Point Park is a 10-acre Civil War park on top of Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga. This area was a major location during the Civil War where the Battle Above the Clouds took place. It has several things to see including a history museum with lots of posters, a paved path, several monuments, cannons from the Civil War, and more. It also has several areas that overlook Chattanooga, showing why it’s called Lookout Mountain.

Main Points

• Free Museum
• Historical military park
• Chattanooga overlooks
• Hiking trails

Date visited – 7/26/2021

Parking and Price

There are several paid parking areas along the road which belong to the city of Lookout Mountain, and there’s a free parking area behind the museum that belongs to the National Park Service. There are signs, but you might end up driving in circles until you can park. You pay for parking near the gate of the park.

The museum is free. The park costs $10 per person and it’s good for a few days. Annual passes are $35 and lifetime passes are $80. They have several other pricing options and active duty and interagency permanently disabled get in free.

Museum

The museum has two rooms. The first is a gift shop. They have several books, shirts, cups, puzzles, etc. The second is a large room with posters and a large painting. Reading through the posters gives you the history of the battles. You won’t see any artifacts, but the information is worth reading.

Main Park

The park has a paved walkway that leads you around the outside of the park. It includes several overlook areas where you can see Chattanooga and the surrounding area for miles. It’s easy to see why this is called Lookout Mountain.

The center of the park includes a few walking areas and benches. Close to the edge of the center is a large monument with information about the troops and battles. There are several cannons from the Civil War with tablets that include information about them. They also include information about the troops and battles.

There isn’t a lot in the park, but I did enjoy seeing the cannons and the monument. I also enjoyed the overlooks. The view is hard to beat. The park is clean and peaceful.

Hiking Trails

Several trails lead away from Point Park. You can access them from other areas, but Point Park is an easy way to access them all from a single location. Signs identify the trails and provide information about their distance.

One sign includes information about the places along the way and tells how long it takes to walk. One thing missing is the difficulty level. The trails we tried included a lot of steps to climb. The trails were fun and I recommend them.

Randy’s Thoughts

Point Park is a pretty park. I especially enjoyed the museum, the Chattanooga overlooks, and seeing the cannons. I enjoy history, including Civil War history, and I found the area fascinating.

Would you go back? Yes. The park itself doesn’t have much in it, but I’d like to spend more time reading the monuments and hiking on the trails. I’d like to hike to several of the locations. I’d also like to see the Battles of Chattanooga Projection Map that’s near the museum.

Lucinda’s Thoughts

The museum is tiny but with free admission, I’d consider it a must-visit for anyone nearby who is studying the Civil War. The park is small and charges admission but has lots of beautiful views and Civil War history as well. There are many interesting trails but you won’t want to attempt some of them unless you are ready for challenging hikes since you are hiking up and down the side of a fairly steep mountain.

Would you go back? Yes. Next time I’ll know to check for space in the free parking lot before paying for parking and that I need to take plenty of water with me if I’m going to hike the trails. I also want to visit Cravens House, so I’ll try to plan my next visit on a day it will be open.

Who Should Visit

Anyone interested in history, especially Civil War or military history, will enjoy Point Park.

More information

You can see more information about Point Park on the National Park Service website.

Also in the area:

• Battles of Chattanooga Projection Map
• Incline Railway Gift Shop
• Ruby Falls
• Cravens House

Have you visited Point Park? Let us know in the comments.