Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center

My husband and I and some friends were in Chattanooga for 2 days. Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center was the highlight of our trip. We'd never been there before and we enjoyed a lovely walk through well groomed trails on Tuesday afternoon and returned to do it again Wednesday before heading home! What a gem of a place to reflect, walk and enjoy nature. Chattanooga is blessed to have this.

The cost of membership to reflection riding is well worth the price for canoeing alone, but there are so many other things available including hiking, classes, summer camps, The Wildflower Gardens and greenhouses where you can buy native wildflower plants not to mention the wildlife sanctuary where they have several injured animals that they keep to teach and inform people. Memberships are how this place stays operational and apparently they have been in business since the seventies helping to teach conservation and such. The staff are also wonderful. Shout out to Will at the front desk. Brianna who gave us the tour in the wildlife sanctuary. And Paige who runs the Wildflower Gardens.

Yesterday I went for a walk in the woods after a rainstorm. It was a magical fall afternoon with colors, fog, cool clean air, and a walk that was as easy or as hard as I wanted to make it. I could have gone all the way up to sunset rock but stayed a little closer due to time restraints. There is a lot to learn and gain from even short visits! Here is what I learned yesterday: a "stag" is a tall stump (maybe up to 12') that is left after a tree is cut down. This allows for a property owner to remove the threat of a dead tree but leave habitat for cool birds, raccoons, native bugs, and more.

We absolutely love this place! They have beautiful trails for hiking or even driving on, canoeing and native plants you can purchase. Cory Hagen took us on a tour to see the red wolves, bobcat, and sand hill crane. He was very knowledgeable. We walked on several trails around and past the lake and saw the beautiful wildflowers in bloom. Everyone here was so nice and friendly. We hope to come back soon!

I did a wildlife encounter last weekend. The guide was wonderful and very informative and engaging, and we really enjoyed the experience. They have some very cool animals like red wolves and a bobcat. It’s very clear they care for the animals well and have conservation in mind. I want to come back!

Nice wide trails, fairly well marked. Trees are well identified with plaques. Shaded trails and lots of trees. Easy hiking

I can’t recommend this place enough! It offers a peaceful escape from the city, with breathtaking natural beauty at every turn. The hiking trails are perfect for nature lovers and offer a variety of scenic views. I especially enjoyed the trail that loops around the property, which gave me the chance to see both wildlife and beautiful plant species up close.

My partner and I visited Reflection Riding yesterday and it was just such a wonderful experience. First, we got to meet Vlad, the cutest and most gorgeous black vulture, and Danielle, his handler, on the vulture walk. It was a busy day with a kids birthday party going on but Vlad did amazing and taught us so much :) I really loved how attentive Danielle was to him and put his needs above all else. We then got to see all the animal ambassadors RR is taking care of, included the critically endangered red wolf! Then, I spent way too much time at the native plant nursery and bought some plants of my own to take home. This place does spectacular work for conservation and educates the community while keeping the wellbeing of their animals and plants above all else. This place truly made me so happy, and I will be visiting and supporting them more in the future! Everyone, go give Vlad some love and do the vulture walk, you’ll fall in love just like I did 🖤

The good- it's a great free natural area for the community with lots of educational opportunities like the wildlife rehab aspect and somewhat diverse habitat types The bad- the management/owners have wack priorities

Lovely location to shoot photos of my nieces and nephew in October. Just beginning to have fall color in mid-October.

What a perfect spot for a young family in need of some nature and open space. Lots of different trails of different distances. We were there around 10:30/11am and saw turtles sunbathing and the horses were our grazing. Plenty of picnic tables for a picnic lunch and then a neat natural "playscape" for the kids. We were visiting Chattanooga from Nashville with a 6 and 3 year old, and although we loooove being in the city, having the space to run and play with beautiful nature was perfect ! We'll be visiting again

So great! Beautiful grounds and wonderful staff! Great for school field trips! We will be back again!

Wonderful visit learning about snakes with Taylor. Very informative and if there anything you want to know about snakes, Taylor can answer. Walked around pond and saw 3 turtles. Fun morning with the kiddo.

Beautiful place for observing-wildlife, trees (and learning the names of them since there are plaques on them!), birds, wetlands, the sunset and more. Lots of acreage here and many miles of trails. There's a treehouse in the middle of the wetlands! It's also a great place to learn. There are lots of talks for both kids & adults about cool things (mushrooms!), plants, and you can feed red wolves! It's a good idea to become a member because you can stay in the park after the gates are closed. (There's a separate parking area for members) There are plaques that teach some land and area history scattered throughout the park. I saw another review who gave the arboretum a thumbs down for not having animals. They do have an area that has animals, this is not the zoo, however. Don't expect a petting zoo. We had our dog so were unable to go to that particular area but you can see the animals they have on their website. Expect natural beauty, peaceful walks and pretty views. There's even a magical bamboo forest you can walk inside! We were so impressed we purchased a membership. Best part is you can use the canoes for free! Otherwise it's $10 per person per visit and that doesn't include canoe rentals. The river is calm and beautiful! Can't wait to go back!

