Raccoon Mountain Dam, Tennessee, United States

4WindyandSun 5:00 PM Jan 4, 2020

Pleasant Driving Route
We made a turn after visiting Raccoon Mountain Cave when we saw the sign. We're very happy we made it. The route is on paved the mountain road which offers top view, dam view, visit center for the TVA water system. Nice drive!

5speaker55 5:00 PM Jan 27, 2012

Great place to bike ride for all levels of experience. Awesome views. Historic site.
Trying out our new bikes for the first time and we picked the perfect location! Totally awesome views between the lake and the valley. Biked down for a picnic lunch to one of the tables below the dam. You can ride the loop but for our first time out we just reversed our path back to the visitors station after lunch. I suggest you first stop at the welcome station/visitor information building. The staff there is very helpful and provides a map to guide you through all of the trails. There are easy roads as well as steep dirt/rocky paths to choose from. There was minimal car traffic but a good amount of bikers. To get to the top of the mountain you drive up a very steep road. There were very serious bikers pedaling up the road (you've got to be kidding!) Ok I have to tell you I was worried about my husband falling off his bike since he looked pretty wobbly when we started out (and I'm 7 years younger than he is). Guess who crashed...ME. I veered off the asphalt path as we were looking for a private picnic table and not only fell onto an old jagged stump, but into a mess of poison ivy. Now it's been decades since I've had poison ivy and I used baby wipes on as much of the abraded skin (entire left side of my exposed body) as soon as I could, so I thought I had dodged the bullet. I did not. In a matter of 3 days I was probably one of the most miserable people alive! AND that wasn't the worse of it. The patch of poison ivy was evidently (no defiantly) infested with chiggers! I had about 75 red, swollen, itchy lesions in all those places they like to bit! Yes and on top of that I am a national speaker and had to fly out to the opposite side of the continent to do 3 days in a row of seminars. I LOOKED ok, but believe me when I say I was in "a very bad way". We have been back on our bikes since and we've become more experienced and like the level experience of the Chickamauga Battle Field. There are so many other great places to bike in and around Chattanooga! Great place to live......don't tell to many people. This is just between you and me.