Nature Day: Raccoon Mountain

Most of our nature days are typically on the mountain where we live. But the Chattanooga area has a lot to offer, so sometimes we try to adventure a little farther from home.

On this particular day I decided to take Jack to Raccoon Mountain. This is a TVA managed area that is special because it has a pump station in the inside of the mountain.

TVA makes power by pumping water up from the Tennessee River to a reservoir at the top of the mountain and then releases the water to generate power. The reservoir also collects rain water that can be released.

This particular day was overcast with a chance of rain. We took our chances!

We started by driving to the back of the mountain, stopping to look at the huge turbines before driving up the mountain.

At the top we stopped at the Visitor's Center for a view of the river and valley below before heading inside to watch a video to learn more about how the pump station works.

There was also a lot of history about TVA. This spot is definitely worth a visit for its educational value.

We checked out the switch yard outside of the Visitor's Center. If you like to mountain bike or trail run and hike, this mountain is a great place. There is a mountain bike trail that runs through the switch yard here and many trails that circle the mountain.

We hopped in the car and drove around the top of the reservoir to the Laurel Point parking lot. I ran a 5K here shortly after Jack was born.

Jack and I wandered on a ADA trail, easy and you can't get lost. Our nature study was about wind so we would stop periodically to access what we thought the wind was doing and use the Beaufort Wind Force Scale to try to determine what we thought the wind was doing.

The trailhead also had more information about the water cycle in the Tennessee Valley, which was very interesting.

Our final stop was the East Overlook to get a view of Lookout Mountain and the city of Chattanooga. We had another successful day outside, we learned a lot and we didn't get rained on! (that started after we got back in the car :)

Raccoon Mountain is special to me because Daniel and I lived in the Raccoon Mountain campground for 3 months when we first moved to the Tennessee Valley back in 2010. I spent a lot of time walking Sophie on these trails while Daniel was at work.

Notes from the hike:
Location: Raccoon Mountain (bottom of mountain, Visitor Center, drove around reservoir, stopped at Laurel Point and East Overlook)
Date: Nov. 30, 2017
Time: 10:30-12:0opm
Weather: 50F, overcast
Beaufort Wind Force Scale: 0-1 (calm, light wind)

Jack's drawing in his Nature Journal

Check back on Thursdays to see where our nature studies have taken us...
Previous Nature Hikes with Jack:
September: Green Gorge, Althaus Park, and Mabbit Springs
October: Reflection Riding Center (Monday Nature Day with friends) ⎮ Joyce Kilmer Wilderness Among Trees (hike we did as a family) ⎮ Greenway Farms Nature Day (family archery lesson and hike)
November: Glen Falls ⎮ Mushroom Rock (with Mommy and Daddy)