North Chickamauga Creek Gorge near Soddy-Daisy to get state park status
Gov. Bill Lee will be designating the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Natural Area as one of four new Tennessee state parks and is asking lawmakers for $776,300 in his proposed fiscal year 2023-24 budget to provide for a park manager, three park rangers and five other staffers for the 7,093-acre area near Soddy-Daisy.
The natural area, mostly within Hamilton County but with some acreage in Sequatchie County, was created from land acquired through the years by the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy and managed by the group before it was ceded to the state. In 2012, it was linked to the state’s Cumberland Trail. The conservancy for years has been a key player in protecting the creek.
That's not all that could be in store for the watershed, which flows from the top of Walden's Ridge to the Tennessee River at Chickamauga Dam.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Bo Watson, R-Hixson, and House Finance Committee Chairwoman Patsy Hazlewood, R-Signal Mountain, are moving legislation to include the creek in the state's scenic river program, a request made by the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy.