Guild Trails - Mountain Bike Trail

The Guild Trails are the perfect out-and-back trails for a beginner cyclist or a more advanced rider looking to take a relaxed and scenic ride. It passes through several popular and interesting sites, although if you stop by most of them, you'll hardly have anything to look at on your way back. The trails also fork near the end, so your endpoint may vary depending on your route. However, there's nothing preventing you from reaching one end and then coming back to take the other route if you still have some energy to burn.

Before you go:

Drinking water

Restrooms

Fee required

Lift service

Fat bike grooming

Family Friendly

Night riding

E-bikes allowed

Dogs Allowed

Obstacles

Shuttles

Detailed Trail Description

The start point for the Guild Trails is at the parking lot just off Ochs Highway near St. Elmo. Once you start, you'll cross the highway to Guild Trail, although it won't be long after that you'll have to cross another highway. After that, you enter the Ruby Falls Parking lot, which should be a straight shot to the MTB trail signs.

Stay on the trail until you reach a fork on the Upper Truck Trail, where you'll have to choose between right and left. The former ends under Covenant College, while the latter brings you toward Cravens's house.

If you do go right, you'll be taking on a trickier part of the trails, while the left is much more beginner friendly. It even has a road surface partway through, and once you reach it, you should turn right and stick to it. It officially ends at Craven's house.

For those in our team who picked right, the trail was slightly more technical than anticipated, but nothing they couldn't handle. This route takes you through the Upper Truck trail, where you again veer right onto Hardy Trail. Once you reach the end, you can retrace your steps back to the fork and then back to the starting point. The same applies to the trail that ends at Cravens house as well.

There's significant shade along parts of the trail, so it might not be too bad for an afternoon ride. Also, while it is easy, it can be long, so build up your stamina before trying to take these trails on.

Additional Trail Features

• Extra fees: Only Point Park at the top of Lookout Mountain requires an entry fee. The rest of it, including the Guild Trails, is totally free.
• Obstacles: There are no obstacles, although the section on the right trail just before you reach Covenant College is difficult.
• Shuttles: For most of the trail, you'll be deep in the woods with no shuttles or public transport to come and save you, although some of the trails are broad enough for that.

Sights of Interest, Landscapes, Views

Most of the trail is lush green with an overlook of the greater Chattanooga area as well.

Recommendations and Precautions

While it is an easy ride for most cyclists, it's fairly long and can be exhausting, so be sure you can make it to the end and back. If not, you might want to turn back before you reach the end, depending on your capabilities.