THE GOVERNMENT NEWS DESKPERMANENT NPS STORY ARCHIVE
Organized by publication date and destination. Each story retains its permanent State & Nation address and official NPS source.
Beginning September 23, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will close East Brotherton Road, between Alexander's Bridge Road and Jay's Mill Road, for construction within Chickamauga Battlefield.
Official NPS sourceBeginning August 12, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will close Glenn-Viniard Road, between LaFayette Road and Wilder Road, for construction within Chickamauga Battlefield. The project will provide routine road-paving maintenance to improve visitor safety and enhance the overall visitor experience. During this project, all public traffic will be prohibited on the closed portion of the road. The park anticipates completing the project by early September.
Official NPS sourceBeginning May 18, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will resume road construction on Brotherton Road within Chickamauga Battlefield. During this construction, visitors should expect the closure of Brotherton Road, between LaFayette Road and Alexander’s Bridge Road. This project will not affect the official Chickamauga Battlefield tour route.
Official NPS source
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park today celebrated completion of a portion of an $8.1 million roadway reconstruction project.
Official NPS sourceBeginning May 4, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will close Snodgrass Hill Road for construction within Chickamauga Battlefield. The project will provide routine road-paving maintenance to improve visitor safety and enhance the overall visitor experience. The park anticipates completing the project by mid-June 2026.
Official NPS sourceBeginning April 27, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will resume road construction on Dyer Road within Chickamauga Battlefield. The park anticipates completing the project by late May 2026.
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service will conduct a prescribed fire at Chickamauga Battlefield on March 5 and 6. The planned fire will be on approximately 850 acres north of Viniard-Alexander Road east of LaFayette Road and west of Alexander Bridge Road.
Official NPS sourceRoad closures/construction will continue on the east section of Dyer Road, between Glenn-Kelly and LaFayette Roads, and will extend onto the west portion of Dyer Road, between Glenn-Kelly and Chickamauga-Vittatoe Roads. During the closures, all public traffic, including motorists, equestrians, pedestrians and bicyclists, is prohibited from using the closed sections.
Official NPS sourceA new National Park Service report shows that 1,003,081 visitors to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in 2024 spent $70,550,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported the local area.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park announces that a construction contract has been awarded to rehabilitate Dyer Road and Snodgrass Hill Road in Chickamauga Battlefield. The roads will be closed sequentially, with no more than one road section being closed at a time.
Official NPS sourceOn Sunday, May 4, at 12:01 pm, two white males removed 3 bronze plaques valued at $18,000.00 from the Sherman Reservation (2419 North Crest Road, Chattanooga, TN 37406) on Missionary Ridge.
Official NPS sourceConstruction is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 5, with the closure of Brotherton Road, between Alexander Bridge and LaFayette Roads. During the closures, all public traffic, including motorists, equestrians, pedestrians and bicyclists, is prohibited from using the closed sections. All work is scheduled to be complete by October 30, 2025.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host an interactive, 3-hour, miniature wargame of the Battle of Chickamauga that will take place at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center. Up to 10 participants can take command of portions of the Federal and Confederate armies, making decisions and maneuvering military miniatures across a 3-dimensional tabletop battlefield as they seek to overcome some of the challenges faced by commanders during the real battle in September 1863.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, January 4, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special ranger-led 1-hour, 1-mile, hike exploring the story of Lieutenant Howard M. Burnham’s Battery on September 19, 1863. This program will begin at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, then car caravan to the hiking location.
Official NPS sourceAfter a thorough investigation by a National Park Service investigator, the cause of the wildfire which ignited within the Lookout Mountain Battlefield was determined to be a natural event. The event began around 5:30 am on December 7 with a large rockslide, likely caused by freeze/thaw action. Large boulders tumbled from the top of Lookout Mountain towards Ochs Highway. The boulders struck many trees and other stationary boulders along the way, creating immense heat and sparks. The boulders also pushed over a large tree which struck a power line that parallels the Hardy Trail. Although the powerline strike could have created sparks, the evidence on scene indicates the rockslide as the probable cause of the fire. No evidence of human activity was found in the steep slope area where the wildfire originated.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, December 7, a wildland fire was reported on the eastern slope of Lookout Mountain within the boundaries of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, south of the Incline Railway, near the Hardy Trail. Resources were mobilized immediately, and a Type 1 Helicopter was able to successfully complete several water drops throughout the day. Currently the cause of the fire is undetermined and is still being investigated by a National Park Service fire investigator. The fire is approximately 10 acres and is 100% contained with crews continuing to monitor the fire.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, December 21, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 90-minute, less than 1-mile, ranger-led hike exploring the fighting that swirled around the farm of Larkin Poe on September 19 and 20, 1863. This program will begin at the Chickamauga Visitor Center, then car caravan to Poe Field, where the walking tour will begin.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, December 14, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a 1-hour ranger-led program that will take place at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center. The program will begin in the visitor center then move outside.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, November 30, at 3 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a special 1-hour, ranger-led program examining the role of photography at “Point Lookout” during the Civil War. This program will take place inside Point Park, on top of Lookout Mountain.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga Battlefield is preserved to commemorate the Battle of Chickamauga and the lives lost during that struggle. It provides a space for almost a million people each year to follow in the footsteps of soldiers engaged in the battle, to recreate, and to connect with nature. Drug use and weapons violations in the national military park are investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of federal and state laws.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, November 16, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a 45-minute ranger-led program focusing on how early indigenous peoples made fire. This program will take place at the Gateway Site, 10 Hamm Road, Chattanooga, TN, 37405.
Official NPS sourcePoint Park, atop Lookout Mountain and part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, is waiving the entrance fee on Monday, November 11, to celebrate Veterans Day.
Official NPS sourceJoin Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park staff and volunteers as we commemorate the 161st Anniversary of the Battles for Chattanooga with a series special programs taking place in and around the city on November 23, 24, and 25, 2024.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, November 2, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a 45-minute ranger-led program about “biting the bullet” at the Snodgrass Cabin (Tour Stop 8). Participants are encouraged to follow the “Special Program” signs from the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center and to bring a chair, water, and to wear clothing appropriate for the weather.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, October 12, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 1-hour, ranger-led, 1.2-mile hike exploring the Old Federal Road across Moccasin Bend to Brown’s Ferry. The program will begin at the Brown’s Ferry Federal Road trailhead, located at 707 Moccasin Bend Road, Chattanooga, TN, 37405.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, October 5, at 10 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 1-hour, ranger-led, program breaking down the two Supreme Court cases brought upon the state of Georgia by the Cherokee Nation. This program will take place at the John Ross House, located at 200 East Lake Ave, Rossville, GA, 30741.
Official NPS sourceJoin volunteers across the nation on Saturday, September 28, 2024, taking part in National Public Lands Day - the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States. This year’s activities at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park will focus on removing vegetation around the area of historic Camp Demaray. The park asks that participants meet at 8:30 am at the Craven’s House (1060 Cravens Terrace, Chattanooga, TN) to sign up.
Official NPS sourceA new National Park Service report shows that 1,021,822 visitors to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in 2023 spent $68,402,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported 967 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $87,476,000.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, September 7, at 11 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host a 90-minute, ranger-led, walking tour along the Old Wauhatchie Pike, on Lookout Mountain, to discuss the 92nd Illinois Mounted Infantry’s race to capture Chattanooga. Parking for this program will be along the Old Wauhatchie Pike, near 2161 Old Wauhatchie Pike Road, Chattanooga, TN 37409.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, August 31, at 11 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 45-minute ranger-led talk exploring Confederate finance, European connections, and a fascinating cast of supporting characters.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will conduct a 45-minute talk about the stories of several heroic men and their unsung deeds of valor during the Battle of Chickamauga.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, August 17, at 9 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, in partnership with Outdoor Chattanooga, will conduct a FREE, 4-hour, historical kayak tour.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, August 10, 2024, at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will conduct artillery firing demonstrations, each lasting approximately 30 minutes, inside Point Park, on Lookout Mountain.
Official NPS sourceHunting and trapping date back to the indigenous peoples who first inhabited the local area, and even to this day, people venture to private and public lands to harvest small and big game. The US Forest Service allows hunting on 650,000 acres in 10 TN counties, TVA provides 175,000 acres, and TWRA makes over 7,000 acres available to the public for hunting. However, not all public land is open to hunting. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is closed to all hunting and trapping.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, July 20 at 9 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, in partnership with Outdoor Chattanooga and sponsored by National Park Partners, will conduct a FREE, 4- hour, historical kayak tour through Ringgold, Georgia.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will provide a 45-minute presentation discussing the story of 38th Alabama Infantry Captain Ben Lane Posey during the Battle of Chickamauga. Participants will meet at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center before traveling out onto the battlefield.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, July 6, at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present artillery firing demonstrations inside Point Park, on Lookout Mountain.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 1-hour program inside the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center on Saturday, June 29, at 11 am, focusing on James Walker’s famous painting, “The Battle of Lookout Mountain.”
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will conduct a FREE, 4- hour, ranger-led kayak tour on Saturday, June 15, at 9 am.
Official NPS sourceOn Sunday, June 16, at 11 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will provide a 45-minute presentation discussing the story of 17th Ohio Infantry Captain Jim Stinchcomb during the Battle of Chickamauga. Stinchcomb was a lively correspondent to his hometown newspaper, and this program will look at his reported experiences during the battle. Participants will meet at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center before traveling onto the battlefield for the talk.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, June 15, at 11 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a special 1-hour, ranger-led program examining the role of hospitals in Chattanooga during the Civil War. Participants are asked to park at the 301-409 Collins St Parking Lot adjacent to the Confederate cemetery on 5th Avenue, where the program will be held. (301-499 Collins St, Chattanooga, TN 37403). Participants are welcome to bring a chair and water.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to attend a special living history event at Chickamauga Battlefield on Saturday, June 8. Come experience the power of Civil War artillery as park rangers and living historians tell the story of artillery on the battlefield. These 30-minute programs will be presented near the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, the American Hiking Society, and the Southeastern Climbers Coalition are looking for volunteers for National Trails Day on Saturday, June 1, 2024. All volunteers are invited to meet at the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center’s parking lot (behind the building) at 9 am.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, in partnership with the Chattanooga National Cemetery, invites the public to participate in a FREE torch light tour of the Civil War portion of the cemetery on Memorial Day, May 27. The tour will begin at the old cemetery entrance arch in the cemetery’s southwest section at 8:45 pm, will involve about a mile of walking over the rolling grass-covered grounds, and will last approximately 90 minutes.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a 1-hour ranger program focusing on soldiers’ injuries associated with the Battle of Chickamauga. This program will begin at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, then it will car caravan out onto the battlefield.
Official NPS sourceBeginning May 7, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will be hosting two new temporary exhibits showcasing artifacts recovered from the home and dump site of Mark Thrash and his family at the time they lived within the park. These artifacts are from an archeological field school conducted in 1975, a little over 30 years after Mark Thrash passed away.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, May 18, at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present artillery firing demonstrations at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Outdoor Chattanooga will offer a FREE historical bike/hike at Moccasin Bend National Archeological District on Saturday, May 18. The bike ride will begin at the Gateway Site, 10 Hamm Road, Chattanooga, TN, at 9:30 am. Ride length is approximately 4 miles on flat to moderately hilly terrain. The hike, which will take place along the Brown’s Ferry Federal Road, will be a total of 1.2 miles in length. The rides are appropriate for adults and children ages 16 years and older. All participants are required to wear helmets.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 1-hour ranger-led hike that will explore the action along Forrest Road and will discuss the role of Huwald, Huggins, and Morton’s Confederate Batteries on September 20, 1863.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, May 4, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will provide a 45-minute ranger-led presentation discussing Mark Thrash, a local legend in the early years of the national military park.
Official NPS sourcePoint Park, atop Lookout Mountain, part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, is waiving the entrance fee on Saturday, April 20, 2024, to celebrate the first day of National Park Week.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, April 27, and on Sunday, April 28, from 9 am - 4 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a living history weekend focusing on the Women’s Army Corps training facility at Chickamauga Battlefield.
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4% over 2022. At Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, visitation numbers topped 1 million (1,021,822) for the first time since the National Park Service Centennial in 2016. This increase was due in part to the commemoration of the 160th Anniversary of the Campaign for Chattanooga which occurred in 2023.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will provide a 45-minute ranger-led presentation discussing Nadine Lvova Turchin, the wife of US Brigadier General John Basil Turchin, a very unusual woman for her time and not fitting into the strict role of a woman in the Victorian Era.
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service (NPS) is preparing to conduct a prescribed fire at Chickamauga Battlefield the week of February 25, depending on weather conditions.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, in partnership with Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, is looking for volunteers to help remove exotic invasive plant species along their shared boundary as part of Weed Wrangle 2024.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a special 1-hour, ranger-led program exploring the history of Cherokee warriors.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 30-minute ranger led talk about Major Ridge and his family during the era of Cherokee Removal.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, in partnership with Preserving a Picturesque America, invites the public to participate in a special 1-hour program examining how the group takes a historic sketch from the two-volume set Picturesque America, published in 1872, and paints the same scene as it is today.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will conduct a 90-minute ranger-led car-caravan tour of Chickamauga Battlefield focusing on the stories of African Americans participants.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host a 1-hour ranger-led discussion focusing on Cherokee leader Stand Watie during the years prior to the Civil War.
Official NPS sourcePoint Park, a unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located atop Lookout Mountain, is waiving the entrance fee on Monday, January 15, to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. All national parks will waive entrance fees on this day as the first fee free day of 2024. It is also a day of service, when thousands of volunteers participate in service projects across the country, including national parks. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is also seeking volunteers for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special ranger-led hike exploring the events that occurred on the northern end of Missionary Ridge at Tunnel Hill. This program will begin at the parking area for the Sherman Reservation, off Lightfoot Mill Road. The hike will last approximately 90 minutes and will be under 1-mile in length.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present 30-minute programs at the Snodgrass House (Tour Stop 8) focusing on what Christmas might have been like on Chickamauga Battlefield.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 45-minute program exploring reconciliation after the Civil War and how it affected the African American community. This program will take place at the New York Peace Monument, in Point Park, on Lookout Mountain.