Great place for a family outing! Perfect for getting in touch with nature, easy, flat hike, my kids loved the tree house and the wildlife area!

I remember going here and volunteering here when I was younger. I loved this place. Well it was a mistake. We went in to the store front that was gutted, from previous flooding. No problem. The " reflection riding" a riding trail, was no longer a drivable trail. It was the main thing for me to drive along, park and enjoy different areas. Well this was a bust. Then we went to walk the board walk, and after the canoe area it was broken down and closed. The animal area was about the same, but just not up-kept. So all in all we payed $10 per person to see two owls, and eagle, a few snakes, and a tree house. I would recommend the zoo or aquarium for a little more. Or just go for a hike. If they were to open up the " reflection riding" for which they are named, then it would be worth it. I was really disappointed and don't care to go back.

Loved coming here! It's such a diamond in the rough! There's so much to see beyond what you believe. We didn't even have time to finish looking at everything. Great place to bring kids and it's a free place, with donations accepted.

I didn't know this place really existed. What a beautiful place. I had read about this place but couldn't quite figure out where it was. I finally made the trek out there and it's really not far away, just hidden. I didn't know there was anything like this in the area. Just about 10 minutes from downtown Chattanooga is this oasis, with treehouses, a creek, hiking trails, and a big open field. Beautiful greenery and even a wildlife area with cranes, owls, bald eagle, coyotes, etc. There's meeting spaces, event spaces, campgrounds, fire pits, etc. The property is enormous and looks like it's out of the pages of a fairytale. Staff is welcoming and friendly. You can take your dog out to on the walking trails. My pupper loved it! I'm so in love with this place.

It's been decades since I've been to Reflection Riding, but I love the bamboo!! Reliable business.

This is a good hidden gem just outside of Chattanooga. We drove up and had a great time walking around exploring the park and seeing nature.

A simply amazing place! Plenty of trails for hiking or biking. They also rent canoes to paddle on Lookout Creek. This is some of the best paddling water around. It's not usually swift, so no rapids. But it is a beautiful creek and you can see wildlife. Their wildlife area has only native animals - owls, hawks, a coyote, sandhill cranes, and more. Reflection Riding is also part of a national program to grow the population od the endangered Red Wolf. They seem to have a number of programs for guided hikes and educational activities. The place is dog-friendly but you must use a leash. I love to take photographs here. Their native plant sale is April 20-22.

This place is magical. Thank you all for hosting our yelp event! I haven't visited in years. As a hiker and girl who loves nature, I'm very impressed. I'll be right back soon to explore more.

4 stars for the effort put into rescuing and maintaining the 6 or 7 creatures that are in the fenced/cages. There was really not much to do but if you got recently dumped or are going thru a rough patch, there is a trail near the marsh that leads to a lonesome hut with a bench where you can chill out on and stare at the swamp and the trees. I was told they rent out for camping. Also saw a kid's birthday taking place in the treehouse, although not sure how fun it could be inside it for kids. It is basically a house built with trees coming thru the middle of it. It is not a "Tree house" in the sense of those backyard types people build. The road leading to the property becomes a 1 lane so drive slow, you may see wild turkeys cross!

We love this place, even as a kid growing up and later volunteering here, I've never said a bad word about this place. One year I brought a bunch of kids to volunteer, which was a surprise to them. They loved it! So much to see and do. They took in a nest of tiny doves once, when a tree in our yard got blown down. Must see.

Love love love this peaceful little arboretum. I like that they have small wildlife exhibits as well as the little exhibit inside. I really enjoy walking on the hiking trails in the spring and fall. It truly is a little hidden piece of paradise. Love it!

Seeing the wild animals that you don't normally get a chance to see up close (or at all) was awesome and they have a great staff.

A great hidden gem if you're looking for something cheaper and a lot less crowded than the touristy things in the area. For half the price of other area attractions, you have access to their whole property including multiple trails, a wildlife exhibit, and a driving loop that takes you along the river and through the hills. Their wildlife exhibit houses wounded animals and ones that can't survive in nature anymore. They have a bald eagle, a bobcat, hawks, wolves, and owls. Although some of the cages seemed to be small, they all seemed to be well maintained.

Wow...just...wow we only saw 2 horses! No buffalo in the buffalo field! Just put more animals in the place will ya?

A perfect little gem inside Chattanooga. It's glory and it's downfall are the same in that not many know about this place.

This was a great park with excellent trails for its size. Our favorite was the bamboo forest, spinning bench and crows. They have rental canoes, a waterfront cabin to stay in and a great yearly membership deal (we're not local or I would have bought one). My only problem with the park was its funding. It need donations really bad. The animals are in undersized cages and seem generally unhappy, some of the gardens seemed neglected, some of this maybe due to member neglect as well but overall the center seemed to be doing well with what it had. I would go here all the time if I lived in the area!

Chattanooga nature trail is a great place to spend a day if you like nature walks, canoeing, and animals. It features native animals in rehabiltion: red wolfs, bobcats, snakes, hawks, bald eagle ex... Also featured a driving arboretum cool side places to pull off and hike,picnic, and take pictures. Great for nature enthusist and family's.