade-off in the state's project announcement:

"While construction will temporarily limit parking and require the closure of the Blue Hole, these upgrades will create a safer, more accessible experience for visitors in the future."

The Same Park Still Has Two Open Doors

The state says Flipper Bend and Barker Camp both remain open. Both have limited parking, and the terrain at each may not suit every skill level. Here is what the park's hiking page lists as open at each entrance:

The loop mileage is easy to misread. The 3.5-mile Flipper Bend Loop turns into a hike of almost nine miles once you add the walk in and back out from the trailhead. Clear Branch is the shorter outing from the same lot, but it still comes to more than six miles round trip.

Barker Camp is on the Sequatchie County side. The state's event listing gives its address as 3771 Barker Camp Road, Dunlap. The Cumberland Trail Conservancy describes the North Chickamauga Creek section as an 8.3-mile route between Montlake Road and Barker Camp Road. It also notes that the last 0.7 mile of Barker Camp Road is gravel. With the Montlake end closed, the Barker Camp end is the open way onto the gorge's stretch of the Cumberland Trail.

Parking is tighter at both entrances. The state asks visitors to use designated spaces only, to avoid parking on roadsides and to carpool when they can. If a lot is full, it suggests Cumberland Trail State Park, Harrison Bay State Park or Booker T. Washington State Park instead. Creek-side areas can also close with little notice when the weather turns or the water rises.

The City's Own Trailhead on Back Valley Road

You can reach the Cumberland Trail without driving to Dunlap. The Big Soddy Creek Gulf is a trail system run by the City of Soddy-Daisy at 11721 Back Valley Road. The city lists it as open every day from sunrise to sunset, with free parking at the trailhead. The city's trail map shows the Gulf connecting to the Cumberland Trail.

The city names three trails there. Ordered from easiest to steepest, they are:

1. Jim Adams' Trail, 1.2 miles, rated easy and mostly flat.
2. Miner's Trail, 0.5 mile, rated moderate, steep and rocky.
3. Board Camp Creek Trail, 0.2 mile, rated moderate, steep and rocky, ending at the Cumberland Trail.

Board Camp Creek is the shortest trail on the list, and it's the one that puts you on the Cumberland Trail. Jim Adams' Trail is the flat choice for a short walk after work, as long as you're back before sunset. The Chattanoogan reported on Nov. 6 that the city counts its parks among its greatest assets, and it listed hiking and trout fishing at the Big Soddy Creek Gulf as part of that.

Where the Cumberland Trail Runs Long

For a full-day hike, two Cumberland Trail sections near Soddy-Daisy run well past the distances at Flipper Bend.

The Soddy Creek Gorge section is 12.1 miles and rated strenuous. It runs between the Heiss Mountain Road Trailhead and the Little Soddy Trailhead at Hotwater Road. At Little Soddy, parking is at Hotwater Road and Sluder Lane, and the trailhead sits about 200 feet down Hotwater Road. The city's parks page lists the Little Soddy Trailhead at 913 Sluder Lane. It notes the trailhead is outside city limits and not maintained by the city.

The Possum Creek Gorge section is 9.5 miles and rated moderate. It runs from Heiss Mountain Road to Retro-Hughes Road, with roadside parking at the Heiss Mountain end.

Both sections are point-to-point. Hiking one end to end means leaving a car at each trailhead or turning around partway. Check current conditions on the Conservancy's section page before you drive out.

Flat Miles Closer to Dayton Pike

Some days you only have time for a loop before dinner. The city's parks page lists walking tracks at two spots near Dayton Pike:

• Soddy Lake Recreation Complex, at the baseball fields, 150 Depot Street, and the softball fields, 105 Durham Street. The city notes that Soddy Lake, across Dayton Pike, has a fishing pier and picnic areas.
• Veterans Park, 9009 Dayton Pike, which the city lists as having a large walking track.

The lakefront park nearby is changing too. Holly Park has been renamed Gene-O Shipley Park at Holly Circle. According to the Chattanoogan's Nov. 6 report, the city is pairing a $250,000 Hamilton County grant with matching city money for upgrades there. The plans include a pavilion near the water, about 30 new parking spaces to get cars off the grass, and new restrooms. Construction on the restrooms stopped for new soil tests while City Manager Burt Johnson and Public Works Director Steve Grant look for a different site. Johnson proposed a workshop at the park with commissioners and nearby residents to pick the new location, and the city plans to advertise it publicly.

On the Calendar Before the Gorge Reopens

These dated events fall between now and early December, and two of them happen on trails or parks covered above:

1. Saturday, Nov. 14, 9 to 11 a.m. The No Trash November volunteer cleanup on Loop Road. Volunteers meet at the Penney's Place parking lot, 10636 Dayton Pike, and the cleanup happens rain or shine, per the Chattanoogan.
2. Friday, Nov. 27, 9 a.m. to noon. The state park's After Thanksgiving Day Hike meets at 3771 Barker Camp Road in Dunlap for a moderate hike of about five miles on the Cumberland Trail. It's a ranger-led way to see the Barker Camp side if you haven't been.
3. Friday, Dec. 4, 4 to 9 p.m. The city's Holly Jolly Jamboree at Veterans Park, 9009 Dayton Pike, with holiday trees, music, vendors, treats and Santa. That's the same park as the walking track above.
4. Sunday, Dec. 6, 2 p.m. The Soddy-Daisy Christmas Parade on Dayton Pike, from Harrison Lane to Sequoyah Road. Parade entry registration closes Nov. 25.

Until Montlake reopens, North Chickamauga Creek Gorge is open through Flipper Bend and Barker Camp. Big Soddy Creek Gulf on Back Valley Road is open sunrise to sunset with free parking.

The Dustin Mullins Team follows what's opening and closing around Soddy-Daisy, from trailheads to the work at Gene-O Shipley Park. For more on the area, see our Soddy-Daisy neighborhood page. If you're weighing a move closer to the trails, or wondering what a home near Back Valley Road or the lake is worth, schedule a free consultation with Dustin Mullins and get a direct answer quickly.