Day trips from Nashville · Park
Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center
134 miles from downtown Nashville · about 2 hours 5 minutes
At the foot of Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, TN
Reflection Riding is 317 acres of arboretum, native plant nursery and wildlife center at the base of Lookout Mountain, adjoining National Park Service land. It keeps critically endangered red wolves, along with bobcats, sandhill cranes, bald eagles and raptors.
- Address
- 400 Garden Road, Chattanooga, TN
- Admission
- Donation based
- Hours
- Welcome Center Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm
- Trails
- About 10 miles, plus a 3-mile gravel loop
Permits, fees and access
Admission is now donation based rather than a fixed ticket, so any source quoting a fifteen dollar entry is out of date. No advance booking. The gate is open during Welcome Center hours. Trails connect into Park Service land heading up toward Lookout Mountain.
One thing to know first
Closed Sunday and Monday, which is the most common way a trip here goes wrong. The red wolves are the reason to come and they are most active early.
Access rules, fees and closures verified August 15, 2026 against the agency that manages this place. They change, sometimes without notice. Check before you drive.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date. If you are weighing a move to Middle Tennessee and want to know which part of it puts you closest to the things you actually like, ask me. No pitch.