Rock City – Seven-state View from Lookout Mountain

Lookout Mountain, Georgia.

The name Rock City sort of put me off. I pictured a “Fred Flintstones” attraction, probably only because of the name’s similarity to Bedrock, the home of the Flintstones. When our group purchased “3-for” tickets including Rock City Gardens and as a bonus the trip would add a new state to my list of states captured here, I decided to view the place with an open mind. I was glad I did. Rock City Gardens features a 4100-foot (1.2 km) trail that winds through the natural beauty at the top of Lookout Mountain. Plan for at least a couple of hours to walk the trail and enjoy the views.

Many parts of the trail feature storybook scenes, and you can expect gnomes to pop up now and then along the trail. You might see some if you look carefully at the photos in this post. Lovers of folklore and fairy tales will enjoy the stroll through Fairyland Caverns where scenes from famous fairy tales are on display.Walk through Mother Goose Village and stroll across the 180-foot (55 m) suspension bridge, but hang on to those hand rails. From here you are only a few more steps from the majestic views of seven states from the top of Lookout Mountain. If you’re uncomfortable on the highly flexible bridge, there is an overland passage to the mountain views. Some of the rock formations are very large and the path winds through and around sometimes narrow passages, yet there are ways for those uncomfortable with tight spaces to get to view the separate areas of the gardens.

The gallery of images below features several views of the countryside and the city of Chattanooga, only six miles from the top of the mountain. Click on an image to enlarge it and to scroll through the gallery.