Visit Lookout Mountain, If You're So...Inclined

Looking up from the bottom

There's a place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, called Lookout Mountain. Actually, the whole of the mountain crosses the border into Georgia, but the part I'm dealing with here is north of the border.

Google tells me that the highest point of the mountain is 2388 feet above sea level. From the base of the mountain at street level to the top is a distance of about 1532 feet. At least, I assume that's what it means by "prominence".

If you lived in this area before about 1895, getting from the bottom to the top was probably quite a chore. But for those of us living in post-1895 times, there's been a nifty method for getting up and down the mountain. It's called the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway.


On our way home from our last visit to Rock Hill, South Carolina, (via Albany, Georgia) we stayed the night in Chattanooga. Before leaving the next morning, we took an hour or so to ride the "train" to the top and back down again.

Cables

The ride isn't really much like riding in a train, but that's what they call it because it's a passenger vehicle that rides on rails. There's no engine in the vehicle though. You move with the assistance of thick cables that wrap around a wheel at the upper end of the track.

There are 2 cars that move simultaneously in opposite directions along the track. There's a place halfway along the route where the track divides so the cars can pass each other. I assume that the cable wheels at the top work together so that the cars always pass each other at the proper point. Manually trying to time such a feat would be ridiculous, to say the least.

You can drive your automobile to the top of the mountain and board the upper car at the "station" there, but that seems like a lot more effort than is needed. Still, some people seem to do that. We parked at the lower end and boarded the second car to leave that day.

Passing

If you ever plan to make this trip - one which I highly recommend - I suggest you arrive at the lower "station" at least half an hour before it opens. We discovered that the waiting line increases dramatically as the day wears on. Even though we got there rather early, there were already over 40 people (a car holds 42) in line ahead of us. Thus, we took the second car, the one that came down the mountain for the first time that day.

You board the car from the "back" end; that is, the end closest to the top of the mountain. I call it the "back" because the seats inside face away from the mountain. This makes sense. It's how you can see where you've been on the way up and where you're headed on the way down. The roof of the cars have windows too. You need them to see through when the car gets to the track that's inclined just over 72 degrees from the horizontal!

Pulley wheels

On the way up, we sat in one of the foremost seats way at the "front" of the car. There was no seat or railing or anything in front of us. So when we got to that 72-degree angle, it felt like we were going to fall forward, even though the seats were slightly reclined initially. (We didn't actually fall out of our seat.)

At the top

For some reason, I expected the car to make noise as it moved. After all, most moving things do. It didn't. All it did was sway gently from side to side from time to time. It was an enjoyable trip that takes about 10 minutes one way.

On the deck

At the top, there is a gift shop (of course) and an observation deck up a few flights of stairs. It was windier and cooler on that deck than it had been at street level. I'm guessing it would be so on most days. Even though I didn't need my coat at the bottom, I was glad to have it at the top.

The gift shop has everything you'd expect from such a place. We just bought a few pieces of chocolate, so no real souvenirs.

Maybe next time.