Official NPS sourceOn Friday, November 10, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host a special 30-minute ranger-led program highlighting the restoration work currently being done at the Chickamauga Battlefield on the 11th Michigan Infantry’s regimental monument, located on Horseshoe Ridge/Snodgrass Hill. Staff from Northern Stone Carving, who is conducting the restoration work, will be on hand as well.
Official NPS sourcePoint Park, atop Lookout Mountain and part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, is waiving the entrance fee on Saturday, November 11, to celebrate Veterans Day.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 45-minute ranger-led program exploring how Native Americans used fire as a tool to shape the land. This program will take place at the Gateway Site, on Moccasin Bend National Archeological District, at 10 Hamm Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37405.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, October 21, at 9:30 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, in partnership with Outdoor Chattanooga, will conduct 1.66-mile historical bicycle tour on Lookout Mountain. On this tour, participants will bike from Cravens House to the intersection of the Rifle Pits and Guild Trails. From this intersection, they will take a short out and back hike to the Confederate rifle pits, then they will bike back to Cravens House, following the US assault on Lookout Mountain, 160 years ago.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host a special 30-minute ranger-led program highlighting the restoration work currently being done at the Chickamauga Battlefield on the 31st Indiana Infantry’s regimental monument, located on Battleline Road. Staff from Northern Stone Carving, who is conducting the restoration work, will be on hand as well. Please consider bringing a folding chair and dress accordingly for the weather.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host a special program highlighting work currently being done at the Chickamauga Battlefield on the 15th US Infantry’s regimental monument, located at Tour Stop 2, on Battleline Road. Staff from Northern Stone Carving, who is conducting the restoration work, will be on hand as well.
Official NPS sourceBeginning Monday, October 2, 2023, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will have goats on park property, at Snodgrass Hill, where they will be “goat-scaping.” These goats will be used in areas with dense populations of invasive vegetative species such as Himalayan Blackberry, Multi-Flora Rose, Bush Honeysuckle, and Privet to help manage and decrease their presence.
Official NPS sourceJoin volunteers across the nation on Saturday, September 23, 2023, starting at 8:30 am, taking part in National Public Lands Day - the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States.
Official NPS sourceAs we commence the 160th anniversary commemorating the Battle of Chickamauga, America’s National Parks, in partnership with the National Park Service, would like to invite you to meet authors David Powell, Perry Short, and Robert Carter inside the visitor center beginning September 16, 2023.
Official NPS sourceA new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 964,272 visitors to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in 2022 spent $63,644,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported 905 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $81,396,000.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, August 12, at 11 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a special 1-hour, ranger-led program examining Cherokee iconography. These symbols, and the meanings ascribed to them, are important aspects of Cherokee culture. The program will be held at the Passage Site, located next to the Tennessee River, between the Market Street Bridge and the Tennessee Aquarium. Participants will need to park in one of the pay-to-park parking lots near Market Street and West Aquarium Way.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, August 26, at 11 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a 1-hour ranger-led talk exploring the life and times of Confederate General John Pegram. His journey from Richmond to West Point led to six years of US Army service. However, Pegram’s legacy embraces his years in gray, and this program will highlight his Civil War experience.
Official NPS sourceFrom Friday, September 15 to Wednesday, September 20, visitors are invited to join Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park staff and volunteers as we commemorate the 160th Anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga and its subsequent memorialization through a series of tours, hikes, and living history demonstrations. There will also be a 160th anniversary Jr. Ranger activity booklet that can be picked up inside the visitor center. Participants will receive a special Jr. Ranger patch by bringing the completed booklet back to the visitor center. America’s National Parks bookstore will also have book signings throughout the commemoration.
Official NPS sourceChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Outdoor Chattanooga will continue offering a series of free, historical bike tours through Chickamauga Battlefield. This year’s tours are scheduled for August 19 and September 16, beginning at 9:30 am at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.
Official NPS sourcePoint Park, atop Lookout Mountain and part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, is waiving the entrance fee on Friday, August 4, to celebrate the three-year anniversary signing of the Great American Outdoors Act.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, July 29, at 11 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 60-minute, ranger-led program exploring the events surrounding the electromagnetic telegraph, which proved its value as a tactical, operational, and strategic communication medium during the Civil War. The program will begin at the Wilder Brigade Monument (Tour Stop 6) at Chickamauga Battlefield.
Official NPS sourceOn Saturday, July 22, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host special programs commemorating the 125th anniversary of Camp George H. Thomas’ establishment on Chickamauga Battlefield.
Official NPS source