Chattanooga Swim Spots {Nature Edition}

Our rule in summer is that there must be water nearby to enjoy an outdoor activity! We love swimming pools with friends and our many splash pads and wading areas, but there’s just something that screams “summer!” about playing in a swimming hole or creek.

*If you’re not a typical creek or river swimmer, encourage your kids not to swallow the water and wash off as soon as you’re able to.

**My kids are older and strong swimmers! Please watch your younger kids or non-swimmers around water (especially with slippery rocks) and have them wear a life jacket even if the water doesn’t go over their head.

Mom safety rules over! Here is my list of kid approved, plenty of fun to be had swimming spots that are in nature.

Chattanooga Swim Spots {Nature Edition}

Greenway Farms

Located in Hixson, there are several areas to enjoy swimming! This is a place to spend a few hours or more with a picnic and walking trails. Take a float and paddle around at the boat chute. This area is shaded and a lot of fun with slow moving, deep water. There’s even a rope swing. Hike down the trail for a couple of miles and you’ll overlook a quarry. You can trek down to the quarry and enjoy jumping off rocks. My kids love this area as it’s big and open. The quarry is obviously deep, so we bring floats to lounge in.

Heritage Park

If you just need to get your feet in the water and kill an hour, pull off Jenkins Road into Heritage Park to let your kids play in the creek. This is close to Bruster’s Ice Cream and I recommend getting yourself a scoop before sitting in the shade watching the kids play.

Ringgold Nature Trail, Chickamauga Creek

I am a little biased to this area because I live in Ringgold, just 20 minutes from Chattanooga. Going to the Nature Trail early in the morning makes me remember being a kid and being free to play. It has three miles of paved trail that lead to a cleared off rock and creek area to play in. Your kids will love it! Read about more things to do in Ringgold here.

Big Soddy Gulf

You’re still in Hamilton County, but Soddy Daisy can feel like you’re on a vacation! This is another area to bring floats and a picnic to spend a half a day. It gets very crowded on the weekends, so we like to escape on a weekday. Follow a wide shaded path that follows the water to your left. You can hike down several areas to swim and play on the rocks. We like to walk all the way down, just before the bridge; to the left, there is a walk-in swimming spot. Dogs love this area too! It’s easy to wade in and paddle around. Feeling extra adventurous? Hike across the bridge a couple of miles and you’ll start to see blue hole swimming spots to your right!

Chester Frost

Chattanooga’s beach! This is a highly known area, so it can get crowded. What’s nice is that you don’t have to hike to swim; you can just park and hop in the water. There is a playground for kids, so it’s easy to spend a lot of time having fun!

Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail

This isn’t exactly a swimming area, but it is a great place to cool off. You’ll follow a decked trail by a creek that’s shaded by large trees and end at a waterfall. Let your kids climb on the rocks and get their feet wet in the water. If it hasn’t rained in a while, you can even explore a small cave in the waterfall. The creek is a great area to find crawfish and salamanders! This is a lesser known spot that has been my family’s hideaway, about 45 minutes from Chattanooga, but I’m happy to share it with you!

I hope you enjoy some of my family’s favorite water spots! Have one that isn’t listed? Please share!

If you’re more of a “city swimmer” or have little kids that aren’t ready for bigger swim areas, here are my favorite Chattanooga spots!