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Since moving to Chattanooga in July 2023, I’ve been spending all of my weekends exploring all the best hiking spots and scouting out my favorite locations to shoot! The amazing thing about having a Chattanooga elopement is that there are THREE mountains within 15 minutes of downtown — Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, and Raccoon Mountain.
I can’t think of any other place that has so many different hiking spots so close to the city and so accessible! And if you’re willing to go further out, there are other incredible state parks and forests such as Cloudland Canyon, South Cumberland State Park, Savage Gulf State Natural Area, the Ocoee River and Hiwasee River, and so much more. And Great Smoky Mountain National Park is just 2.5 hours away!
If you are planning to travel to elope in Chattanooga, here are the spots I recommend considering for your elopement:
Rainbow Lake on Signal Mountain
Rainbow Lake is an easy hike with lots to see and explore! The trail is an easy-to-moderate 2.2-mile roundtrip and has lots to see from the dam that creates a beautiful waterfall, Middle Creek that runs along the base of the falls, a suspension bridge, and beautiful cliffs and rock formations. And it’s only 15 minutes from Chattanooga so a super easy drive!
Big Soddy Creek Gulf
This is one of my all-time favorite hikes and would be an amazing place for a Chattanooga elopement! The hike is 3.5 miles out and back but there is lots to see staying within the first mile. It’s a flat gravel path most of the way making it super accessible. Along the hike, you pass a few beautiful swimming holes which would be beautiful for dipping your feet in and getting some photos in the water!
Snooper’s Rock
Snooper’s Rock is the most popular place to elope in Chattanooga and it’s easy to see why. It has the most iconic view of the Tennessee River bending around the mountain. It’s located about 45 minutes from Chattanooga in Prentice Cooper State Forest and about half of that drive is up a gravel road. Once you reach the parking lot, it’s just a minute or so walk to the lookout so no hiking required!
I wouldn’t recommend Snooper’s Rock alone for your Chatanooga elopement but instead recommend getting here right at sunrise and then continuing on to another hike to get more photos to get more variety 🙂 If you go on the right morning (the temperature has to drop a certain amount overnight) you might even get an inversion layer!
Cloudland Canyon State Park
Cloudland Canyon is 30 minutes south of Chattanooga in North Georgia. It has a beautiful overlook of the canyon and two waterfalls, Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls. The hike down to the waterfalls is not long but it is very steep, so you have to be up for a bit of a workout!
South Cumberland State Park
45 minutes from Chattanooga, the Fiery Gizzard trail at South Cumberland State Park might just be my top recommendation for a Chattanooga elopement. The trail is 12.5 miles in total but I’ve only down about the first 2.5 miles of it and it is absolutely beautiful the entire way! It runs along a beautiful creek with small waterfalls along the way. Foster Falls is also located in the park which, in the right season, would make an amazing backdrop for photos!
Greeter Falls at Savage Gulf State Park
Greeter Falls, located in Savage Gulf State Natural Area, is a .5 mile out and back trail to the falls. There is a suspension bridge and a lot of stairs down but it’s not too strenuous! This would be a great option for those wanting to adventure out a little further out as it’s 1.15hrs from Chattanooga but there is a lot to see in this area. You can also hike to the stunning Stone Door Overlook (2 miles out and back) or to the secluded Savage Falls (3.2 miles out and back).
I hope you found this Chattanooga elopement location guide helpful and feel free to send me an email if you have questions about any other spots you’ve been eyeing! There is so much to see in East Tennessee and it’s truly the most magical place for an adventurous elopement 🙂
